Dr. Andrew Sansom, Ph.D.

Andrew Sansom is one of Texas’ leading conservationists. He is a former Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Executive Director of the Texas Nature Conservancy. For his commitment to the management and protection of natural resources, Mr. Sansom is a recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award, The Chuck Yeager Award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Pugsley Medal from the National Park Foundation, the Seton Award from the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nature Conservancy. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of Austin College and Texas Tech University.

Under his leadership at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Mr. Sansom spearheaded a number of significant programs, including:

• Founding the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation
• Adding over 500,000 acres to the State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas
• Creating two nationally recognized aquatic facilities which include hatcheries, research laboratories, educational centers, and aquariums.
• Initiating an aggressive program to introduce urban children to nature and the outdoors

Mr. Sansom has dedicated his life to environmental conservation. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Texas Historical Foundation, Bat Conservation International, KLRU Public Television in Austin, The National Audubon Society, The Institute of Nautical Archaeology and The Texas Travel Industry Association. He joined the staff of the National Recreation and Park Association in Washington D.C. in l969. He served as Environmental Coordinator for the White House Conference on Youth, Special Assistant to Secretary of Interior Rogers C.B. Morton, Director of Conservation Education at the Federal Energy Administration and Deputy Director of the Energy Institute at the University of Houston.

His published works have appeared in Texas Monthly, The Texas Observer, Houston City Magazine, Politics Today, Texas Highways, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas Town and City. He is the author of five books, Texas Lost, Texas Past, Scout the Christmas Dog, Water In Texas and Southern Plains Bison, Resurrection of the Lost Texas Herd.

Andrew Sansom now serves as Research Professor of Geography and Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University where he coordinates university policy and research related to freshwater resources, manages the headwaters of the San Marcos River; administers the most extensive freshwater environmental education program in Texas; and supervises the training and coordination of more than 1000 volunteer water monitors in rivers and streams throughout the State.