About William Meadows

Bill Meadows has been active in conservation for 40 years. He served as President of The Wilderness Society from 1996 to 2012. During his tenure at The Wilderness Society, more than five million acres of Wilderness were added to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

In retirement, Bill has continued his is commitment to building partnerships and bringing new constituencies into the Wilderness movement. He currently serves as an honorary member of the Governing Council and as Counselor, a senior program advisor for The Wilderness Society.

Bill holds two degrees from Vanderbilt University, a BA and a Masters in Higher Education Administration. He worked for Vanderbilt University for 20 years, including 16 years as Executive Director of the Alumni Association.

He was also active in the Nashville community where he served on the mayor’s committee for community excellence, the boards of the Tennessee Environmental Council and the League of Women Voters. He was a local, state and national volunteer leader for the Sierra Club and a founder and board member of the Environmental Action Fund, the predecessor to the Tennessee League of Conservation Voters.

Bill is a past Chairman of the Green Group, the Campaign for America’s Wilderness, and the Partnership Project. In addition to the Conservation Lands Foundation, he is currently on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters, Island Press, the Environmental Law Institute, the Urban Libraries Council, and the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards.