Carter Smith serves as the Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), a position he has held since January of 2008.

A native of Central Texas, Smith developed his passion for wildlife and the out-of-doors at a young age while roaming his family’s farm and ranchland interests in Gonzales, Williamson, and Edwards Counties.

He has a wildlife management degree from Texas Tech and a master’s degree in conservation biology from Yale University. As a wildlife biologist, he has worked on projects across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

He serves on a number of conservation-related boards and advisory councils, including the Texas Land Trust Council and the Katy Prairie Conservancy. As the past Chairman of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, he currently serves on the Executive Committee of that association and is the former President of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He also served as Chair of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and is a professional member of the Boone & Crockett Club, a lifetime member of the Texas Bighorn Society, the Dallas Safari Club, and the Houston Safari Club.