NRCS Names New State Conservationist For Tennessee

(Nashville, TN) Feb 6, 2007 — Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Arlen Lancaster has announced that Kevin Brown will become Tennessee’s new State Conservationist effective March 4, 2007. Brown has most recently served as Deputy Chief for Management in Washington, DC for the USDA-NRCS. While in DC, he has served as Associate Deputy Chief for Management, Director of the Financial Assistance Programs Division, and Director of the Easement Programs Division. Before serving in Washington, Brown was Ohio’s State Conservationist for five years.

In August 2003, Brown was honored to be selected to participate in the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program and completed SES certification in September 2004.

Previously, he served as Deputy State Conservationist with NRCS in Alexandria, Louisiana, and has held various positions throughout his 30 year Federal career. This includes three years serving as the liaison to the NRCS Land and Water 201 Project with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Area Conservationist in the Panhandle of Florida; and as District Conservationist in four locations in his home state of Tennessee. Brown returns to Tennessee to replace James W. Ford who served as Tennessee’s State Conservationist from 1997 until his retirement in January 2007.

During fiscal year 2002, Mr. Brown had the privilege of working with the Senate Agricultural Committee on the 2002 Farm Bill. He has been awarded the USDA Honors Award for the Field Office Workload Reduction Team efforts; EPA and NRCS National Awards for the Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations; and NRCS Special Performance Awards in Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, and DC.

Brown received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science and Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. He has been an active member of the National Association of Conservation Districts and the Soil and Water Conservation Society for more than 30 years. Brown and his wife, Theresa, have three children: Julie, Megan, and McKenzie.