Former Florida Secretary of Agriculture Adam Putnam has a new post. He will take over as the new CEO of Ducks Unlimited (DU), a non-profit agency dedicated to replenishing and supplementing duck populations around the nation.
Putnam was routed in the Republican gubernatorial primary last year by eventual winner Ron DeSantis and had been quiet since.
On Wednesday, Putnam said he was glad to have a new job.
“I joined Ducks Unlimited when I was 16 and have a lifelong appreciation of the conservation work the organization accomplishes,” Putnam said. “It’s humbling to be chosen as DU’s CEO, and as a lifelong hunter, angler and conservationist, I look forward to building on our record of success.”
Ducks Unlimited is a sportsman’s organization, seemingly a good fit for a man who was a major supporter of the NRA during his time in both Tallahassee and in Congress.
DU President Rogers Hoyt certainly is glad to have Putnam on board.
“From the outset, the CEO search committee here at Ducks Unlimited wanted to find a unique balance of conservation, policy and agriculture background in the new CEO candidate,” said Hoyt. “In Adam, we feel we have hit on all three. Not to mention he’s an approachable, passionate and visionary person, so Adam was the perfect fit.”
Putnam will look to emphasize the group’s effort of conservation in the hopes of bolstering spaces where duck hunting is plentiful and encouraged.
“My vision for DU is to bring together conservation-minded folks from all walks of life, whether they’re farmers, city-dwellers, veterans, biologists, hunters…anyone who has a connection to landscapes, which is everyone,” Putnam said. “If we are going to fill the skies with waterfowl, we must build a coalition of people who believe waterfowl-filled skies matter. We need to work together to reach a common goal of healthy wetlands and abundant water for wildlife, people and their communities across North America.”
Putnam will take over for retiring CEO Dale Hall when he leaves the organization on June 30th. He’s served the past eight years as Florida’s secretary of agriculture. Before that Putnam was a congressman that served five terms representing his home base in Polk County. Putnam is moving his family to Memphis for the job.
