" size=Jeff Fleming is Assistant Regional Director for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia. Fleming, a Tennessee native, comes from Washington D.C. where he served as chief of the agencys Division of Public Affairs.
" sizeJeff will be a great asset to our team," Regional Director Sam Hamilton said. "His experience on Capitol Hill, in the conservation community, and with members of the media will help us continue to communicate effectively about the scientific and sometimes very complicated decisions we make."
" size=In this capacity, Fleming will oversee the day-to-day operations of media services, congressional and legislative affairs, the agencys work with Native Americans across the Southeast, printing, publishing, and outreach. He will also serve as Hamiltons chief spokesperson.
" size=Fleming replaces Christine Eustis, who now serves as the Services chief of Congressional and Legislative Affairs in Washington D.C.
" size=Fleming launched his career as a newspaper reporter for The Chattanooga Free Press and The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal after graduating from The University of Tennessee. In 1991, he went to work for U.S. Rep. John Tanner in Washington as press secretary. While working for Tanner, Fleming worked on many conservation initiatives with the conservation community on many issues important to the Service. After more than a decade on the Hill, Fleming continued his conservation pursuits with The Izaak Walton League of America. In July 2003, Fleming joined the Service as chief of its public affairs office.
" size=He is married and has three children.
" size=The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State fish and wildlife agencies.
