Brian Murphy Announces Decision to Transition from CEO to Strategic Partnerships Role

ATHENS, GA (March 3, 2020) – After 23 years at the helm of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), a period of unparalleled growth and accomplishment for the non-profit organization, Brian Murphy has announced he will be transitioning from CEO to a newly created part-time role focusing on strategic partnerships. The QDMA Board of Directors will immediately begin the process of searching for his replacement.

“Running this great organization for nearly a quarter century has been a dream come true,” said Murphy. “I’m so incredibly proud of what our staff, board and especially our members and supporters have accomplished during this time. I am also grateful that I will have the opportunity to continue serving QDMA in my new role. My wife and I will have an empty nest starting this fall, and we look forward to traveling and spending time with our daughters and extended families.”

During Murphy’s time as CEO, deer and deer hunting experienced significant improvements in quality as the principles of Quality Deer Management became commonplace throughout the whitetail’s range.

“QDMA, under Brian’s leadership, has fundamentally reshaped modern deer hunting and management,” said QDMA Board Chairman Rick Dahl. “As a deer hunter and someone who is passionate about QDMA’s mission, I will personally be forever grateful to Brian for his unyielding commitment to the organization and to white-tailed deer.”

Murphy was hired as Executive Director in 1997 after returning to the United States from Australia, where he managed deer populations for the Australian government. Through new initiatives and partnerships, Murphy sparked rapid growth, taking membership from 3,000 to 10,000 in his first three years. Today, membership stands at more than 50,000. Murphy was responsible for securing land donations for the organization’s permanent National Headquarters on 155 acres near Athens, Georgia, perfectly suited to QDMA’s ongoing educational and hunter recruitment missions. He expanded QDMA’s outreach and impact on whitetail management, hunting and conservation with publications like Quality Whitetails magazine. He oversaw the creation of QDMA’s Deer Steward training courses, the annual Whitetail Report, and QDMA’s expansive legislative advocacy program. Finally, as he begins to transition to his new role, he is leading the effort to scale up QDMA’s groundbreaking hunter recruitment program known as Field to Fork.

During Murphy’s tenure, QDMA received the Group Achievement Award from the Wildlife Society; the Career Achievement Award from the Southeast Deer Study Group; the Innovation in Technology Award from the International Hunter Education Association; and the R3 Partnership Award from the Archery Trade Association to name a few. Additionally, Murphy was recognized as one of the top 25 conservationists in America in 2011 by Outdoor Life Magazine.

Media Contact: Lindsay Thomas Jr., 800-209-3337

About QDMA

Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with 50,000 members in all 50 states and Canada, and several foreign countries. QDMA is dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call 800-209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com