Brian Trusty Named Executive Director of APP Texas
APP Texas has named Brian Trusty as their new Executive Director, effective November 19. Born and raised in Texas, Trusty comes with a diverse and successful track record of innovative management in conservation lands and programs over the last 20 years. Having worked in parks management and consulting throughout his career, he is a familiar friend to many public agency partners of APP Texas.
“It is tremendously exciting to have Brian take the reins of APP Texas,” said George Bristol, the organization’s State Advisory Board Chair. “With his passion for conservation, his dedication, and his genuine approach to building relationships across the State of Texas, I can think of no person better suited to lead this outstanding organization.”
Brian’s passion for the state’s outdoors began at an early age. Growing up in the Texas hill country hamlet of Wimberley, his childhood experiences inspired a lifetime of commitment to Texas landscapes and wildlife.
“Texas is one of the most ecologically important states in the country, particularly to birdlife and continental flyways,” said Trusty. “It is critical that the work of APP Texas continue with our partners and stakeholders to protect the integrity of our diverse and fragile ecology.” Added Trusty, “It is a great honor and a huge responsibility to lead this organization into the future.”
As Executive Director, Trusty will lead the Texas team in implementing an integrated conservation program including the APP Centers at Dogwood Canyon, Trinity River and Mitchell Lake; the Texas Coastal Stewardship Program; and the growing Important Bird Area Program. Additionally, Trusty will work with APP Texas staff to support and enrich the efforts of the 21 local APP chapters in Texas, and the multiple public agency partners that are a major part of the organization’s success in conservation.
“Brian has a tremendous talent for connecting with Texans from all walks of life, and for translating their love of our state’s natural treasures into support for conserving them,” said Andy Sansom, Vice Chair of the APP Texas State Advisory Board. “Brian’s ability to build on the shared values of Texans and to integrate those into the regional priorities of the Central Flyway will serve Texas well in the years to come.”
“I hope I can continue to be a part of the great tradition of Texans pitching in to get the job done. We are an essential piece of a larger conservation puzzle and we couldn’t do it without the invaluable support we receive from our staff, stakeholders, partners and donors,” Trusty remarked.
Brian has developed and managed successful conservation and land management programs for numerous public parks and private lands in multiple states and in diverse ecosystems, and overseen conservation easements involving public and private funding and lands. His successful integration of public and private resources to create a pioneering approach in his work earned him an “Innovator of the Year” award in Maryland in 2007 given by the Daily Record, Maryland’s leading legal and business journal. He is an avid rock climber, mountain biker and outdoorsman, and a happily married father of two. Brian will be based in the Dallas office.
APP’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. APP Texas is the state program of the APP, dedicated for 100 years to protecting birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. With chapters and partners we protect and manage colonial waterbird populations in every major bay system on the Texas Gulf Coast, identify and conserve the most important sites for birds statewide, and are working to reach 50,000 students annually through conservation, education and stewardship action at three urban APP Centers.