Executive Director

Pat Byington
(205) 999-7655
pat@wildsouth.org

Pat Byington brings more than 25 years of conservation and public lands experience and accomplishments to Wild South.  As Executive Director of the Alabama Environmental Council (formerly the Alabama Conservancy), Byington doubled the organization’s membership and increased its operating budget nearly ten-fold. As director of one of the state’s oldest conservation organizations, he helped establish Alabama’s Forever Wild program – the State’s highly successful land acquisition program; Little River Canyon National Preserve; and the Dugger Mountain Wilderness.

A recognized conservation leader in the Southeast and the Eastern United States, Pat worked for several years with The Wilderness Society, advocating for numerous Land and Water Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy projects, from Maine to Florida. He also directed the Eastern Forest Partnership, a coalition of 20 conservation organizations in the Eastern United States dedicated to protecting and preserving Eastern forests.

Along with his work in conservation, Pat has held several public positions in Alabama including membership with the Forever Wild Board of Trustees and Vice Chair of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission (AEMC). As a member of the AEMC, he proposed initiatives, which were subsequently adopted, to establish more stringent and protective measures mitigating cancer risks, mercury contamination, and water quality pollution standards.

Recently this summer, Pat was hired by Wild South to direct its Tennessee Wild campaign.  A resident of Birmingham, Alabama, Pat has been married to Kathleen Rose-Byington for 24 years.  They have a ten year old daughter.