Tampa, Fla. – Tampa businessman and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Emeritus Richard A. "Dick" Corbett has been elected chair of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.

The appointment came during the March 27–28 meeting ­of the board of directors of the nonprofit Foundation.
"I'm very pleased to be turning the gavel over to Dick Corbett," said outgoing Foundation Chair Rodney Barreto, who is stepping down as chair to lead Miami's preparation for the 2020 Super Bowl. "Dick is a lifelong conservationist and outdoorsman and has served the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and our Foundation for many years. He brings considerable dedication and business acumen to this role."

Corbett joined the Foundation board in 2013, after serving 13 years on the FWC Board of Commissioners, where he was also chair. His conservation philanthropy has been aimed at providing children and adolescents with increased opportunities for outdoor recreation. He is also a major supporter of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned his bachelor's degree in history and served as class president his senior year.

"Our Foundation has the unique opportunity to support the many projects of the FWC, including the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network where more than 100,000 children annually learn to appreciate our Florida outdoors," Corbett said.

The Foundation board also honored outgoing Chair Barreto, himself a former FWC Commission chair. Under Barreto's leadership as Foundation chair, the Foundation hired its first president and CEO, increased the size and diversity of the board, and is planning its first multimillion-dollar conservation fundraising campaign.

After college graduation, incoming Chair Corbett worked on the John F. Kennedy presidential campaign and then in the White House. He earned his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University, and went on to serve as a financial manager for the Kennedy family in New York and business manager of Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. He also served on the National Finance Committee for Gov. Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Corbett currently is CEO and president of Concorde Companies, a real estate investment firm in Tampa. His major real estate investment was as developer and co-owner of the International Plaza and Bay Street mall, office and hotel complex at Tampa International Airport. He is also a member of the Florida Council of 100 and the Republican Governors Association Executive Roundtable Group, and a former board member of Tampa General Hospital and its Foundation, Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry, the Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Florida Council on Economic Education.

The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida was created in 1994 to support the FWC and other public and private conservation partners. The Foundation has raised and given away more than $25 million to support conservation, fishing, hunting and outdoor education for children, adolescents and adults. More information can be found at WildlifeFlorida.org.