Nominees joined National Board on July 1, and will serve a 3-year term

St. Paul, Minn. – July 7, 2016 – Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever announce Joe Hosmer, 67, and Brett Reber, 57, as newly elected members of the organization’s National Board of Directors. Sharing a lifelong passion for wildlife habitat conservation and upland hunting, Hosmer and Reber now serve on Pheasants Forever’s 18-member board, which meets quarterly and oversees the operations of Pheasants Forever, Inc. & Quail Forever.

“Joe Hosmer and Brett Reber come to the National Board of Directors with a long list of accolades and accomplishments in the conservation community to help move ‘The Habitat Organization’ in new and exciting directions,” stated Howard K. Vincent, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. “With both individuals possessing dynamic character and diverse business experience, we’re thrilled to have them contributing to the overall mission of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.”

Joe Hosmer – Hunt, Texas

As a dedicated outdoorsman, Joe Hosmer has spent his adult life fighting for wildlife habitat conservation on state, national, and international stages in various positions with other non-profit organizations and state boards. Of particular note, his leadership has been evidenced as a serving member on the Safari Club International Board of Directors in different capacities since 1994, a member of the Board of Directors for Maine’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Council in 2004, and the serving president for the Safari Club International Foundation since 2010.

“I’m honored to be selected as a member of the organization’s National Board of Directors,” stated Hosmer. “I look forward to contributing my many years of knowledge in the conservation realm for the betterment of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, as wildlife habitat is currently facing unprecedented challenges in our country. With this in mind, I’m ready to go to work for the nation’s leading wildlife habitat conservation organization, as members and chapters, craft a bright future for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife.”

Highlighting a successful career in business, Hosmer was the founding president and CEO of MOUNTAIN, LTD. – a telecommunications, staffing, and direct hire firm – founded in 1979 and sold in January of 2007 before becoming an independent consultant and president of Durham-Hunt, LTD., a real property corporation which he owns with his wife, Sandy. They now reside in Hunt, Texas, spending their summers along the coast of Maine where they resided for more than forty years prior to 2006. When not fighting for wildlife, Hosmer can usually be found motorcycling, as he is an avid motorcyclist, sidecarist, and adventure traveler.      

Rounding out an impressive list of life achievements, Hosmer is one of a select few candidates who has received three Presidential Awards from Safari Club International, was recognized in 2004 with the Ronald Reagan Republican Gold Medal for his support of conservative initiatives within the business community, and won the 2005 “Business Man of the Year” award in the state of Maine. Hosmer is a current member of both Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever.

Brett Reber – McPherson, Kansas

No stranger to the local model of “The Habitat Organization,” Brett Reber is a life member of Pheasants Forever and an active participant for the McPherson Area Pheasants Forever Chapter in Kansas. Reber grew up in a hunting family from Ellsworth, Kansas, before receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1983 and his law degree from the University of Tulsa College Of Law in 1986. Working as an attorney at Wise & Reber, L.C.in McPherson, Kansas, his primary practice is providing advice to clients with emphasis in contracts, business acquisitions, and litigation matters.

Active in state and local community affairs, he is a trustee of the Julia J. Mingenback Foundation, past president and director of the McPherson Industrial Development Company, and past chairman and director of the Kansas Development Finance Authority, as well as the Kansas Housing Resources Council in Topeka. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for Peoples Bank & Trust, McPherson Industrial Development Company, Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company, and the Bradbury Company.

“I am honored to join the National Board of Directors for Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, and pleased to help them fulfill their mission as the premier conservation and habitat organization in the country,” stated Reber. “As a key state in the pheasant and quail range, I will work to represent Kansas members for the improvement of wildlife habitat and youth involvement in conservation initiatives.”

Reber also serves as president and director of McPherson Valley Uplands – a 46-acre Outdoor Education Center near Conway, Kansas, designed for youth to learn and develop outdoor skills and an appreciation for wildlife and conservation. A cooperative effort between McPherson Area Pheasants Forever and CHS Refinery-McPherson, Reber believes the area serves as a testament to the power of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s local model. The area has served as a conservation learning center to countless youth participants since its creation in 2008.

Reber was recently elected to the Pheasants Forever Hall of Fame in Kansas, and still spends as much time as possible pursuing upland birds throughout the state. He currently resides in McPherson with his wife, Kathryn, and has four grown children, John, Callie, Joe, and Luke.