Commending W. Michael Walker.

Commending W. Michael Walker.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, W. Michael Walker is a distinguished attorney who served the past 17 years on the board of directors of the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, a nonprofit organization that acquires and conserves land in the Commonwealth for the purposes of providing hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities to the citizens of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, W. Michael “Mike” Walker received his bachelor's degree with distinction in 1985 and his juris doctor degree in 1988, both from the University of Virginia; received his master of laws degree in taxation from Georgetown University in 1989; and was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1988 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1990; and
WHEREAS, beginning in 2009, Mike Walker joined the board of directors of the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia (WFV) and devoted 17 years to ensuring the organization's fiscal sustainability, adherence to the highest standards under which a nonprofit organization must operate, legal compliance during large-scale, often complex acquisitions, and high board and staff accountability; and
WHEREAS, as a result of Mike Walker's leadership, WFV acquired or partnered to acquire almost 15,000 acres of land in the Commonwealth, all of which is permanently conserved for the benefit of outdoorsmen and women of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, under Mike Walker's continued direction and commitment as a director of the board, the Virginia Wildlife Grant Program, a partnership project between WFV and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, has awarded over $1,000,000 in grant funds connecting 80,000 citizens of the Commonwealth to the outdoors; and
WHEREAS, during Mike Walker's tenure on the WFV board and through a $4,000,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, WFV implemented coastal resiliency projects that reestablished hydrology and a forested wetland ecology on 3,783 acres of the Cavalier Wildlife Management Area and constructed 1,500 linear feet of living shoreline in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park; and
WHEREAS, through his leadership, integrity, and commitment to conserving Virginia's extraordinary natural resources and providing places for citizens of the Commonwealth to hunt and fish, thereby helping sustain these activities for future generations, Mike Walker has made a significant contribution of time and talent towards making Virginia a better place to live; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend W. Michael Walker on the occasion of his retirement from the board of directors of the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to W. Michael Walker as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth and best wishes for a fulfilling retirement spent enjoying Virginia's natural resources.