Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society. Photo: Luke Franke
It’s an exciting time in Audubon’s 116-year history. For the first time, a woman will hold the CEO title — Dr. Elizabeth Gray, a scientist and ornithologist, will lead the organization. Prior to her time at Audubon, Dr. Gray was with The Nature Conservancy where she was the Global Managing Director for Climate and a member of the Global Gender Equity Council. She founded the first urban conservation program in Washington, D.C., and has empowered conservation leaders through a young professionals’ network and a youth advocacy program.
Over the past six months, Dr. Gray has been Audubon’s voice at significant climate events (NYC Climate Week and COP26), and has raised several million dollars to advance Audubon’s mission. She has worked with Jamaal Nelson, Audubon’s Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, to advance key equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. As Audubon develops its next strategic plan, it will follow Dr. Gray’s vision to focus work on three pillars: Climate; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB); and Hemispheric Conservation.
“Becoming Audubon’s CEO feels like a homecoming for me,” she said. “Birds launched my career into conservation, and they opened my eyes to the importance of tackling climate change. As an early warning system for environmental threats, birds are the key to addressing the greatest conservation challenges of our time.” Dr. Gray noted.
As Audubon moves into the future, we are looking for more conservation champions to join Audubon Society of Omaha. Check out our website: www.audubon-omaha.org, and GET INVOLVED! Attend one of our programs, visit one of our prairies, purchase bird seed, or if you have questions about how to get even more involved by volunteering, contact us at 402-445-4138 or email: audubonomaha@gmail.com
Know someone who would be a good fit for the ASO leadership team? Please send your nominations to Michaela Johnson at mjohnson@fontenelleforest.org. We have several openings on the board for our 2022-2023 term.
