James “Wylie” Huffman, III

Wylie Huffman joined Indian River Lakes Conservancy as Executive Director after his retirement from 22 years in the U.S. Army. His career in the Army culminated as the Republic of Korea’s Ground Army Commander’s Executive Plans Chief, responsible for leading diverse multinational planning efforts to integrate and synchronize air and ground operations across the Korean peninsula.

Wylie comes to IRLC with diverse experience in building and leading teams, building organizations for greater impact to achieve a common vision, strategic communications, and community outreach. While spending six years stationed at Fort Drum at different times in his career, Wylie fell in love with the area and decided to “grow roots” here with his wife and two children.

His love of nature was nurtured as a child growing up on his family’s 110-acre farm near Columbus, Ohio where he spent his weekends and summers catching amphibians and reptiles and raising orphaned wild animals including squirrels, raccoons, Canadian geese, and crows. He also developed a passion for flyfishing and an appreciation for the importance of clean water at an early age by catching bass and panfish in the farm’s ponds and spring-fed creek.

During his time off, Wylie can be found swinging flies with his family on the Salmon River during the fall and winter months and bass-bugging the Indian River Lakes with his fly rod during the spring and summer.