Tom Lang is the Outreach Director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division and serves as the Director of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. At TPWD he provides leadership for statewide outreach programs, the Toyota ShareLunker Program, Angler Recognition Program, Neighborhood Fishin’ Program, Fish Art program, Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, and serves on the Inland Fisheries Division’s leadership team. He has previously served as the TPWD District Fisheries Supervisor in Wichita Falls, where he led a team to manage the fisheries resources of the District. Tom served as the statewide Fisheries Programs Specialist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks where he coordinated the Community Fisheries Assistance Program, Walk-In Fishing program, and Fish KS Angler Education program.

Tom spent his formative years in Louisville Kentucky where the majestic Ohio River and nearby Rough River Reservoir began his fascination with fishing and fisheries resources. Tom is a graduate of Purdue University where he majored in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, with minors in Communication and History and he is also a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where he earned a Master of Science in Aquaculture/Fisheries. Tom’s research at UAPB focused on evaluating the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program and their Fishing Derby Program.

Tom is an accomplished author in the fisheries field having written numerous manuscripts, and contributed to multiple book projects including, most notably, developing and co-editing two American Fisheries Society books titled “Urban and Community Fisheries Programs; Development, Management, and Evaluation” and “Angler Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation: The Future of Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation.” Tom routinely organizes symposia and delivers presentations on a host of pertinent topics in the fisheries field.

He has been tremendously active in serving the largest and oldest society of professional fisheries scientists, the
American Fisheries Society. He served on the Society’s Governing Board for five years, has served on and chaired
numerous Society level committees, is a past-President of the AFS Socioeconomics Section and a past-President of
the AFS Fish Habitat Section. Tom is also a past-President of the Aquatic Resources Education Association, has
served on the National Fish Habitat Partnership Board, and is currently Board Vice-Chair of Fishing’s Future.

Tom has been the recipient of many honors including receiving the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Employee
Recognition Award in Conservation, the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Outstanding Fisheries
Worker award in both 2017 and 2019, was recognized in 2014 for Exceptional Support of the Aquatic Resources
Education Association, two of the programs he coordinated while serving the Kansas Department of Wildlife and
Parks were recognized with Outstanding Sportfish Restoration Program awards during his tenure. Tom was
recognized as a national “Friend of Reservoirs” by the Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership and was also recognized
with the American Fisheries Society’s Meritorious Service Award in 2022. However, Tom says that his greatest and
most rewarding accomplishments are being a good husband to his wife and a good father to his four amazing
children: Hunter, River, Fisher, and Meadow.