Officer Nominees

I am Grant Lawrence and I serve as the Land Steward and Operations Manager at Shield Ranch Barton Creek and Shield Ranch Camp Wood. Over the past 8 years my role has transitioned, but the focus remains on careful conservation planning, executing wildlife and habitat management objectives, overseeing property and infrastructure management, and supervising the day-to-day operations of full-time staff, seasonal employees, and volunteer groups.

I obtained a B.S. in Range and Wildlife Management from Abilene Christian University (ACU) and a M.S. in Natural Resource Management from Sul Ross State University. I was first introduced to the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TCTWS) at the 2012 meeting in Ft. Worth. Recognizing the value of the organization, I helped charter a new student chapter at ACU and served as Vice President. Throughout undergrad and graduate school, I was fully emersed in TCTWS activities including oral and poster presentations, leading teams in student competitions, and forming invaluable networking connections. My collegiate career concluded with a 2nd place finish for the Cottam Award in 2017.

I am blessed to have attended annual meetings for 14 consecutive years. The intricate, interconnected professional networking web of TCTWS has played a pivotal role in my career. Continued involvement led to graduation from the James G. Teer Conservation Leadership Institute (JGTCLI). As a member of the two-year COVID cohort (2020-2022), I learned
leadership and communication skills that have translated well into my career endeavors and
service roles.

I have served two terms as a Scholarship Committee member (2020 and 2021) and two terms with the Finance Committee (2021 member and 2023 co-chair). I currently serve as fundraising chair of the Early Career Professional Program committee and will aid as a Peer Mentor for the 2026-27 JGTCLI cohort.

I’m honored for the opportunity to serve the chapter in this capacity. If elected as Vice President, I plan to engage and support the efforts of our membership while representing the organization with pride. I am committed to furthering the mission and vision of TCTWS by leveraging the unique skillsets and experience of our diverse membership. In my personal life, you can find me pursuing outdoor adventures with my wife, two boys, and trusty labrador retriever.

I am happy to be nominated for Vice President of Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society (TCTWS). I have been a member since 2006. I received my B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Management from Texas A&M University in 2004 and completed my M.S. in Range and Wildlife Sciences from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2007. My research focused on population estimates and electric fencing for feral hogs.

In my professional career, I am the Assistant District Leader for The Brush Country District in South Texas for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. I provide technical guidance to private landowners in South Texas as well as assist with district operations. My additional duties with Texas Parks and Wildlife include serving on Migratory Gamebird Technical Committee, Upland Gamebird Advisory Committee, and Falconry and Raptor Council.

I have attended the TCTWS Annual Meeting every year since 2006 first as a graduate student and then as a young professional and now I guess as a mid-career professional. I was elected and served as Board Member at Large in 2022. I have also been volunteering for committees with TCTWS since 2011. I have served on the Finance, Cottam Awards, Activities, Scholarships, Publications, and Program Committees. I also have enjoyed poster judging and helping the chapter where I can.

In my personal time I am very active in the sport of falconry and serve as the Director at Large for the Texas Hawking Association. I also enjoy rock climbing, playing and hunting with my German shorthair pointer, and native grass restoration on my little piece of property in South Texas.

I agreed to be nominated for Vice President of TCTWS because it has been very important to me in my professional and personal growth. The contacts I have made and the development I have earned from volunteering and being involved mean a lot to me both personally and professionally. I hope to continue to provide my energy, passion, and time to TCTWS so that the next generation of wildlife professionals can gain same kind of knowledge, benefits, and support I have.

Andrew Earl serves as the Director of Conservation for the Texas Wildlife Association. At TWA, Andrew bridges the organization’s issues & advocacy and landowner education programs. He serves as liaison to the organization’s Wildlife Conservation and Land & Water committees, responsible for developing and
advancing priorities before the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission and state legislature. He works closely with the TWA education team to ensure that workshop curriculum reflects the emerging issues facing Texas landowners—and vice versa—that the needs and concerns of landowners are accounted for in the organization’s advocacy work.

Andrew joined TWA in 2023, bringing a decade of experience in coalition building and collaborative policymaking. Most recently, he served as the Director of Private Lands Conservation and then Director of Government Relations at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. There, his work focused primarily on building a shared platform for sportsmen on topics like working lands conservation, wildlife disease, and hunting & fishing access on federal lands.

Prior to that, Andrew worked in the U.S. Senate overseeing Senator Mike Crapo’s agriculture and natural resource legislative portfolios. He began his career in the Ducks Unlimited Washington, DC office.

An adult-onset hunter, Andrew’s connection to the outdoors was nurtured by clam digging and striper fishing off the south shore of Long Island. Fortunately for him, he met a girl from North Texas and eagerly followed her back to the Lone Star State.

Andrew serves on the TCTWS Conservation Affairs Subcommittee on renewable energy. He is a TYHP Huntmaster and on the Steering Committee of the American Wildlife Conservation Partnership, a coalition of 53 national hunt & fish organizations organized to amplify the collective voices of sportsmen and women in federal wildlife and natural resource policymaking.

Andrew lives in Buda with his wife and son.

Ben Olsen is a Wildlife Health Specialist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). He received his B.S. in Wildlife Conservation and Management from Missouri Western State University and went on to earn his .S. in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University–Kingsville, where he conducted research with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. After graduate school, Ben worked as a Wildlife Biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources before joining TPWD, first serving as a District Wildlife Biologist in New Braunfels and later promoting to his current position as Wildlife Health Specialist. In this role, he provides advanced technical assistance on wildlife health issues, with a primary focus on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). He leads a team of wildlife technicians that help ensure TPWD’s CWD surveillance and management efforts are successful.

Ben has been an active member of The Wildlife Society (TWS) since 2011, when he joined as a freshman in college. He became involved with the Texas Chapter in 2015 during his graduate studies. Over the years, Ben has held several leadership roles within TWS, including Student Chapter President, Secretary of the Student Development Working Group, and Board Member of the Early Career Professionals Working Group. He has served on multiple award committees, volunteered as a poster judge at conferences, and most recently contributed to the Texas Chapter as a Program Committee member in 2024 and currently
serves as Chair of the Program Committee.

In addition, Ben was selected as a Fellow of the James G. Teer Conservation Leadership Institute (2023–2024 Cohort), further strengthening his leadership skills and professional network in wildlife conservation.

Ben credits TWS with helping to shape his career and providing invaluable opportunities for growth and mentorship. He is committed to giving back to the Texas Chapter, continuing advocacy to ensure it remains relevant and valuable to all members, students, early career professionals, and established professionals alike. Serving as Secretary would be an honor and an opportunity to help the Chapter continue to grow, support its members, and advance the profession of wildlife conservation.

Bobby Allcorn is the South Texas Ecosystem Project Leader with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He oversees 8 staff at the Chaparral and the James E. Daughtrey Wildlife Management Areas where the goal is to promote healthy native ecosystems and to encourage research, public outreach, and public hunting
opportunities.

Bobby holds an M.S. in Range and Wildlife Management from Sul Ross State University and a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University. Before his current position, he worked as a Natural Resource Specialist and then as a Regional Wildlife Health Specialist during his 9-year career with TPWD. With TCTWS, he has served as the director for the 2022 Wildlife Conservation Camp and currently co-chairs the scholarships committee.

He has regularly attended the TCTWS annual meeting since 2013 and started volunteering during the 2014 Wildlife Conservation Camp. Bobby credits his involvement in TCTWS with helping to grow his career and broaden his view of what it means to be a professional in the field of wildlife management. He continues to serve the chapter and pushes for the involvement of young professionals.

Bobby lives at the Chaparral WMA with his wife, Allie. He enjoys experiencing the outdoors through hiking, fishing, photography, and hunting as often as possible.

Adam Terry is the owner of Terry Forestry & Land Management LLC, a Texas based consulting firm
providing turnkey forest, wildlife, and land- management services including forest and wildlife planning, prescribed fire, and habitat restoration. Adam holds many certifications including Certified Forester®, Certified Wildlife Biologist®, and Texas Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager. He holds a B.S. in Forest Wildlife Management with a minor in Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Prior to launching his firm full-time, Adam served as a Forest Wildlife Biologist with the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT) where he led threatened, endangered, and sensitive species programs, coordinated complex partnerships, and managed the largest WMA program in the state. His work regularly bridged agencies, NGOs, private landowners, and industry. He collaborated with partners such as Texas A&M Forest Service, NRCS, The Nature Conservancy, the Texas Longleaf Team, Northeast Texas Conservation Delivery Network and others to deliver science-based, on-the-ground results. Prior to working with the NFGT Adam was a wildlife biologist for over 8 years with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Adam has been an active member of TCTWS as well as an attendee of The Wildlife Society national conferences since 2013. He has also served on a variety of committees including activities, program, student chapter of the year, scholarship, and publications, as well as poster judge.

As Board Member-at-Large, Adam will focus on being a responsive liaison between the general membership and the Executive Board—listening to member needs across Texas’s diverse ecoregions, elevating professional and student voices, and serving the Executive Board where needed.