John Foster
John Foster currently serves as the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s (TSSWCB) Lead Policy Advisor and has twenty-four years of experience in Texas state government. John graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bio-Environmental Sciences in 1995 and a Master of Agriculture degree in Agronomy in 1998.
John began his professional career at the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (now Texas Commission on Environmental Quality-TCEQ) in 1998 as a permit coordinator on the agency’s Agriculture Team where he facilitated authorizations for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). John was actively involved in the mass-transition of most Texas CAFOs from individual permits to general permits under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES).
In 2000, John moved from TCEQ to TSSWCB where he was instrumental in the development and implementation of the nonpoint source agricultural components of numerous Total Maximum Daily Loads, Watershed Protection Plans, Use Attainability Analyses, and other Clean Water Act, Section 319(h) grants. John also helped implement statutory requirements associated with the poultry industry and the agency’s Water Quality Management Plan Program, and developed and implemented a grant program for the local sponsors (owners) of flood control dams constructed by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the federal Small Watershed Program.
In his current role, John is responsible for all aspects of program and general agency policy, and leads the way on governmental and legislative coordination. John coordinates agency policy across all programs that impact animal agriculture and nonpoint source pollution. John focuses on implementing legislative directives, new programs, and is instrumental in legislative appropriations requests and general agency oversight reviews. John also serves as the agency’s Sunset Advisory Commission Liaison and Public Information Coordinator, and serves as the TSSWCB’s designated member of the Texas Prescribed Burning Board. Additionally, John coordinates the agency’s efforts in controlling invasive species and protecting the habitat of endangered species as they are affected by agricultural activities. John is also currently taking the lead on the development and implementation of the On-The-Ground Conservation Program, which focuses on external grant acquisition to address a broad variety of natural resources through partnership efforts. John is also very involved in agency strategic planning, rulemaking, and other general agency activities.