George Clemon Freeman, III, was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1963.  He attended St. Christopher’s School (Class of 1981), University of Virginia (class of 1985) and Yale Law School (Class of 1989).  After graduating from law school, he clerked for the Honorable Richard S. Arnold, on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the Honorable Lewis F. Powell, Jr., who was retired but maintained chambers at the U. S. Supreme Court.

He then went to work for Hunton & Williams in the fall of 1991 where he worked for the Corporate and Securities team.  In 1997, he went to work for Universal Corporation’s legal department.  George became General Counsel of Universal Corporation in 2001, and then in 2005 left the legal department of Universal to go into general management and served as Executive Vice President of Universal Leaf Tobacco Company.  In December 2006, he was elected President of Universal Corporation, and he was elected President & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation in April 2008.  In August 2008, he was elected Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation.

George is currently a director of American Civil War Center, Children’s Hospital Foundation, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Tredegar Corporation, Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, and TowneBank.  He is also a trustee of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Virginia Historical Society, and of the Virginia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

George is married to Louise Gilbert Freeman from Statesville, North Carolina, and has three children: Sara Presley Freeman, Katherine Colston Freeman, and George C. Freeman, IV. George is an avid duck and goose hunter, and he enjoys fishing, shooting and American History.

Trainer joined the Delta Waterfowl Board of Directors in February 2019.  

 He was raised in Milwaukee and has lived for the past 22 years in Houston. Trainer is retired from Gyrodata Inc., an oil service firm based in Houston which provides down-hole surveying and directional drilling services to the worldwide oil and gas industry. He serves on the boards of both Gyrodata and Schroeder-Manatee Inc., a real estate development company in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. He holds a registered representative license with Carl M. Henning Inc., a securities brokerage firm in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  

 Trainer was introduced at age 10 to duck hunting on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin by his grandfather, and has been an avid enthusiast of hunting and conservation ever since. As a young man, he frequently hunted with his uncle, David Uihlein, a former Delta director. Uihlein introduced him to Delta Waterfowl, and Trainer has been a member since he was in his 20s.  

 “I feel strongly aligned with and supportive of Delta’s mission to boost duck production through through research, Predator Management, Hen House expansion and advancing Working Wetlands in North America,” Trainer said. “In addition, I fully support protecting the tradition of waterfowling through hunter advocacy and recruitment.” 

Carmical, 63, joined the Delta Waterfowl Board of Directors in October 2018.  He was raised on and still lives on a cattle, timber and ag farm on the edge of the Mississippi Delta.

The Arkansas native is chief executive officer of The Price Companies, a diversified forestry and ag company. This includes FIREHUNT, known for sustainably managing land, balancing wildlife and agriculture.

“There are big challenges in agriculture that negatively impact ducks,” Carmical said. “These changes date back from the original clearing and draining of the nesting and wintering grounds to today’s precision land leveling, earlier harvest of crops, absentee ownership and high input costs.”

Good science, political savvy and committed people such as those at Delta Waterfowl are key to the future of ducks and duck hunting, he said.

“The right to hunt faces many challenges as people become more urban and less connected to the land. In the 1990s, loggers and farmers were unfairly viewed as environmental villains. Today, with the focus on sustainability and a clearer understanding, society accepts farmers and loggers as guardians of our natural resources,” Carmical said. “My hope is with time and clear messages we can affect a similar shift in the perception of hunting. No one has brought back, preserved and protected species better than wise-use conservationist/hunters.

“Delta Waterfowl gets it. More hunters equal more ducks.”

Childs, 78, began serving on the Delta Waterfowl Board of Directors in February 2020.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Yale and his MBA from Columbia University. In 1995, he established J.W. Childs Associates, a private equity firm based in Boston. Previously, he was senior managing director at Thomas H. Lee Company, and spent 17 years as an executive at Prudential Insurance.

Childs grew up hunting Virginia’s Back Bay and North Carolina’s Currituck Sound with his father. Those waters were thick with wild celery, and the bull canvasbacks that flocked there were kings of the duck world. The passions he developed on those historic wetlands fueled his desire to conserve what he loved to do.

An advocate of wetlands conservation for decades, Childs served as president and trustee emeritus of the Wetlands America Trust, which oversees 400,000 acres of conservation easements. Over the years, he has contributed millions of dollars to waterfowl research and conservation.

In 2014, he began funding the lion’s share of a massive Delta Waterfowl research project seeking management options to increase canvasback production throughout the parklands of Canada. That fall, he visited the Delta Marsh for the first time. Then when the historic James Ford Bell York Lodge property came up for sale, he purchased the 400 acres in the middle of Delta Waterfowl’s 3,600 acres. This critical parcel serves as key access to the marsh for Delta’s research.

Child’s acquisition of the property provides major legacy value, and fosters continued potential to advance waterfowl research and management impacting every flyway in North America.

Dobbs, 52, has served on the Delta Waterfowl Foundation Board of Directors since May 2013.

He is the CEO of his family business, Dobbs Equity Partners. The firm owns car dealerships, behavioral health companies, automobile parts companies and non-standard auto insurance companies.

Beyond the Delta Waterfowl board, Dobbs is a member of the International Order of St. Hubertus – a worldwide organization and knightly order of hunters and wildlife conservationists who promote traditional hunting ethics and practices. He’s also on the board of the Memphis College of Art.

Like most of Delta’s board members, Dobbs began hunting from an early age, nearly before he can remember. His primary passion is for duck hunting, but he also enjoys pursuing quail, pheasants, turkeys and doves.

Dobbs was introduced to Delta by fellow board member Will Yandell. He values increased duck production, which aligns well with the mission of The Duck Hunters Organization.

“My hope is to make a significant difference in the hunting experience for all duck hunters across North America,” Dobbs said.

Dunlap joined the Delta Waterfowl Board in spring of 2021. He is president of Moffat Dunlap Real Estate and maintains farms and wildlife properties in Ontario, Georgia and Florida.

Previously, Dunlap worked as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in Toronto, Paris and New York. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University (Illinois) and bachelor of commerce from Queen’s University (Ontario).

A number of private and non-profit boards benefit from Dunlap’s association. He’s a director of Southlake Regional Health Centre, a governor of St. Andrew’s College, a trustee of the Pebble Hill Foundation and an advisory board member of The Dunlap Institute at the University of Toronto. He is also a past president of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the world’s largest indoor agricultural and equestrian exposition.

Dunlap was introduced to hunting at an early age by his grandmother, the noted conservationist, Louise Ireland Humphrey. Today, he considers himself fortunate to share the enjoyment of the outdoors with his wife and three children.

Of his appointment to the Delta Waterfowl Board, he said, “It is a privilege to be able to help support Delta in its work to improve the science of conservation and enhancement of waterfowl populations across North America.”

McIlhenny joined the Delta Waterfowl Board in the spring of 2021. She is an active community volunteer who grew up on Avery Island, Louisiana, where her family has resided for more than 200 years. It is there that the McIlhenny family created and still produces the Tabasco hot sauce brand. Their family history is rich with appreciation for the land and wildlife conservation.

McIlhenny also grew up close to hunting.

“Bird hunting stories were most often the topic of conversation between my father, both grandfathers and many extended cousins,” she says. “Much of the talk and time in the kitchen was spent discussing how to prepare and cook what was harvested.”

McIlhenny holds degrees from both Saint Mary’s College and the University of Georgia. In addition to Delta Waterfowl, her leadership and generous philanthropy benefit Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum, Friends of Warner Park, Nashville Symphony, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, Tennessee Wildlife Resource Foundation and the Montgomery Bell Academy as special events and chef series coordinator.

McIlhenny lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and has two sons – John and Frank. Her own interest in hunting was primarily fostered by her father. She said, “It was working with my dad and our retriever that I became more interested in hunting. I wanted to see her work put to the test. My father found some old hip boots and always made sure I was dry and warm to ensure a positive experience. I hunted occasionally as a child and throughout the years. I have loved watching my boys grow up as hunters.”

They have hunted together in Arkansas, Canada, Louisiana and Tennessee. In the most recent years, she says she has come to realize how much she enjoys hunting, particularly for waterfowl. She appreciates the small things like the boat ride through the marsh, the anticipation before shooting hour, and even missing the first shots of the morning that really make her settle down and focus.

McIlhenny says she likes to work with organizations whose work is “hands on” – something she can see the results from – and that’s how she views Delta. She is particularly impressed with the scientific-base to all of the programs and believes deeply in Delta’s delivery of a portion of funds back to the chapters who raised it. She added, “Those are things I can relate to and get behind because I can see them happen and their benefits.”

Moore joined the Delta Waterfowl Board in the spring of 2021. He is the founder and chairman of Woodland Foods, headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois.

A native of Traverse City, Michigan, Moore attended Ripon College in Wisconsin and was a former World Cup ski racer and member of the Lake Forest City Council.

His current professional activities include serving on the Board of Governors of Lake Forest Open Lands and as a sustaining fellows member of The Art Institute of Chicago. He is the current president of The Swan Lake Duck Club in Illinois, and an active member of the Driftless Area Conservancy, the Audobon Society, the International Crane Foundation, Pheasants Forever, the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, the Boone and Crockett Club, and the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Additionally, Moore is a life sponsor of Delta Waterfowl, chairman of the board of the Ruffed Grouse Society, campaign chair of the “Our Forests, Our Future” effort, and serves on the President’s Council of Ducks Unlimited.

Moore lives in Lake Forest, Illinois, with his wife, and has four children. He enjoys fishing, hunting, skiing, camping, traveling, canoeing and spending time with his family.

He was introduced to hunting and fishing at an early age by his father. Moore said, “I loved it so much, it ultimately led me to pick a college near a marsh, where I duck hunted so much, I almost graduated.”

As president of the Swan Lake Club, he was introduced to the work of The Duck Hunters Organization by Delta’s Chairman of the Board, Michael Mooney. Moore saw it as a logical and beneficial continuation of his activities in wildlife conservation and support of hunting traditions.

He said, “I hope to use my experience in chairing capital campaigns for other conservation organizations to help raise more money for Delta Waterfowl in the future.”

Robertson, 66, joined the Delta Waterfowl board in spring of 2017. He lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia and currently serves as Chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, LLC, an investment holding company with activities in international media, real estate and private capital ventures. He previously served as President and CEO of International Family Entertainment (NYSE-FAM), which was best known for its flagship cable network, The Family Channel.

Following the sale of FAM to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., Robertson has pursued educational, charitable and public service activities. In addition to the Delta board, he has served on the board of his alma mater — the University of Virginia — as well as the Virginia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Museum.

He first developed an interest in hunting through his grandfather, U.S. Senator A. Willis Robertson, who was the co-author of the Pittman-Robertson wildlife conservation bill. This law remains an historic legislative high-water mark in the funding of conservation in the United States.

Later in life, Robertson became a truly avid waterfowl hunter in order to share quality time with his son, Willis H. Robertson. He primarily hunts in Virginia’s historic Back Bay region, as well as North Carolina’s Currituck Sound.

“I love the fact that Delta Waterfowl is committed to science-based solutions to increasing duck production,” Robertson said. “Through all of our efforts, we will preserve this great sport for many generations to come.”

Eaton, 75, has been a director at-large member of the Delta board since May 2018. He is an investor and entrepreneur from Caledon, Ontario.

His long and varied business career has included everything from professional race car driver to president and CEO of Eatons of Canada, the T. Eaton Company (a full-line department store with 35,000 employees), Eaton Acceptance and Eaton Realty among others. He currently manages family investments as vice-chairman of Weatons Holdings Limited.

In addition to his involvement with Delta Waterfowl, Eaton also currently serves on the boards of Metaris Inc., Weatons Holdings Limited and the John David and Signy Eaton Foundation, which delivers philanthropic grants to hospitals, arts, athletic, educational and conservation causes. These causes mirror his personal charitable interests including volunteer work for medical, political, educational and conservation organizations.

He enjoys hunting, fishing, collecting wildlife art and reading. Eaton has been married happily for more than 40 years and has three sons.

MacQuarrie joined Delta Waterfowl’s Board as a director-at-large in February.

He has long served in Canadian government, working first in the Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture before becoming the Deputy Minister of Agriculture from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2011, MacQuarrie was Deputy Minister for the Department of Environment (which included fish and wildlife).  During this term, he facilitated Delta’s Alternative Land Use Services to become a province-wide program in Prince Edward Island, holding numerous meetings with Delta Waterfowl staff to develop and implement the successful ALUS program there.

MacQuarrie was again appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture in 2011, and held the post until becoming Deputy Minister responsible for transportation, infrastructure and energy in 2015. In 2017, he went to work for Cavendish Farms — a large potato processor — as director of environmental sustainability.

A lifelong hunter and angler, MacQuarrie enjoys pursuing these passions and sharing them with his children.

“Issues relating to the environment and wildlife have always been close to me, and I am fortunate that my working career has allowed me opportunities to provide positive influence,” he said. “Hunters and anglers share a deep connection to the natural world. I have looked upon Delta Waterfowl as an organization that has not lost sight of the importance of meeting the needs of hunters, and in turn, has influenced good public policy.”