Good News/Bad News

As you probably guessed, they are both the same news.

photo by his daughter Roland Woodward

Our outstanding, much admired Deputy Manager Larry Woodward has accepted a new position. He will become the Deputy Project Leader at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

As Refuge Manager Andrew Gude said, "It is a good career move for Larry and we are pleased for him. We have had a cohesive and successful team here for ten years. That is more than most workplaces ever get to say. We will miss him. It has been a very good run and we are all grateful for those ten years." (Then of course, being Andrew, he added "Don't tell Larry I said all those nice things, okay?")

Too bad. I had to share them with all of us who know how lucky we are to have had him, and the stellar team for all this time!

Here is what Refuge Manager Michael Lusk at Okefenokee NWR had to say:

I am very pleased to announce that Larry Woodward has accepted the position of Deputy Project Leader at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
  
Larry began his 22-year career with the USFWS as a range tech at Santee NWR after 14 years in a research position with Clemson University. While at Santee, he earned a federal law enforcement commission and a fire management “red card,” which he still maintains (pack-tested to Arduous!). He then served as Deputy Manager at John Heinz NWR in Pennsylvania and is currently the Deputy at the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys NWRs in Florida. Throughout his career, Larry has had the opportunity to manage resources for habitat conservation, to work with local partners, and to develop outdoor experiences for the public.

Larry comes very highly recommended by his supervisors, his peers, and those he supervises.  During an extensive interview process, Larry was praised as, "He's the best supervisor I've ever had, hands-down," "He's one of the best supervisors I've ever had," and "He's the best boss I've ever had."  He was described by one of his supervisors as, "...one the last old-time refuge managers," meaning that he's a jack-of-all-trades - and good at everything he does.  All of his supervisors repeatedly expressed how much they did not want to lose him, so their loss is our gain here at the Okefenokee.  

Larry grew up exploring the woods and swamps of South Carolina with his twin brother, where their dad introduced them to hunting and fishing. Larry has been married for 30 years to his wife Nancy Lee and they are the parents of 3 children in their 20’s. In his spare time, he enjoys being with his family outdoors, Florida Gators football, fishing, and photography.

We wish you all the best, Larry.