Dr. Terron Hillsman has served agricultural producers and conservation partners at the county, state, and headquarters levels over more than 30 years of Federal service. As Deputy Chief for Soil Science and Resource Assessment (SSRA), he provides leadership for addressing the scientific basis for conservation and sustainable agriculture; completing national surveys of soil, snow, water, and other natural resources; managing inventories of natural resources and their ecological transitions; and analyzing the effects of voluntary conservation practices across working lands nationwide. He also serves as acting Chair of the Executive Committee for the USDA Climate Hubs.

Dr. Hillsman, a native of West Tennessee, was raised on a small family farm in Carroll County. He began his career as a Student Trainee with the USDA Soil Conservation Service in 1992, while majoring in Agriculture at Tennessee State University (TSU). During his service with the now Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), he has worked as a Soil Conservationist, State Outreach Coordinator, and for nine years as District Conservationist, all in the state of Tennessee. Dr. Hillsman became the Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations in Massachusetts in 2012 and served in this position until being named State Conservationist for Maryland in 2015. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service and most recently served as Director of the NRCS Ecological Sciences Division. Dr. Hillsman became the SSRA Deputy Chief in June 2024.

In addition to earning his B.S. in Agriculture from TSU, Dr. Hillsman also earned a M.A. in Organizational Management from Tusculum College and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. He has been an adjunct faculty member in the Business and Management Departments of several colleges and universities since 2007, teaching courses in organizational behavior, management, and leadership. He currently maintains an adjunct faculty appointment at Carson-Newman University in the MBA program. His publications include journal articles and research papers related to training transfer and employee development.

In his spare time, Dr. Hillsman enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling and hunting. He and his wife, Natasha, have an 18-year-old son, Donovan.