NWTF Has Its Leader

The National Wild Turkey Federation named George C. Thornton its chief executive officer June 2.

He will begin his duties immediately.

Thornton is well known throughout the agribusiness community, according to a news release issued by the NWTF. Most recently he was president and CEO of Agriliance, LLC., before retiring in 2007.

Also according to the release, "He is a past director of the Minnesota Zoo, and has served on many civic, industry and company boards including chair of the Chemical Producers and Distributors Association, Crop Life America, The Fertilizer Institute, local Boy Scout councils and church groups. In 2006, George was named Agribusiness leader of the year by the National Agricultural Marketing Association."

"We are thrilled to have George leading this organization," said Jere Peak, NWTF chairman of the board. "His background heading up Agriliance, which became the largest Agricultural products distributor in North America under his leadership, and his commitment to the same conservation principles and hunting heritage values that the NWTF family holds dear, makes him a perfect fit to take us to the next level."

Thornton is a lifelong hunter with a passion for restoring and maintaining wildlife habitat, according to the release.

"As a conservationist and hunter, the NWTF's mission really resonates with me, and I'm committed to working with this team of staff, volunteers and partners to fulfill the organization's goals," Thornton said. "The track record of the NWTF is very impressive. We can build from this foundation of success to find new and exciting ways to enrich the experience of our membership."

Thornton replaces Rob Keck who served as CEO of the NWTF for 27 years before resigning recently following the dismissal of COO Carl Brown who had 28 years with the NWTF, and Dick Rosenlieb who had been with the group for 19 years.

Brown and Rosenlieb have sued the organization claiming they were the victims of an organized smear campaign by members of the board that used lies and defamation to sully their reputations.
Read the news release here.