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From leading soldiers in combat to managing wildlife damage nationally, Dr. Jimmy Taylor, '92 Bachelor of Science in forest management, '96 Master of Science in wildlife and fisheries, and '01 Doctor of Philosophy in forest resources, has spent a lifetime protecting and serving.
The three-time CFR graduate and U.S. veteran was deployed during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and retired from the U.S. Army as lieutenant colonel. Now, he is assistant director of the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), the research unit of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services program.
"Our program is unique because we're directed by Congress to address human-wildlife conflicts. Through our research and management activities, we're protecting American agriculture, natural resources, property, and human health and safety," Taylor said.
He supervises nine research project leaders in the areas of aquaculture protection, avian safety and risk management, chronic wasting disease, feral swine, food safety and wildlife pathogens, predator ecology, rabies, rodent management, and wildlife diseases. He also coordinates with the NWRC director to create and administer goals, policies, and strategic plans of APHIS programs.
As part of a team of approximately 130, he's most excited when the whole team succeeds.
"I enjoy seeing our staff be successful in the things they do, when staff are recognized for an award, accomplishment, patent, or leading change in some way," Taylor said. "Accomplishments we can claim as a team effort are some of my memorable moments."
Taylor had about 20 years' experience in both natural resources and the military before moving into his current role in March 2022. He's been with Wildlife Services since 2004 beginning as a research wildlife biologist in Starkville. From there, he became a supervisory research wildlife biologist and field station leader in Olympia, Washington, from 2006 to 2010 and Corvallis, Oregon, from 2010 to 2022.
"Those roles prepared me for my present job. It's exciting, in my capacity, to help enable the research leaders to manage their projects well," he said.
Taylor served in the Army National Guard and National Reserve from 1987 to 2010. During that time, he earned three degrees from Mississippi State. As a commissioned armor officer, he served in increasing levels of leadership responsibility, including tank platoon leader, tank company commander, calvary troop leader, and battalion commander. He also served in roles as an operations officer from battalion through division levels. He managed multi-million-dollar budgets and the training and deployment of soldiers while building and maintaining multinational relationships.
"From my first leadership assignment in the military, I was thrust into a position where I was in charge of millions of dollars of equipment and the safety of soldiers who were reporting to me, ranging from my age to significantly older than me," he said. "While you learn a lot from training, you learn a lot more from mentors. The set of skills and lifetime of learning through that environment and being in high-stakes situations that are sometimes threatening and challenging certainly helped me develop a lot of leadership qualities and core competencies."
Taylor grew up in Amory, and the rural upbringing led him to pursue a career in wildlife.
"I spent a lot of time outdoors growing up. I enjoyed hunting, fishing, and spending time with my dad. The idea of being able to work outdoors and with wildlife was something I was really interested in," he said.
When it came time to pick a school for his bachelor's, he said MSU's College of Forest Resources was a natural fit.
"After I finished a year of junior college and decided I wanted to be a wildlife biologist, it was an easy choice. I was interested in what Mississippi State had to offer," he said.
While his military background informed his career, he said his time at MSU has also served him well.
"I am proud of the university's wildlife program, which has a big focus on wildlife management, while many other colleges have gone toward a wildlife conservation approach. I appreciate what I learned at MSU and what they continue to teach young professionals about the importance of management. It's really impacted me and the positions I've had with Wildlife Services where we focus on wildlife damage management. The foundational knowledge I gained at MSU was important in building those learning blocks for me to be able to do what I do now," he said.
