Conservation Week Volunteer Spotlight: Southeast

From hosting local banquets to leading conservation projects, mentoring new hunters and building community partnerships, individuals dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage are the driving force behind the NWTF. Thanks to their boots-on-the-ground efforts, the NWTF continues to drive the conservation of critical wildlife habitat across the country on a landscape scale.  

For NWTF’s 2025 Conservation Week, the organization is spotlighting volunteers from each region who continue to go above and beyond for the mission.  

Here are some of the volunteers that are moving the mission needle in the Southeast!  

Largent, a dedicated NWTF volunteer, whose love for the outdoors started in the Boy Scouts and has grown into a lifelong passion for conservation and the mission of the NWTF. From leading river cleanups in Georgia to helping relaunch an NWTF chapter in Columbus, Largent brings heart and hands-on action to everything he does. 

While he hunted deer throughout his life, his journey into turkey hunting began during COVID pandemic in Florida, and the challenge of turkey hunting had him hooked.

Inspiring the next generation is what keeps Largent going: I want my kids and others to fall in love with the outdoors like I did — to hear that gobble and feel that spark.

Whether he's mentoring youth or organizing banquets, Chris is leaving a legacy rooted in service, conservation, and he continues to work to bolster the NWTF mission.  

What started as a simple “yes” turned into a lifelong passion for Ronda, who first got involved with NWTF through Women in the Outdoors. Since then, she’s helped lead not one, but two local chapters, and now heads up Wheelin’ Sportsmen efforts in Louisiana, creating opportunities for veterans and individuals with disabilities to reconnect with the outdoors. 

From helping Explosive Ordinance Disposal veterans from across the country experience unforgettable hunts, to taking blind hunters and even her father with Parkinson’s on their final hunts, Ronda brings unmatched compassion and purpose to every event. 

“It fills my heart with joy,” she said. “If I can give somebody else a moment of joy and happiness that...is a blessing"

Her advice to new volunteers: Step outside your comfort zone. You never know who you’ll help — or how much it will help you, too.

Womack has been a passionate NWTF volunteer for over 25 years, with the last two decades spent deeply engaged in chapter leadership, event organization and mentorship. Inspired and mentored by the late Robert Higginbotham — NWTF’s former National Board of Directors president — Womack has helped build one of the strongest chapters in Mississippi, now proudly renamed the Robert Higginbotham Memorial Chapter in honor of his friend and mentor. 

Serving on the Mississippi State Board of Directors, Womack has been instrumental in expanding NWTF’s reach across the state, including efforts to establish a new chapter at Mississippi State University. He’s a fierce advocate for the NWTF Mississippi Car Tag Program, seeing it as a source of critical funding that fuels local conservation and outreach initiatives — like annual JAKES hunts and statewide conservation.  

For Womack, the NWTF is far more than hunting. It’s about being in God’s outdoors, creating opportunities for youth, women and people with disabilities and passing on traditions that matter. One of his proudest moments came when he harvested a turkey with his late father’s 16-gauge shotgun — an emotional full-circle moment that was later featured in Turkey Call magazine.  

A tireless ambassador for NWTF, Womack remains driven by the mission: more people, more land, more conservation.  

As he puts it, "As long as I'm alive, healthy and well, I’ll always be right in the middle of it." 

For Laird, volunteering with the National Wild Turkey Federation is more than a pastime — it's about a legacy. Inspired by his father’s deep commitment to conservation, Laird grew up immersed in the outdoors, developing a passion not only for turkey hunting but for conserving the habitat and traditions that make it all possible. 

That passion came full circle when Laird stepped into a leadership role as president of the NWTF Middle Tennessee State University Chapter. With guidance from Regional Director Kolbie Jackson, Laird and his team organized their first annual banquet — raising over $30,000 for wild turkey conservation.  

“That was something that I’ll never forget,” he said.  

For Laird, the NWTF mission goes far beyond harvesting birds.  

"For me it's [about] being able to wake up, hear the owls, hear the turkeys, hear everything come together in the morning and just experience that without even taking a gun in the woods," he said.

It’s the total immersion in nature and the ability to safeguard those moments for future generations, that fuels Laird's commitment.  

Laird credits the mentorship he received from Kolbie as key to his success and encourages others to lean into the NWTF community. 

Looking ahead, he hopes to see continued growth in local chapters — what he calls “the heartbeat of the organization.”  

His focus is on putting boots on the ground, doing real habitat work and showing that NWTF isn't just about fundraising; it's about action. 

With young leaders like Laird helping guide the next generation, the future of wild turkey conservation is in strong, dedicated hands. 

Wilkins’ journey with the NWTF began through her husband, Matt Wilkins, a longtime member and former Regional Director. After relocating to Headland, Alabama, Adrienne was encouraged by local NWTF leaders to get involved, and she’s been a driving force behind her chapter ever since. 

With a background in marketing and a keen eye for organization, Adrienne helped transform the Henry County Longbeards’ banquet into a major community event, growing attendance to over 400 people.  

From décor and social media to table sales and graphics, Adreienne wears many hats, often joking that she’s become the group’s mom. 

Beyond local efforts, Adrienne supports the Alabama NWTF State Chapter with digital marketing, giving her a deeper understanding of how NWTF dollars directly impact regional habitat work. She’s especially proud of initiatives like Habitat for the Hatch, which show clear results in Southeastern states. 

Though not a hunter herself, Adrienne has embraced the lifestyle through her husband and their 12-year-old daughter, who now actively hunts and helps manage land.  

Adrienne’s dedication and creativity are a testament to how passion, community and purpose can come together to support conservation and the NWTF mission.