David Barfield, Terry Barclay elected chair, vice chair for TNC in Michigan Board

David Barfield, Terry Barclay and Jim Nicholson

LANSING — The Nature Conservancy – a global conservation organization committed to building a future where people and nature both thrive – announced David Barfield, president and CEO of BarPellam, Inc., has been elected chair of TNC in Michigan’s Board of Trustees. Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum, has been elected vice chair, and former chair Jim Nicholson will now serve as chair emeritus. Each will serve two-year terms.

“The Nature Conservancy in Michigan has impacted every corner of our state, from protecting more than 32,000 acres of pristine forestland in the Keweenaw Peninsula to implementing green stormwater infrastructure projects in Detroit to helping farmers in the Saginaw Bay region grow better crops,” Barfield said. “I want to thank my fellow Board of Trustees members for entrusting me with building on the successes of former chair Jim Nicholson and those that have served before him.”

Barfield founded BarPellam in 2015 in partnership with UK-based Impellam Group, following the acquisition of the privately held Bartech Group, Inc., where he served as chairman, president, and CEO. He is also a trustee for Cleary University in Livingston County.

As president and CEO of Inforum, Barclay oversees the only professional organization in Michigan – and one of a few in the country – that combines strategic connections, proven professional development programs, a respected forum for new ideas, and original research to accelerate careers for women and boost talent initiatives for companies.

“It is an honor to serve as vice chair on the Board of Trustees for an organization whose global workforce is more than 60% women and walks the walk when it comes to diversifying its workforce,” Barclay said. “I look forward to working with newly elected Chair David Barfield and want to thank Jim Nicholson for his service over the last two years.”

Nicholson, the co-chairman of PVS Chemicals, Inc and now former TNC in Michigan Board of Trustees chair, will now serve as chair emeritus.

“I am incredibly proud of the work The Nature Conservancy in Michigan’s Board of Trustees and the organization has accomplished over the last two years,” Nicholson said. “I look forward to continuing working with my colleagues to ensure Michigan remains a leader in the fight against climate change because by working together, we can find a way.”

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, TNC works to create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. Learn more online at nature.org/michigan.