Quail Forever & Pheasants Forever
has announced new officer appointments of Matt Kucharski (chairman), Marilyn Vetter (vice chair), Brett Reber (treasurer) and Nancy Anisfield (secretary) within the organization’s National Board of Directors.
Sharing a lifelong passion for wildlife habitat conservation and upland hunting, the foursome will serve essential responsibilities on the organization’s 16-member board, which oversees the strategic direction, finances, and senior leadership team of Pheasants Forever, Inc. & Quail Forever.
“Our organization is fortunate to have such a talented pool of leaders to serve on our National Board of Directors, particularly during these challenging times for America’s uplands with the COVID-19 virus as a backdrop,” acknowledged Howard Vincent, president and CEO of Quail Forever & Pheasants Forever. “In addition to being avid upland hunters who align with our membership, they bring a wealth of expertise and leadership experience to help this organization reach new heights in 2020 and beyond for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. Lastly, thank you to Tim Kessler of South Dakota for his leadership as chairman since 2016, I trust the incoming board members will uphold his conservation legacy in the years to follow.”
Matt Kucharski, Chairman
Appointed to Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s National Board of Directors in 2012 and recently elected chairman, Matt Kucharski is the current president of
Padilla, a brand, strategic communications and public relations firm with offices across the US. As a Patron Member of both Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, Kucharski’s affinity for the organization comes from deep family ties to the outdoors and an appreciation for wildlife habitat conservation.
Kucharski has served the organization in numerous capacities since 2003, including assistance with the formation of Quail Forever, leading development of the organization’s strategic plan and providing ongoing communications and marketing counsel. He also stays in tune with members, sponsors and benefactors by “working the booth” at numerous outdoor shows and events, including Game Fair, the Northwest Sports Show and National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic.
“These past several months have helped us all appreciate the importance of the outdoors and healthy, vibrant open spaces,” Kucharski said. “I’m proud to be serving with a group of talented board colleagues, staff and members across the country who put their hearts, souls and backs into restoring and improving wildlife habitat.”
Kucharski graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a degree in Journalism and Business Administration. He resides in Maple Grove, Minnesota, with his wife, Holly Grover and two bird dogs that eat better and sleep more comfortably than he does.
Marilyn Vetter, Vice Chair
Marilyn Vetter, a Patron Member of Pheasants Forever and Life Member of Quail Forever, is the group vice president of government and public affairs for Horizon Therapeutics, Inc. and was elected to Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s National Board of Directors in 2014.
Prior to becoming involved with the pharmaceutical industry in 1992, Vetter began her professional career shortly after college as a journalist covering the North Dakota Legislature and executive branch. During her career, she has served on multiple boards including the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIO Forward, and the State Government Affairs Council. In addition to her complimentary service in different board capacities, she has also been actively involved in hunting and land conservation for nearly three decades. Vetter is a hunting dog enthusiast as part of the
North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association where over the past 20 years she has held multiple positions, including a 3-year term as president.
Originally from a small grain and cattle farm in central North Dakota as the youngest of seven children, Vetter graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in political science. In addition to being an active Pheasants Forever member, Vetter also prides herself on being part of many other conservation groups including Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl and the Ruffed Grouse Society. She and her husband, Clyde, own and operate
Sharp Shooters Kennel, a dog breeding and training business located in New Richmond, Wis.
Brett Reber, Treasurer
No stranger to the local model of “The Habitat Organization,” Brett Reber is a life member of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and co-founded 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. Reber serves as General Counsel of Equity Bank in Wichita, Kansas.
Active in state and local community affairs, he is a trustee of the Julia J. Mingenback Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors for McPherson Industrial Development Company, Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company, and the Bradbury Company.
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. He was elected to the Pheasants Forever Hall of Fame in Kansas in 2016, and still spends as much time as possible pursuing upland birds throughout the state.
Nancy Anisfield, Secretary
Elected to Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s National Board of Directors in 2012, Nancy Anisfield is a full-time outdoor writer and photographer, creative director for the Ugly Dog Hunting Company, and co-owner of the Track2Wing Project which grants Action Trackchairs to individuals with mobility challenges who want to train and hunt with bird dogs. Her diverse background includes being a commercial illustrator, English teacher and corporate copywriter.
Anisfield’s photography has been published by national and international hunting publications, sporting venues, hunting dog breeders and organizations, and wingshooting product manufacturers. Passionate about upland hunting and hunting dogs, she has written hundreds of articles, blogs and essays about the wingshooting world.
Anisfield and her husband, Terry Wilson, live in Hinesburg, Vermont, where their lives are governed by her two German shorthaired pointers and his two German wirehaired pointers. Anisfield is a Gold Patron Member of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever.
About Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division,
Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 138,000 members and 760 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent over $900 million on 550,000 habitat projects benefiting 19 million acres nationwide.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@quailforever.org