Justin P. Wilson has been named winner of the 2023 Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award, part of the annual Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards administered by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
Wilson has been one of Tennessee’s most important conservationists over the last five decades through his work and contributions in the public sector, private business, and non-profit partnerships. Wilson served as commissioner of TDEC from 1996-1997 and deputy governor for policy under Gov. Don Sundquist from 1997-2003. He also served six consecutive terms from 2009-2021 as Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.
In addition to his efforts to improve air quality and clean up contaminated sites, Wilson helped establish the 300-mile Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park. It became Tennessee’s 53rd state park in 1998 and the state’s only linear park. It begins at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and travels through 11 Tennessee counties, including Cumberland, and two time zones.