MDF Announces Hiring of Joshua Stratton as Director of Communications, Promotion of Steve Belinda to Chief Conservation Officer
The Mule Deer Foundation announced today that Joshua Stratton has joined the organization as its new Director of Communications and that Steve Belinda has been promoted to Chief Conservation Officer. Both Stratton and Belinda are part of the organization’s executive leadership team and will help accomplish the objective of elevating MDF’s mission and scale of impact.
Stratton comes to MDF with 23 years of experience in the hunting and fishing industry with the latter 13 years spent helping organizations and brands achieve their marketing and communications goals. He brings with him a vast understanding of consumer behavior, nonprofit experience, and content creation. Stratton looks to leverage his circle of influence to increase corporate partners and mission awareness through strategic, story-focused messaging and content.
“I’m thrilled to have Joshua on board to help MDF better tell our story,” said MDF President/CEO Joel Pedersen. “His past experience with nonprofit organizations, content creation, and his understanding of how people consume media will elevate the MDF brand and ensure that more people know about the tremendous accomplishments of our organization.”
Belinda has been serving as MDF’s Director of Conservation since 2019 after supporting the organization as a consultant for over a decade. His promotion to Chief Conservation Officer recognizes his leadership in growing the organization’s mule and black-tailed deer conservation program. Steve is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® and has over 30 years in the wildlife conservation profession. His experience in federal agencies, the private sector, and nonprofit conservation worlds provides a unique skill set valuable for implementing work that MDF does for deer and other wildlife.
“Steve has long been a part of MDF, working many years as a consultant and helping to guide the conservation efforts of the organization,” Pedersen noted. “Since his hire as a full-time employee, Steve has transformed the way MDF delivers conservation, which has triggered tremendous growth both in staff and our mission delivery. Steve’s promotion to Chief Conservation Officer better portrays his leadership for the organization.”
