Conservation News

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Appoint Larry Voyles to National Board of Directors

Former Arizona Game and Fish Department leader helps guide future operations of
The Habitat Organization

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are pleased to announce the appointment of Larry D. Voyles to its National Board of Directors. Voyles, the former director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department and an ardent conservationist, joins the 16-member board which meets quarterly and oversees the operations of Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Larry Voyles to our National Board of Directors,” said Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s president and CEO. “Larry’s extensive experience and passion for conservation will help us secure an even brighter future for our nation’s uplands. We also recognize his enthusiasm for desert quail and look forward to his contributions as we continue to elevate the Quail Forever brand.”

Voyles is a third generation native of Arizona who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology from Arizona State University in 1974. He served as a sworn peace officer during his entire tenure with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), which spanned nearly 43 years. In 2008, he was chosen to lead AZGFD as director and Chief Executive Officer, overseeing nearly 700 employees and an annual budget of more than $100 million for nearly a decade until his retirement in July 2017. He ended his career as the second-longest tenured game ranger in the history of the department.

A lifelong outdoorsman and upland hunter, Voyles shares his outdoor passion with his wife of 47 years, Donna, and their daughter, Lena. The couple reside in Prescott, Ariz., and spend much of their time raising and training English pointers. Each year, late September and early October find the family in Plentywood, Montana, chasing sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, and pheasants. In November, Voyles turns his attention to quail in the Southwest, traveling through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in pursuit of Mearns’, scaled, Gambel’s, and bobwhite quail.  

“It’s an incredible honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of serving such a great conservation organization,” said Larry Voyles. “Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are premier organizations conserving grassland habitats for upland birds and other wildlife at an enormous scale across the continent. I am humbled and excited to be able to serve in this capacity and look forward to a bright conservation future for upland wildlife.”

Voyles is currently the president of the Arizona Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation, which exists to provide donor based fiscal support to the Arizona Game and Fish Department with the goal of enhancing the department’s conservation delivery capacity. Among his many other achievements, Voyles formerly served as president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, secretary to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and served in various capacities on the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports, the Wildlife and Hunter Heritage Conservation Council, and the Federal/State Joint Task Force for ESA Implementation & Federal Aid Administration.

About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 567,500 habitat projects benefiting 22 million acres.

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