Dan Hilliard, Director
I have lived most of my life in Florida and have enjoyed the outdoo1rs immensely. I spent my early life in Polk County, and then later-on in various locales on the east coast, always enjoying the water. I've been a commercial diver, fisherman and avid surfer.
I have an AS degree in Air Commerce Technology and spent more than 30 years in the world of aviation, as a pilot, aviation accident investigator, and air traffic controller (ATC). Two years after my 2003 retirement, I was invited to join W.A.R., Inc. I accepted leadership of the organization less than a year later, and as the group's president, had the pleasure of getting to know and work with many residents of Inglis and Yankeetown.
I've found that things learned in one career can be very useful in another. For example, I learned that in accident investigation and air traffic control the Devil, as they say, is in the details. The endeavors are complicated. The same is true for water science and the protection of natural systems, and we at W.A.R strive to bring that kind of rigor to our conservation efforts.
In the process, we've engaged with elected officials at several levels of the state. One highlight of my career as rendering our governor, Charlie Crist speechless at a hearing with one simple question. “Governor, do you know of a water body in the state of Florida that is in better condition today than it was 30 years ago?"