George grew up in rural central Pennsylvania where he developed an early interest in nature and the impacts humans have on it. He attended Penn State University earning a B.S. degree in Environmental Resource Management and a M.S. degree in Agronomy centered on the restoration of severely disturbed lands.
His conservation career started in 1977 as a soil conservationist at the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS) at various locations in Pennsylvania. He moved to Maine in 1982 to continue working with the SCS as the district conservationist for Piscataquis County and later for Somerset County. After leaving the SCS, he worked as a self-employed soil scientist in Maine doing soil and environmental consulting. The work centered on the sustainable use and management of soil, land, and water, with an emphasis on soil health, land conservation, and the protection of water quality. George later was employed by Sweet Water Trust and is currently a seasonal land steward with Northeast Wilderness Trust.
George and his wife Anne have three adult daughters and have a home on Moosehead Lake near Rockwood, ME. He enjoys his family, gardening, hiking, fishing, hunting, and various other activities.