Foundation Staff

Steve Jack is the founding executive director of the Boggy Slough Conservation Area. He leads the foundation’s mission of establishing and using Boggy Slough as a touchstone of excellence in East Texas through three programs – research, conservation, and outreach – to promote the conservation and stewardship of natural resources in the region. The Foundation’s long-term impact on the environment in East Texas will be maximized through the nexus of these programs, positively affecting land management, ecosystem conservation, and environmentally sustainable policies in the future.

Dr. Jack came to East Texas after working over two decades at the Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway in Newton, Georgia. He has a bachelor’s degree from Erskine College in Due West SC, a master’s degree from University of Florida, and a doctoral degree from Utah State University.

Steve has more than 25 years of experience in conservation and natural resource management. At the Jones Center from 1997-2019, his primary position was conservation ecologist where he worked to integrate the center’s research and resource management activities. Steve’s research and management interests include forest stand dynamics, silvicultural manipulations to achieve multiple objectives, and developing a better understanding for the ecological basis of uneven-aged silvicultural practices. He co-edited a book on the management and restoration of longleaf pine forests, served as a primary instructor for multiple workshops and short courses, and advised agencies and landowners in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Prior to working at the Jones Center, Steve was an assistant professor in the Department of Forest Science at Texas A&M University.

Steve enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and working on projects around the house. He is active in multiple community organizations and his church.