Leadership
Dr. Mike Chamberlain
Founder
Dr. Mike Chamberlain is Austin’s father, a passionate hunter and conservationist, and the founder of the Foundation. Mike is the Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Georgia, where he conducts applied research on numerous wildlife species. He is considered a leading authority on wild turkeys, and also works closely with private landowners to manage their properties for white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, waterfowl, and other game species. Mike’s vision is to use the Foundation to honor Austin’s life and legacy, and positively impact the lives of young people and the environment.
Sam Smith Jr.
Board Member
Sam Smith Jr. is the retired owner of Smith Tank & Steel Inc, where he built storage tanks and vessels across the United States and abroad for 36 years. He is the proud owner of Macknockanut Lake Plantation which sits in the heart of the Louisiana Delta. For the last 10 years, Sam has worked with Mike Chamberlain to develop Maknockanut from a property dedicated to producing crops into a premiere recreational property for deer and waterfowl, while also maintaining sustainable agricultural production. Sam enjoys taking pictures of young people who have just harvested their first duck or deer.
Jason Hart
Board Member
Jason Hart is excited to be a part of the Foundation and to get youth equally excited about the outdoors. Jason has spent his entire career in the hunting, fishing, conservation, and shooting sports industry having worked in sales, marketing and product roles for companies such as Avery Outdoors, Under Armour, and Huk & NOMAD apparel. He currently serves as the Director of Community Marketing for Mossy Oak, and volunteers for the National Wild Turkey Federation Foundation Board, the Low Country Game Bird Foundation Board and the Wild Turkey Safety Committee. Jason is a passionate hunter, having hunted in every state in America and multiple foreign countries.
Bill Mitchell
Board Member
Bill Mitchell is a long-time friend of the Chamberlain family and was a friend of Austin’s, having spent much time with him hunting since Austin was a young child. Bill has spent the past 34 years as an educator and coach, and understands the importance of getting young people into the outdoors given the many distractions facing youth today. He’s excited to serve the Foundation and provide opportunities for young adults to share his enthusiasm and passion for the outdoors
Toxey Haas
Board Member
Toxey Haas is the CEO /CMO and founder of Haas’s Outdoors, Inc., and the brand known as Mossy Oak. He literally built Mossy Oak from the ground up, and now products bearing the Mossy Oak logo can be found all across the United States and beyond. Toxey’s love for the outdoors was instilled in him at a young age by his father, and he plans to help the Foundation instill that same love and passion into the lives and minds of young adults. Toxey has always described himself as a homeboy and rightfully so. He was raised in West Point, Mississippi, attended college at Mississippi State University and returned to West Point to open Mossy Oak’s headquarters where he still lives and works.
Chris Bee
Board Member
Chris Bee was a close friend of Austin’s that shared a passion for archery, hunting and conservation. He was an early spark in Austin’s archery career and competed on the same archery team, the ALC Hornets, traveling all over the nation shooting archery. Chris currently runs a larger Youtube channel that focuses on archery education, entertainment, and hunting. His vision for the Foundation is to help spark and open the door to archery, bowhunting, and conservation to young adults that are hungry for opportunities to explore their passions.