Todd Thacker’s Lifelong Stewardship
of Conservation and the Trades
Todd Thacker believes in leaving things better than he found them.
Over a 39-year career with IBEW Local 725 as an apprentice instructor and business manager/financial secretary, he applied that philosophy by training union electricians, negotiating benefits, and improving members’ quality of life. He brings that same mindset to conservation and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA).
A seventh-generation landowner, Thacker manages 330 acres of property, including an off-grid cabin in Southern Illinois that serves as both a retreat and a place where he stewards wildlife habitat.
“I was taught from an early age that if you don’t take care of something, it doesn’t take care of you,” Thacker said. “Conservation is an easy thing because we don’t rely on someone else to fix a problem—you fix the problem yourself.”
Todd Thacker harvests a turkey with Sam Phipps’ two sons.
USA Director of Conservation Sam Phipps and his two sons have hunted on Thacker’s land twice, seeing that passion for habitat management firsthand.
“Todd is an outdoorsman through and through,” Phipps said. “I wish I could spend more time and gain more knowledge from him. He’s super knowledgeable when it comes to his property and wildlife management, especially when it comes to habitat. He has a lot of experience in that field, and you can tell he’s very passionate about it.”
In retirement, Thacker is giving back in a way that combines his passions for labor and the outdoors. He’s been a USA member since the early days of the organization and recalls participating in USA drawings, receiving a book of Theodore Roosevelt hunting stories and hosting an episode of Brotherhood Outdoors.
“I’ve been involved in Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Those focus on species, but what I like about the USA is that it focuses on union sportsmen,” Thacker said.
He helped start the USA’s Central Wabash Valley BCTC Conservation Dinner in 2023 and continues to serve as the dinner chair.
It’s all about relationships for Thacker. That was clear to USA Event Coordinator Daniel Shine from their very first conversations about this year’s dinner.
“My first impression of him came from a phone call,” Shine said. “We talked for an hour and a half and didn’t even discuss the dinner. He’s very personal and very kind. He’ll send me pictures of taking his grandkids out for ice cream. One time, I was sitting in a deer stand when he texted me a photo of his dad with a deer he had just harvested.”
Todd Thacker with his team at the USA’s 2012 Indianapolis Sporting Clays Shoot.
The funds raised at each dinner go to support local conservation projects. In 2024, Thacker worked with the USA and the Vigo County Parks & Recreation department to complete a prairie grass restoration project at an old research facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. Since completing the project, Thacker is working once again with county officials and the USA to build an ADA-accessible ramp to a kayak launch dock at Dewey Point. With a dock already in place, local operating engineers, laborers and electricians are working to improve public access.
“It’s going to make a difference within the community,” Phipps said. “The upgrades we’re doing are going to make the kayak launch more accessible for the public to use. Todd has the right people in place to where this project is going to be a breeze for these folks. He’s got the best people in the business handling their scope of work.”
The Central Wabash Valley Dinner continues to grow and is expecting its biggest dinner yet on May 9, 2026.
“Within two weeks of our first meeting, he had everything taken care of and the dinner was already sold out,” Shine said. “His passion for conservation and the outdoors really shows in how hands-on he is.”
For Thacker, the dinner is just one more way to carry out a lifelong commitment to stewardship—of the land, of his community, and of the generations that will follow. It’s the same philosophy that has guided him all along: leave things better than you found them.
