Bob Petersen has spent 25 years in the high tech industry. He holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and has held numerous development and executive positions in the aerospace, robotics and computer industries, most recently with Dell Computer Corporation. An avid outdoorsman and conservationist, Bob has been a supporter and member of numerous environmental causes and organizations over the years. He now serves on the Texas Advisory board for Environmental Defense. He owns and operates Petersen Ranch near the town of Blanco in central Texas. There Bob has focused his conservation efforts on managing the ranch, restoring its habitat to the benefit of endangered species and other wildlife native to central Texas, and developing a marketing program for Nature Photo Tourism. Bob led the 2006 Pro-Tour of Nature Photography: Texas Hill Country as Advisory Board Chairman and strongly believes that the future of conservation is dependent upon the activities of private landowners. He has been working to educate landowners and the public about conservation activities taking place on private lands and is actively working to develop opportunities for landowners to manage their properties for the benefit of wildlife while also generating income from those activities to sustain the habitat over the long term.