SCI Brings on Eastern and Western State and Local Liaisons: Welcome to Bee Frederick and Chris Tymeson!
Safari Club International is pleased to announce the hiring of two State and Local Liaisons to work on governmental relations matters involving state laws and regulations related to hunting and conservation. Bee Frederick’s portfolio will include the eastern states, and Chris Tymeson will work on issues within the western states.
Bee worked within the public relations sector over the last two years where he managed strategic communications, media relations, grassroots and coalition engagement, and overall public affairs efforts for a number of clients. Prior to that, Bee spent seven years as the Southeastern States Director for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation where he focused on sportsmen’s policy issues, legislative caucus infrastructure and development, and various communications components. Additionally, he has spent time working as the campaign manager for a statewide constitutional amendment reauthorizing Alabama’s public land program as well as various state legislative races in Alabama. He also worked on Capitol Hill for former U.S. Congressman Spencer Bachus.
A graduate of Samford University, where he served as SGA President, Bee and his wife now reside in Birmingham, Alabama. Outside of work, Bee enjoys playing tennis and is a passionate conservationist focused on chasing wild turkeys, upland hunting with his small munsterlander and managing family property in lower Alabama.
Chris joins SCI after over two decades of service as Chief Legal Counsel for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, during which time he was also the Vice-Chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies legal committee from approximately 2006 to 2021.
Prior to that, Chris served his country as U.S Army airborne infantryman in Panama and in Iraq as part of the 101st Airborne Division, but now serves the outdoor sporting community with the same dedication as a hunter education instructor and an active recruiter of youths and novices to hunting.
When not imparting the importance of America’s hunting heritage on younger generations, Chris is an avid hunter and angler himself, having hunted and fished in most of the western United States, some eastern states, some Canadian provinces, Africa, Asia and Europe.
A graduate of Missouri Southern State College and the Washburn University School of Law, Chris and his fiancé Kelley live in Overland Park, Kansas with their three sons and daughter, Gage, August, Alex and Taylor, who are also accomplished hunters and anglers.
SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin commented on the new hire saying “Chris’ service to his country in the military, his public service for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and his service to his community made him the obvious choice to help lead SCI’s mission to protect the right to hunt. I speak for our entire organization when I say that I look forward to seeing how Chris will elevate SCI’s ability to combat threats to hunters’ rights wherever they may appear in the western U.S.”
SCI looks forward to doubling down on our state and local efforts with Bee and Chris on board. This is part of our overall commitment to Advocacy, one of our four guiding pillars in our mission to protect the freedom to hunt. With most states’ legislative sessions beginning in January, stay tuned for updates from our new state advocacy team – and once again, welcome aboard!