MISSOULA, Mont. – The Boone and Crockett Club announced today that Tony A. Schoonen has been selected as chief executive officer by the Board of Directors as part of its new strategic plan.
The changes are targeted to accomplish the organization’s mission more effectively and efficiently with a new, modernized structure that consists of four divisions: administration, communications, big game records and conservation. Directors are in place for three of the divisions and the Club will actively recruit for a director of communications in the near future.
“The strategic plan and structure recently approved by the Boone and Crockett Club Board will allow our highly skilled staff to be more responsive to conservation policy issues and the needs of our members,” said Club president, Timothy C. Brady. “Tony Schoonen has been a tremendous leader for the Club as our chief of staff, and his new title of chief executive officer exemplifies our trust in him to continue to lead our organization forward.”
A native of Montana, Schoonen began his career in the outdoor industry in 1985 when he founded film production company Stoney-Wolf Productions. He moved from the for-profit sector to the non-profit sector in 1997 when he sold his company and began working for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, eventually becoming Vice President of Marketing and Communications. In 2004, Schoonen moved to Springfield, Missouri, when he was chosen as the first executive director of the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium. He returned to Montana in 2008 and has served as chief of staff for Boone and Crockett Club ever since. Under the new structure of the club, the directors of the four divisions will report directly to him as the chief executive officer.
“It has been a pleasure to work for the Boone and Crockett Club for the past 12 years and I am honored to help lead the oldest conservation group in North America as we enter this new chapter in our organization’s history,” Schoonen commented. “The conservation challenges are greater now than ever. We need to do what it takes to ensure a wildlife and outdoor legacy for future generations. This new structure will position the Club to that.”