Speakers

Marcus Blum, Ph.D., joined the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as the statewide wildlife specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management in 2025. Blum’s work focuses on mitigating negative wildlife interactions and damage, especially related to feral hogs and predators. In addition to resolving negative impacts for landowners, Blum helps landowners achieve specific wildlife management goals through ongoing research that addresses real-world challenges specific to regional ecology and habitat. Prior to this role, Blum was a research scientist with the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, where he worked with numerous big game species ranging from moose to mule deer. 

Kelly Brown is the general manager of KAMU-TV & Radio and an associate vice president at Texas A&M University where she leads the PBS and NPR affiliate. She directs strategy, budgeting, programming, partnerships and staff, while guiding content and operations.

For 27 years, Kelly lived in the fast-paced world of news, where she was an award-winning investigative reporter and editor. The last decade or so of her journalism career was spent as editor-in-chief of a prized Texas newspaper, responsible for newsroom operations, editorial and public accountability reporting.

She left newspapers to handle crisis communications at Texas A&M, her alma mater. She specialized in developing and implementing strategic communication plans during emergencies and for sensitive issues. She also was responsible for the news and social media teams, along with media relations.

She and her husband, Mike, are proud dog parents to Finn, an 11-year-old Boston Terrier.