Pope & Young Club Names New Executive Director

The Pope & Young Club has named Joe Bell, former Editor of Bow & Arrow Hunting magazine, as the Executive Director of the Pope & Young Club. Joe will lead the operations of the Club in pursuit of its mission.

"We are very excited to have Joe on board, leading the club," says Jim Willems, President of the Pope & Young Club. "As a 14 year member, Joe understands the importance of our mission and what it will take to ensure a strong future for bowhunting in North America."

The Executive Director is the key management leader of the Pope and Young Club, and is responsible for overseeing the administration, finances and strategic plan of the Club. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing and membership recruitment and retention.

"As a longtime archer, bowhunter, and member of the Pope and Young Club, I am honored to accept this new position," stated Bell. "I will walk with all those bowhunting greats who came before me to help shape this sport into all that it is today. I want to give back, just as they unselfishly did, and to keep the torch lit with the same degree of motivation and truth as they did back when it all began. Being a part of the Pope and Young Club carries a lot of significance. The Club's early founders and supporters were responsible for getting the first archery-hunting seasons off the ground, and they proved themselves to be true hunter- conservationists that effectively put their time and money to work, by organizing efforts to support bowhunting as a useful and respectable tool for managing wildlife, while also helping to fund projects to improve wildlife research and habitat restoration. Simply put, these pioneers are my heroes, and anyone that cares about bowhunting and wildlife should feel the same."

"The Pope and Young Club means more to me than a record book of trophies," continued Bell. "It's an organization that was put in place solely for the care of bowhunting, to foster fair-chase hunting tactics, and to help preserve wildlife and habitat for generations to come. These are noble causes, and every bowhunter out there should support them. There is a lot of soul to our sport, and without effective education and protection it could all be lost. The Club was founded on high moral standards, all for the purpose of bettering the image of bowhunting. My plan is to uphold these principles, while pouring out my passion for the sport in the most meaningful way. My hope is to make the Club more visible and desirable, a must-have membership for every bowhunter out there."

The Pope & Young Club is a non-profit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of our bowhunting heritage, hunting ethics and wildlife conservation. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository for the records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with a bow and arrow.