Thomas J. Ryder is retired Deputy Chief of Wildlife for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. During his 35 year career with the Department, he also served as Habitat Biologist, Large Carnivore Biologist, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Management Coordinator and Wyoming Governor Matt Mead’s Wildlife Policy Advisor. Following his retirement from state service, Ryder worked as Habitat Manager for the Sweetwater Conservancy’s 1.2 million acre ranch properties in central Wyoming helping develop their sage-grouse mitigation banking program. He received the Wyoming Game and Fish Director’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Professional of the Year Award in 2014. Ryder is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, Past President, Fellow, and Honorary Member of The Wildlife Society and received The Society’s Jim McDonough Award in 2000. He is a Professional Member of the Boone and Crockett Club and was elected into the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2023. Ryder holds a B.S.in Wildlife Conservation and Management from the University of Wyoming and a M.S. from the University of Wyoming in Zoology and Physiology. His areas of expertise include big game and large carnivore ecology and management and historical aspects of wildlife conservation.