2025 News

At its spring meeting, the Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors welcomed a new member to its ranks.

Chief Terry Cosby joined the Foundation's Board of Directors following his recent retirement as Chief of the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), where he led the federal agency's 12,000 employees and 6,000 partners across a national network of field offices. With a career spanning more than four decades and multiple presidential administrations, Cosby brings extensive leadership experience and a lifelong commitment to conservation, public service and American history. As Chief of the NRCS, Cosby managed a $10 billion budget, prioritizing access to resources for all producers, climate action, workforce development, urban agriculture and strong partnerships. His tenure was characterized by a collaborative approach to land stewardship and a focus on equity in agricultural conservation.

Raised on his family's cotton farm in Mississippi, acquired by his great-grandfather in the early 1900s, Cosby developed an early connection with the land and its historical significance. A graduate of Alcorn State University, the nation's first Black land-grant college, he made history as the first Black Chief of the NRCS. He has long had a personal interest in Civil War history, shaped by growing up near battlefields in Mississippi, and he previously brought his senior leadership team to Gettysburg to participate in the Foundation's Higher Ground Leadership programming.

“We are honored to welcome Terry to our Board,” said A.J. Kazimi, chair of the Gettysburg Foundation. “His distinguished career and passion for history and conservation will strengthen our mission to preserve and share the enduring legacy of Gettysburg.”

Cosby and his wife Brenda, also an Alcorn State University graduate, are parents to four children and grandparents to thirteen.

The Gettysburg Foundation is the official non-profit partner of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.