As President, Pattison is responsible to the Board for the day-to-day administration of the 1000 Friends’ office which includes working with Florida’s citizens and communities. He also works with the state’s executive and legislative branches on land use and long range planning issues. Pattison received his Master’s degree in Urban and Regional planning from the University of North Carolina in 1976. He has thirty-one years of experience at private, local, state and regional levels. Prior to joining 1000 Friends of Florida, he served as the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Director for the Division of Resource Planning and Management from 1989 to 1992, he worked as a Field Representative with The Nature Conservancy in Virginia and as Executive Director for the Monroe County Land Authority in the Florida Keys from 1985-87. Pattison is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Kevin McGorty is Director of the Tall Timbers Land Conservancy (TTLC), a division of Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy (FL). Founded in 1958, the mission of Tall Timbers is to foster exemplary land stewardship through research, conservation, and education. The TTLC (created in 1990) works with landowners in securing conservation easements and developing sustainable land management plans. In addition, the TTLC works with municipal and county governments to promote quality growth and discourage urban sprawl. To date, over 120,000 acres in the Red Hills region of southwest Georgia and north Florida, and greater Albany area are protected by conservation easements held by Tall Timbers. Prior to joining Tall Timbers in 1994, Kevin was director of the Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board of the Florida Department of State and has over 35 years of experience in historic preservation, land conservation, and community planning.

Neil Fleckenstein is the Planning Coordinator for the Tall Timbers Land Conservancy (TTLC), a division of Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy (FL). He is responsible for community and environmental planning activities and issue-based advocacy efforts to ensure the sustainability of the Red Hills region of north Florida and southwest Georgia. The Red Hills has been designated by the Nature Conservancy as one of “America’s Last Great Places.” Neil has served as a manager for a number of projects including the Red Hills Valuation of Ecosystem Services project; the Red Hills Cost of Community Services project; and the Red Hills Economic Impact Analysis project. Prior to coming to Tall Timbers in 2002, Neil served as Senior Planner at the Apalachee Regional Planning Council where he coordinated the Council’s emergency management and hazard mitigation planning programs.