Deke Welles

David "Deke" Welles was destined to become a duck hunter. Not only was his father a duck hunter, Welles married into it, too.

"I was surrounded by it," he explained, chuckling. "My wife was the daughter of a St. Louis waterfowler, and her brother was a duck hunter. And more of my friends in St. Louis and Ohio shared similar interests. It's how I spend time with friends."

Fortunately for all waterfowl hunters throughout North America, Welles took to hunting ducks and geese, and he comes from a philanthropic family that believes in giving back. His mother served on the board of directors for The Nature Conservancy.

"When you truly enjoy the activity, it's just natural that you want to see the environments you occupy for waterfowl or fishing to continue to flourish," Welles said. "My true passions are waterfowl and fishing, so I align my philanthropic thinking with my passions. It's a natural lead-in to Delta Waterfowl."

Welles, a 1974 graduate of Yale University, built a successful career in business and retired as chairman of the family's manufacturing business. His philanthropic and conservation leadership includes a stint as chairman of the Toledo Museum of Art, board service for the Wild Salmon Center, and trustee of the Wetlands America Trust. He's president of the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy and Waterhen Lodge Duck Club in Manitoba.

He expanded his commitment to ducks and duck hunters earlier this year by becoming a member of Delta Waterfowl's board of directors. In addition, Welles has made a significant gift to Delta's Million Duck Campaign, as well as a future planned gift to support the critical waterfowl conservation work of The Duck Hunters Organization.

Jeffrey Howell, vice president of major gifts, introduced Welles to Delta during visits in St. Louis and hunts in Arkansas.

"Across the waterfowl conservation landscape, a small handful of men and women stand out, and Welles is one of those great leaders," Howell said. "He's a champion for Delta and all North American waterfowl and hunters. To say he gives back to our valuable resources is a grand understatement. All duck hunters are better off because of Deke. His generosity and leadership have inspired others to support Delta."

In 2022, Delta launched the Million Duck Campaign, a transformational $250 million plan to add 1 million ducks to every fall flight by scaling up the organization's proven Duck Production pillar programs. MDC will also bolster Delta's Habitat Conservation, Research and Education, and HunteR3 pillars.

While Welles finds high value in all of Delta's pillars, he's particularly drawn to HunteR3, with its promise to ensure a strong future for waterfowl hunting throughout North America.

"We need to have more ducks out there, so the idea of producing more ducks through MDC makes sense," Welles said. "I hope in this process, we can produce more conservationists through the R3 programs. If we're not going to recruit future duck hunters, we're going to have a hard time recruiting future conservationists. The people who spend their time outdoors in pursuit of waterfowl and fish are the ones who become passionate about it, and they end up giving back. The R3 programs in particular - to recruit, retain, and reengage hunter s- are absolutely vital to the future of duck production."

Welles wants to cement his legacy as a conservationist by making sure waterfowl hunting continues long after he's hung up his waders.

"A lot of us are aging out," Welles said. "We need to have more people out there who have a passion for waterfowl." -Paul Wait