The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) is pleased to welcome Olivia Harmsen as the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Regional R3 Coordinator.
Harmsen has been fully engaged in the R3 Community since 2015, serving the past eight years for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) in several roles, including regional hunter training officer, acting administrative branch manager, and R3 Coordinator. During the past five years as the R3 Coordinator she helped drive recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts for the state of Kentucky, establishing it as a cornerstone of the agency. Harmsen also has been deeply involved in grant implementation throughout her career, including the coordination of photoshoots contributing to the Multistate Conservation Grant Small Game Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit, and coordinating several photoshoots across the SEAFWA Region through grants awarded by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). Harmsen is both a hunter and bowhunter education instructor, a National Archery in the Schools Program Basic Archery Instructor Trainer, and an avid angler and hunter.
This position, a first for SEAFWA, will work across all four pillars of the R3 collaborative: hunting, shooting, angling, and boating. The cross-functional nature of this position is a testament to the support provided by all state fish and wildlife agency members of SEAFWA, CAHSS, and RBFF – all of whom contributed financially to this position. Administratively, Harmsen is a CAHSS employee working in service to SEAFWA. Harmsen is an active member of the SEAFWA R3 Committee and will continue to work closely with the members of this committee, the SEAFWA directorate, and both regional and national R3-focused working groups.
In her role as SEAFWA Regional R3 Coordinator, Harmsen will help coordinate regional level R3 efforts across the 15-state, two-territory region through increased collaboration among state, non-government organization, industry, and federal partners. Harmsen’s focus will be providing region-wide coordination of R3 planning, implementation, marketing, training, grant application and administration, and communication activities.
Harmsen began her role as SEAFWA Regional R3 Coordinator on August 1, from her home in the Lexington, Kentucky area.
“I am truly grateful to be selected as the SEAFWA Regional R3 Coordinator! I am looking forward to providing support and amplifying the great work that is already being created in the region. We are taking the best next steps to close the gaps in R3 at a national, regional, and state level. I am excited to see the future of R3 within the south and to collaborate with other regions to elevate national efforts!” said Harmsen.
“In the first position of its kind in the Southeast, Olivia will leverage her talents and work ethic to benefit the region and increase national R3 collaboration and efficiency. Her dynamic skillsets, unique perspectives, and tremendous motivation will provide great leadership and facilitation of the R3 movement in the region,” said CAHSS Executive Director Dr. Steven Leath. “We are fortunate to have Olivia join the team.”
To contact Olivia, please email olivia.harmsen@seafwa.org.