About Pat Murray

Pat Murray is a national advocate and leader on marine conservation issues and an active sportsman.

Currently, he serves as the National President of the Coastal Conservation Association, one of the nation's largest marine resource conservation organizations. Founded in 1977, CCA has more than 125,000 members and 224 local chapters throughout the US. Murray has served in a variety of positions within the organization in his 30-year tenure, including leadership roles in state and national operations, state and federal advocacy, development fundraising and grassroots membership cultivation. Prior to joining CCA, he owned and operated a light-tackle fishing guide service along the upper Texas coast.

He is the publisher of TIDE magazine, one of the largest circulated coastal outdoors print magazines with a circulation of more than 100,000. Tide has been named an Outdoor Publication of the Year by the Texas Outdoor Writers Association. Murray has won numerous awards for his magazine writing and is the author of Texas Fish and Game Publishing's best-selling book "Pat Murray's No-Nonsense Guide to Coastal Fishing" as well as a new book published by Texas A&M University Press "It's More than Fishing", which won a TOWA 1st Place Outdoor Book Award.

Murray's current board service includes Chairman of the Leadership Council for Texas A&M University's Harte Research Institute; Board and Executive Committee Member for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Board Member of Indifly and Board and Finance Committee member of Arbor School. He is a founding Board member of the Building Conservation Trust, Center for Sportfishing Policy and Gulf Trust, and a past Board member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation and University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Additionally, Murray won the Harvey Weil Conservation Professional of the Year Award.

Murray is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences and events addressing non-profit leadership, ocean conservation, and grassroots management. He has served as a Commencement Speaker for Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and a speaker at corporate headquarter events including YETI, AFTCO, Yamaha and Shimano. He has also been a featured speaker at The Gulf Summit, EarthX, and as a moderator for numerous conservation-focused conferences and film debuts. He is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and has studied non-profit management and public policy at Harvard Kennedy School.