MEMPHIS, Tenn. - June 20, 2018 - Sam Smolik, of Houston, was elected to Ducks Unlimited's national board of directors during the organization's 81st annual national convention held recently in Indianapolis.

"The leadership provided by Ducks Unlimited's board of directors ensures we are fulfilling our mission to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl," said DU President Rogers Hoyt. "Our board members are not paid for their work; rather they volunteer their time and resources because they feel so strongly about conservation. I welcome each new board member and look forward to working with them in the years to come."

Sam Smolik currently serves on the Board of Directors for Axalta Coating Systems and Evergreen Industrial Services. He recently retired as the Senior Vice President for Americas Manufacturing from LyondellBasell where he was responsible for all manufacturing operations in North and South America. Prior to joining LyondellBasell in November 2009, Sam served as Vice President, Global Downstream Health, Safety, Security and Environment of Royal Dutch Shell and Vice President, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Security with The Dow Chemical Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

"Conservation of wetlands and natural habitat is of critical importance to us all," Smolik said. "Katy Prairie's contribution to the recent Houston flooding is just one example. I look forward to serving on the Ducks Unlimited Board to help drive our mission."

 

Sam and his wife Stephanie are Ducks Unlimited Diamond Heritage Sponsors, Ducks Unlimited de Mexico Diamond Life Sponsors, Ducks Unlimited Canada Life Sponsors and Grand Slam Life Sponsors. They are also members of both DU's President's Council and DUMAC's John E. Walker III Society. Sam is a member of the Conservation Programs Committee and the DUMAC Board of Directors.

 

The council of state trustees and national delegates also elected Doug Schoenrock of Huntsville, Ala., to serve as first vice president of the organization. Ronal Roberson of Charleston, Miss., was elected to serve as advisory senior vice president of youth and education and Robert Spoerl of Waupaca, Wis., was elected regional vice president of Region 3.

 

In addition to the annual elections, this year's convention featured opportunities for conservation-related education, special tours and entertainment, and presentations by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and FedEx Founder and CEO Frederick W. Smith.

 

Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris accepted DU's Corporate Conservation Achievement Award on behalf of Bass Pro Shops during the event. The award was created to recognize corporations from the United States, Canada or Mexico that have made exceptional contributions to conservation in North America.

 

The inaugural Wings Over Wetlands Awards Gala, held to honor DU's top volunteers, was hosted by conservationist, environmental journalist and television personality Jeff Corwin.

 

Live and silent auctions featuring everything from decoys to diamonds generated more than $163,000 for wetlands habitat conservation.

 

Special thanks to our proud partner First National Bank of Omaha, provider of the official Ducks Unlimited Visa card, for sponsoring this year's convention.

 

Next year's Ducks Unlimited National Convention will be held May 29-June 2 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Waikoloa, "The Big Island," in Hawaii.

 

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 14 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.

 

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