Thomas Eason

Dr. Thomas Eason serves as PERC’s Florida strategic initiatives director, leading the organization’s efforts to advance voluntary, market-based, and property rights-grounded conservation across Florida. Working with landowners, policymakers, conservation organizations, and other partners, he champions innovative approaches that align economic incentives with lasting conservation outcomes for the state’s land, water, and wildlife.

A wildlife biologist by training, Dr. Eason brings more than three decades of experience in conservation science, natural resource management, and executive leadership. After earning a B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Tech, he completed both an M.S. in Wildlife Science and a Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of Tennessee, where his graduate research focused on black bear population dynamics in the southeastern United States.

Dr. Eason joined the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 1999 as the Statewide Bear Biologist and went on to serve the agency for nearly 25 years. During his tenure, he held several leadership positions, culminating as Assistant Executive Director. He helped shape many of Florida’s most significant conservation initiatives, including development and implementation of the Florida State Wildlife Action Plan, creation of the agency’s Landscape Conservation Strategic Initiative, advancement of the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS), and oversight of FWC’s 1.5-million-acre land acquisition and management program. He also represented FWC on Florida’s Acquisition and Restoration Council, helping guide strategic investments in the state’s conservation lands.

Throughout his career, Dr. Eason has championed collaborative conservation that brings together public agencies, private landowners, nonprofit organizations, and local communities to achieve durable environmental outcomes. At PERC, he continues this work by promoting innovative policies and partnerships that demonstrate how incentives, property rights, and voluntary cooperation can conserve Florida’s natural resources while supporting thriving communities.

Dr. Eason lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife, Angel, and their daughter, Lakshmi. Together they enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping, and tending their Certified Monarch Butterfly Waystation, sharing a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and Florida’s extraordinary natural heritage.