Heritage Preservation Trust is directed by a capable and diverse group of Directors, each bringing a unique set of skills to the organization, and all bringing a passion for conservation. Collectively, we work to ensure HPT fulfills its public obligations as a land trust while finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing private lands conservation.
George Thornton - Chairman of the Board, Edgefield, SC
George’s career in conservation includes nine years as CEO at the National Wild Turkey Federation and numerous board positions throughout the hunting, fishing and conservation communities. He is one of only 100 Regular Members of the Boone & Crockett Club and was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2015. Highlights of George’s service include a board seat at the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and as a member of both the Wildlife Hunting Heritage and Conservation Council (WHHCC) and the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports (CAHSS). Today George is an active board member for the Partnership for Conservation (P4C) and spends much of his personal time in Washington advocating for fair
treatment of all types of conservation easements.
Prior to his time at the National Wild Turkey Federation George was the CEO at Agriliance, a
$4.2-billion agricultural supply company, serving NAFTA.
Jim Blome - D’hanis, TX
Jim Blome is an independent consultant, board director and Texas rancher. His global ag technology career included executive positions at Bayer, Sumitomo Chemical, Calyxt, FMC and Agriliance. He is currently a board director for Concentric Ag and Taranis Ag. Previously, Blome served as the Chairman of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Foundation Board. A graduate of Iowa State University, he enjoys his continuing involvement in Midwest agriculture and rural America.
N. Fulton Breen – Cary, NC
Fulton Breen has enjoyed a successful career as an entrepreneur in both the agribusiness and technology industries. Today he is retired from his roles as the Founder and CEO of XS, Inc., the Co-Founder and Chief People Officer of TKXS and the CEO of Novarete’, all headquartered in the Research
Triangle Park.
Fulton holds an MBA, Finance from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a BS, Economic Zoology from Clemson University. He has long been committed to conservation and promotion of the outdoors. He has held various board seats in the industry, including a seat on
the Foundation Board of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Marvin N. Davant – Columbia, SC
Marvin Davant is the founder and long-time director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank. From 2002 though 2017, under Marvin’s leadership the South Carolina Conservation Bank conserved over 285,000 acres across South Carolina. Prior to founding the Conservation Bank, Marvin was the Director of Field Services for the South Carolina Department of
Revenue.
Marvin holds a BS, Banking & Finance from the University of South Carolina. Today, he is retired and continues allocating his time to conservation. In addition to his position on the Heritage Preservation Trust board of directors, Marvin serves on the Harry Hampton Foundation board,
is a Trustee Emeritus at Ducks Unlimited, and is an active member of the SCDNR Land & Water Resources board.
Eric Dinger - Lincoln, NE
Eric is a successful entrepreneur based in Lincoln, NE. Today, Eric serves in the innovative role of Carbon Development Partner at the Arbor Day Foundation. This work enables Eric to make a lasting impact on the world’s climate and be a part of landscape-level conservation efforts.
Prior to joining the Arbor Day team, Eric founded, grew and sold Powderhook, an innovative platform designed to help solve the decline in hunting license sales. He has also built and sold a successful marketing and public relations agency in Lincoln. Eric is widely recognized as an innovator in the hunting, fishing and conservation community. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. He and his wife, Stephanie, have three kids who all enjoy the outdoors.
Dr. Levi Hunt – Greer, SC
Dr. Levi Hunt is a practicing dentist in the upstate of South Carolina. Levi has been practicing dentistry for thirteen years. During that time, he has developed or acquired four practices – Wood
Creek Dental of Greenville, Wood Creek Dental of Landrum, Meadow Creek Family Dentistry of Inman and Meadow Creek Family Dentistry of Spartanburg.
Levi has an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and did his dentistry training at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He has been a lifelong outdoorsman, hunter and conservationist, and his successful track record building businesses has been valuable to Heritage Preservation Trust’s establishment as a respected land trust.
Jim LaBate - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Jim LaBate has over thirty years in the finance and investment sector. Jim has invested in, sponsored, assisted in the management of and sold numerous companies funded through private equity and debt investment. He has also consulted, negotiated and funded numerous real estate projects.
He is a graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting. Mr. LaBate also attended graduate courses at Geneva College, FAU and the University of Pittsburgh.
Today, in addition to serving on the Heritage Preservation Trust board, Mr. LaBate is very involved in the South Florida community.
Jason McCannon - Lexington, GA
Jason McCannon has been a professional forester for over 24 years. He received his Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia, College of Warnell in 1995. After graduation he worked for Temple-Inland Paper company where he worked a short period buying timber before moving to the position of silviculture coordinator over the 500,000-acre forest. While in this position he also outsourced Temple Inlands heavy equipment crew to Bowater, performing mechanical site prep for additional income.
In 2003, Jason founded his company, J & M Forestry & Grading. Today, Jason works with the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation as the Forest and Mineral Supervisor. He manages 50,000 acres in Georgia directly and is involved in the management of all 350,000 acres of the foundation when needed.
M. Collins McNeill, IV - Tallahassee, FL
Collins McNeill is the founder and owner of M.C. McNeill and Company, a peanut brokerage firm serving the U.S. and international markets. Prior to establishing one of the most successful peanut brokerage businesses in the industry, Collins spent his career with Ducks Unlimited, first as a
Regional Director in Virginia and then as a Director of Fundraising and Volunteer Relations for the South Atlantic – FL, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, WV. Collins is a graduate of Auburn University. He and his wife, Ashley, live in Tallahassee, FL where Collins remains a passionate outdoorsman and conservationist.
Jennifer Sumner - Edgefield, SC
Jennifer Sumner is an attorney in Edgefield, South Carolina, with specialization in real estate law. She is a founding member of Heritage Preservation Trust.
Doug Saunders - Chief Executive Officer, Columbia, SC
Doug Saunders has been in the conservation industry for eighteen years. Prior to founding Heritage Preservation Trust, Doug spent seven years working for Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and six years at the
National Wild Turkey Federation, where he served the NWTF as its Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer.
Doug holds a BA in Economics from Wake Forest University and an MBA from the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. He is also a graduate of the National Conservation Leadership Institute.