Dr. Marty Brunson, as Chief Executive Officer, has provided continuous leadership for all programs and activities of the Catch-A-Dream Foundation since its inception in 2000. He is the founding Board Chairman.
Marty holds a BS in Biology from Mississippi College (1978), and MS (1980) and Ph.D. (1983) degrees in Fisheries and Aquaculture from Mississippi State University.
He joined the research faculty at LSU as Assistant Professor in 1983, then returned to his alma mater in 1988, joining the MSU faculty as Associate Professor and Associate Fisheries Specialist. He served as Extension Leader from 1989 until 2004 and Professor of Fisheries from 1992 until 2005.
In 2005, the Catch-A-Dream program was relocated to reside in the Bost Extension Center as a separate department of the MSU-Extension Service at MSU and, leaving behind all wildlife and fisheries responsibilities, he assumed full-time duties for leadership and direction of the Catch-A-Dream Foundation. He held the rank of Extension Professor with a special assignment as Executive Director for Catch-A-Dream until his retirement from MSU in 2013, at which time Catch-A-Dream left the university and the partnership.
He has held office in numerous professional societies and service organizations. He is a Past-President of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation and holds a lifetime appointment to its Board of Directors. He is a Past-President of the Starkville Baseball Association, and a past member of the Board of Directors for the Oktibbeha Educational Foundation.
He has received numerous professional awards including the Outstanding Extension Specialist Award, MS Cooperative Extension Service; the Distinguished Service Award, Mississippi State University Alumni Association; the Outstanding Extension Worker, MSU Extension Service; Fisheries Conservationist of the Year Award from Mississippi Wildlife Federation; Distinguished Service Award from the Catfish Farmers of Mississippi; and, in 2005, became only the fourth individual in its 58-year history to be presented the President’s Award for lifetime achievement by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. He was named 2008 Person of the Year by the Fishing Industry Youth Initiative and was named in 2008 to Outdoor Life Magazine’s “OL 25” list of 25 people who have changed the face of hunting and fishing. In 2017 Whitetails Unlimited afforded him their most prestigious recognition with the national Hunting Heritage Award.
