Director, Region 1
(CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)

Many of you already know that, before joining the NWF Board in 2018, I had a long career in conservation work— 37 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and more than eight years directing New Hampshire Audubon.

What I would like to do below is to give you an idea of what I have been doing since my election to the Board so I can more comfortably ask for your vote in the upcoming election.

Since I first joined the Board, I’ve served on the Credentials and Affiliate Standards Committee and was responsible in part for drafting the new Affiliate Standards, a much streamlined more user friendly version of the document that had been in effect since 2012. My experience as an affiliate rep when I was directing NH Audubon gave me a unique insight into the challenges that faced affiliates trying to work under the old standards and I tried to reflect that experience and insight while drafting the new standards.

I have also been able to put my experience directing NH Audubon through an extraordinarily difficult financial period to good use as a member of the Finance Committee. I am particularly sensitive to the use of “reserves” to balance the annual budget and have voiced my concern to the other members of the committee—and to the Board itself.

Since its creation in 2019, I have been a member of the ad hoc Conservation Coalitions Committee whose charge is to further the growth of the Conservation Army by forming new coalitions with a particular focus on indigenous communities and people of color. Most recently, stimulated by the experience of Christian Cooper, a black birdwatcher in Central Park, the committee discussed the possibility of NWF becoming the lead conservation organization in the nation focused on providing “safe spaces” for people of color who want to engage in outdoor activities.

Lastly, I was recently able to use my education and broad professional experience in the conservation arena by becoming a declarant in the lawsuit NWF and NRDC have brought against the administration for re-interpreting the Migratory Treaty Act to allow companies responsible for the unintentional killing of birds (e.g., those killed by an oil spill) to escape prosecution and penalties).

The NWF Board, through its committees, has clearly moved the conservation ball down the field in the two years I have been associated with it—but there is so much left to do. I would appreciate your giving me the opportunity to continue to help move the ball as the Region 1 Board Director for the next three year term.