MEMPHIS, Tennessee - June 22, 2016 - Ducks Unlimited's (DU) Director of Communications, James Powell, was elected volunteer President of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) at their annual conference in Montana last week.

"It's truly an honor to be elected President of such a highly regarded organization," Powell said. "I'm looking forward to working with other outdoor media leaders to help POMA grow and reach the goals set out in our mission."

Powell has been DU's Director of Communications for the past four years, and has served on the POMA board for two years. As President, he will preside over all meetings of the POMA Board of Directors and act as the liaison between the Executive Director and the Board. He is also responsible for member communications, the development of strategic partnerships and oversight of strategic marketing programs.

"We learned at the board meeting last week that POMA's corporate partnerships have grown by 18 percent, which is a big increase from previous years," he said. "While corporate partners undoubtedly allow POMA to do even more great things, we're certainly going to be focused on membership growth as well."

More than 200 people attended this year's conference in Kalispell, Mont., and the conference included panel discussions, seminars, new product demonstrations and much more.

"I've been fortunate to work with James since being hired as Executive Director two years ago, and I'm looking forward to another great two years with him as President," said Kevin Orthman, POMA's executive director. "James' dedication and passion for this organization and our industry, combined with his national perspective and communications expertise, will be a tremendous asset to POMA and the board."

An outdoor industry and conservation organization professional for almost two decades, Powell previously has provided communications and marketing expertise for Cabela's, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Lower Colorado River Authority and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

For more information about POMA, visit www.professionaloutdoormedia.org.

About Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13.6 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

POMA Mission
To foster excellence in communications at all levels, help members build their businesses, connect media and industry, promote fair and honest communication of the traditional outdoor sports and conservation stories, and mentor the next generation of traditional outdoor sports communicators.

Media Contact:
Matt Coffey
(901) 758-3764
mcoffey@ducks.org