Board of Directors

John loves wildlife and the outdoors. Seeing wildlife of all types thriving in their natural surroundings brings him joy. He is a passionate conservationist and outdoorsperson. His outdoors interests include fishing, paddling of all types, hiking, birds, scuba diving, maintaining his pollinator garden and more.

John has served on the NWF Board since 2017, and was elected Vice-Chair in 2019. He participated actively in the development of the current NWF Strategic Plan in 2016-17, and played a lead role with Mamie Parker, other board members and the great NWF Environmental Justice team in developing the Creating Safe Spaces series of webinars in 2020-2021. His deep prior board and business experience have enabled him to contribute across a number of the NWF Board Committees and initiatives.

John serves on a number of nonprofit conservation-oriented boards including the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, where he was Chair from 2014-2016. He has served as chair of several. His previous board experience includes the Worldwatch Institute, NC Sound Economy, and Population Connection among others. He is proud of his previous role on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters for the Greater Charlotte area, where he founded the BBBS organization in his then-home of Cabarrus County outside Charlotte.

John retired in 2002 from Accenture, the global strategy, technology and outsourcing firm, after a 28-year career. He was promoted to Partner in 1985 and a Managing Partner in 1991. His role at retirement was Chief Operating Officer for Resources Global Market Unit, one of Accenture’s five global market units.

Dr. Robert D. Brown was born in Red Bluff, California in 1945. He graduated from Amos Alonzo Stagg Sr. High School in 1963 and attended the University of California at Davis from 1963-65, majoring in Animal Husbandry. He attended Colorado State University from 1965-68, where he was V.P. of Alpha Gama Rho fraternity and played on the lacrosse team. He graduated with a B.S. in Animal Nutrition. Dr. Brown joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968 and qualified as an infantry and artillery officer. He served as a forward observer in Vietnam and was wounded twice in 1969. He was later stationed in San Diego and San Francisco. From 1971-75 he attended graduate school at Pennsylvania State University, where he received his Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition and Physiology. His dissertation was entitled, “The hormonal control of antler growth in white-tailed deer as a model for osteoporosis in elderly women.”

From 1975-81 he was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Texas A&I University in Kingsville, TX (now Texas A&M at Kingsville). He taught a number of courses, from Introductory Biochemistry to Wildlife Nutrition. He continued his biomedical research on antler growth, funded by the N.I.H., as well as comparative wildlife nutrition. In 1981 he joined the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute there and continued his research on White-tailed, Sika, and Fallow deer, Nilgai antelope, Javalina and Bobwhite Quail. In 1987 Dr. Brown became Head of the Wildlife and Fisheries Department at Mississippi State University. In 1993 he returned to Texas as Head of the Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department at Texas A&M University in College Station and Director of the Institute for Renewable Natural Resources. In 2006 he became Dean of the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University. He retired in 2012.

Dr. Brown has published over 150 scientific and popular articles and book chapters, as well as editing three symposia proceedings, “Antler Development in Cervidae,” “The Biology of Deer,” and “Translocation of Wild Animals” (with Leon Nielsen). He has served as a reviewer for 18 scientific journals and the DOD Environmental Awards Program. Dr. Brown has given over 130 scientific presentations in the U.S., Hungary, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, and China. He obtained over $ 7.5 million in grants and gifts. He has won awards for teaching, research, extension and administration. He was elected a Fellow of The Wildlife Society and a Distinguished Alumni of CSU. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Sigma Delta, Alpha Tau Alpha, and Sigma Xi, and Xi Sigma Pi, and was elected to the American Institute of Nutrition. He served as Coordinator of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, President of the National Association of Fish and Wildlife Programs, Chair of the NASULGC (Land Grant Colleges) Boards on Fish and Wildlife Programs and on Natural Resources, Chair of the External Review Panel of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, on the Board of the Texas Nature Conservancy, Chair of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and he is a Professional Member of the Boone and Crockett Club. Dr. Brown is a retired Lt.Col. in the Marine Corps Reserve, having served 24 years in infantry, reconnaissance and artillery units, with active duty during Vietnam and Desert Storm.

Dr. Brown has been an Adult Leader in the Boy Scouts for 37 years and currently teaches ATV Safety every summer. In 2025 he was awarded the Scouting America Distinguished Conservationist Award. Dr. Brown is married to Mrs. Regan M. Brown, a retired Nurse Practitioner, and they have three sons and three grandchildren. Dr. Brown and his wife enjoy gardening, kayaking, hiking, and international travel. They are active in the Won Buddhist Temple in Chapel Hill, NC and a number of conservation groups. The Brown’s live in Cary, NC.

Gerald “Buzz” Cobell is the Director of the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department and the inaugural President of Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS). Cobell is a biologist from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, who briefly ran the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department after graduating from college, before accepting a position with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In 2001, Cobell became a Tribal Account Executive for Bonneville Power Administration within the Department of Energy. After a brief retirement, Cobell returned to his hometown to once again run the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department, although his objective has shifted – rather than merely contributing to the tribe’s foundation of scientific data, he has worked to promote stewardship of the Blackfeet Nation’s natural resources among its native stewards, cultivating Indigenous biologists and bringing them up through the ranks while ensuring they are compensated on a competitive level. Cobell continues to seek out opportunities for native scholarships and STEM research grants, with the aim of fostering interest among would-be Blackfeet biologists. Cobell holds an MS, fish and wildlife management from Utah State University (1985).

Randy Jones is the co-founder and Managing Director of Vignetic, an information technology consulting and executive search firm based in Princeton, NJ. He is an avid fly-fisherman and triathlete.

Randy serves as a Trustee of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters and the Eastern Environmental Law Center. He formally served as Board Chair of New Jersey Audubon. Randy along with his wife and daughter is a resident of Franklin Park, New Jersey.

Priscilla De La Cruz is a life-long Providence, Rhode Island resident and the Senior Director of Government Affairs Audubon Society of Rhode Island. In this role, she works to initiate and advance legislation and policies at the state and local level to protect birds, wildlife, and Rhode Island's environment for the benefit of people and all living things. Before joining Audubon, Priscilla held the position of Rhode Island Director of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, where she developed strategic management and marketing and oversaw advocacy initiatives, including coalition organizing. She has 12 years' experience in strategic management and marketing, environmental and climate justice advocacy, and coalition organizing.

In June of 2019, she was elected as President of the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI). Under her direction, and working with other policy leaders, the Council launched the Climate Crisis Campaign, playing a key role in advocating for the successful passage of the 2021 Act On Climate legislation. Working with the Council's executive committee, Priscilla is also leading an equity-based strategic planning process. In 2021, she became the co-chair of the Climate Jobs Rhode Island initiative, a partnership among labor and environmental groups working toward a just transition to a green economy.

Priscilla earned a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) with a concentration in Management, and Sustainability & Innovation from the Harvard University. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from Rhode Island College.

Allyn Dukes and husband Cliff are private business owners in Houston, Texas, primarily engaged in real estate investment and property management. Allyn's business experience has led her to multiple community service roles and philanthropic opportunities. She has been recognized in two public school districts for her work with at risk students and facilitates programs which provide help to adults and teenagers in recovery from family crises.

Allyn has had a life-long passion for wildlife conservation. She has been a member of the National Wildlife Federation for over thirty years. Allyn has supported the Monarch Heroes and Eco-Schools programs of the NWF South Central Region. She has created NWF certified habitats at her home and ranch as well as a habitat prayer garden at her church, helping it achieve PCUSA Earth Care Congregation certification. As an active member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, she enjoys advocating for the use of native plants and finds digging in a garden to be a spiritual experience.

Allyn holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Iowa. She and Cliff have lived in multiple regions of the US, raised two sons and rescued a number of dogs.

Allyn has been honored to serve on the Board of the National Wildlife Federation for the past five years. She currently Co-Chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Innovation and Audit Committees. Allyn has enjoyed the relationships she has been privileged to develop in her roles at the NWF and she is committed to continuing to use her personal time and resources to advance the Federation’s mission and vision.

Policy Chair, IWF Board, Indiana Wildlife Federation.

Indiana DNR Director 2000-2005.

Indiana Wildlife Federation Executive Director 2007-2010.

Asian Carp Control Project Coordinator for White House Council on Environmental Quality 2010-2017.

Retired and volunteering on Boards of Indiana Wildlife Federation, Indiana Parks Alliance, Little River Wetlands and Indiana Conservation Alliance.

Kayaking, fishing, hiking and gardening keep me active. Proud recipient of the 2009 Charlie Shaw Conservation Partnership Award.

Andrea Keller Helsel was a Program Officer in Environment at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (2017 – 2024). She managed the Foundation’s western conservation grantmaking strategy, which aims to protect biodiversity and conserve the ecological integrity of the North American West for nature and people. Before joining the Hewlett Foundation, Helsel served as national director of strategy at the Western Conservation Foundation (2009 - 2017) and led the media relations team at the National Parks Conservation Association (2000 - 2009). She has also worked in consumer marketing and public relations. Andrea serves on the Water Table Steering Committee for the Water Foundation and is an Ex Officio member of the advisory board for the Open Rivers Fund of the Resources Legacy Fund. She graduated with a BA in communications from Loyola University Maryland. She has also earned a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University (2008) and is working toward a graduate certificate in climate science and adaptation from University of Maine (2024 – 2026). Since 2000, the Federation has received nearly $17 million in funding from the Hewlett Foundation, where Andrea served as Program Officer in Environment.

Arthur Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development (CSED) in New Orleans, Louisiana. In this capacity, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization and works closely with staff and volunteers to advance CSED’s key initiatives focused on Food Security, the Natural Environment and the Built Environment. Over the course of his career, he has established himself as an accomplished fundraising professional and non-profit leader working with Tulane and Xavier Universities and the New Orleans Public Schools. He has also held leadership roles with the American Heart Association, the Office of Development for Episcopal Community Services of Louisiana, and Operation Reach. He has served on the Board of New Harmony High School, a state charter school focused on environmental and resilience, providing opportunities to explore and development young minds and leaders of the future. Arthur was selected as the winner of the 2019 Paul and Joyce Aicher Leadership in Democracy Award. This CSED winning team was selected from 64 nominations in this national contest, for combining citizen engagement with environmental science to create equitable development and policy on climate resilience. He currently serves on the 2024 Governors’ Advisory for Coastal Restoration Commission and is Chair of the Leona Tate Foundation Board and TEP Center. A native of Washington, D.C., Johnson earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from George Washington University and the University of the District of Columbia, respectively, before relocating to New Orleans in 1999.

Brad Johnson is a commercial and agricultural real estate appraiser in Watertown, SD and recently has specialized in working on pipeline and powerline corridors. He previously had an 11-year career as a newspaper reporter and editor in the Colorado ski resorts and the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph.

He is very active in conservation issues, focusing primarily on preventing and mitigating agricultural water pollution in lakes, streams and rivers. He is vice president of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation, and immediate past president of the South Dakota Lakes and Streams Association, which just initiated an economic impact study on zebra mussels in South Dakota. He served 16 years on the South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources, 14 years as its chairman. He was appointed to that board for four consecutive terms by two South Dakota governors.

He also served eight years on the Watertown, SD, city council, seven years as its president and has been heavily involved in flooding issues.

For more than 15 years, he has written almost weekly opinion columns for eastern South Dakota newspapers, as well as a new online news service called South Dakota Searchlight.

He is married and his wife Carol is serving as the SD Wildlife Federation’s alternate delegate to this year’s convention. Carol has had a long career first as a regional marketing executive with AAA’s national headquarters having covered 18 states. For the last nine years she served as a major gifts officer for Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Brad and Carol have two grown daughters, Maren, a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Rapid City, SD and Anamarie, a television executive in Los Angeles and one granddaughter.

In 1987, Jerry founded Landfill Energy Systems to capture methane gas and turn it into energy. This company’s work earned an EPA certificate declaring the reduction of methane in the air was the equivalent of removing 800,000 cars from the road. From 1988 to 2011, Jerry served as CEO for Michigan Machinery (Michigan Cat). In 2016, he founded RethinkEthanol.com, an organization devoted to reforming the practice of subsidizing and mandating corn ethanol.

Jerry presently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Michigan Colleges Alliance, and is a board member for the Public School Academies of Detroit, Director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and Director for Oak Adaptive, Inc. Jerry is the founder of Oak Adaptive, which provides software tailored to Caterpillar dealers as well as an innovative sentencing app that provides information for use within the criminal justice system. Jerry is also a member of the National Wildlife Federation President’s Leadership Council and is active in the National Wildlife Federation Michigan Wolfpack’s regional work. Currently semi-retired, Jerry manages Rule of Ones, LLC, an investment vehicle.

Jerry’s deep commitment to conservation and the environment also originated his work with Detroit Public Television. His help securing financial support provided the groundwork for the development of Great Lakes Week, a groundbreaking initiative by DPTV providing education about and discussing the future of the Great Lakes, as well as a new documentary division at the station. In 2012, the station honored him with an award for community leadership.

Koalani (Koa) Kaulukukui has dedicated her career and personal life to protecting the environment and using the law to effectuate positive change. As Counsel for Environmental Law and Native Rights at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Koa assisted with cases at the intersection of Native Hawaiian rights and natural resource law, such as helping to restore freshwater to streams for kalo (a staple Hawaiian food) and native species habitat. Koa also helped tackle many of Hawaii’s environmental issues as Vice-President of Conservation Council for Hawaii, former President of KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, and former member of the state Environmental Council.

As an associate attorney with Earthjustice’s Mid-Pacific office, she helped secure an injunction requiring the U.S. Navy to use protections to reduce harm to marine mammals from high intensity sonar around the Hawaiian Islands. In another case, she files a motion that resulted in the State beginning to install a fence that scientists say was necessary to stop the steep decline in the critically endangered Palila bird population on Mauna Kea.

Koa currently works for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Division of Ecology, dealing with hazardous and nuclear waste cleanup issues.

Jay works as an account executive with Interface, the world's largest modular flooring manufacturer and a globally-recognized pioneer in the field of industrial sustainability. He also serves on the boards of the Green Built Alliance, EcoForesters, and the Next30 committee for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Most of his philanthropic efforts are dedicated to thoughtfully considered and impactful grant-making with the NextGen committee of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. This committee, comprised of Ray's grandchildren, has typically focused on engaging young adults and adolescents on the various facets of sustainability and conservation. Jay is passionate about continuing the legacy of his grandfather, who championed the business logic of sustainability and finding creative solutions to address climate change. Originally from Atlanta, Jay now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife Whitney and son August. He has travelled near and far in pursuit of game fish on the fly, from Slovenia to New Zealand, but still is partial to Southern Appalachian brook trout. In the colder months, he enjoys upland bird hunting with his German Wirehaired Pointer, Sidney. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University.

Catherine A. Novelli is the President of Listening for America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to forging a new vision of U.S. international trade engagement. She is also a Centennial Fellow at Georgetown University. She served as Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment (2014-2017), where she championed economic reform; internet inclusion; conservation of natural resources and increased international collaboration on science and technology.

Novelli spent seven years as Vice President, Worldwide Government Affairs at Apple Inc. Prior to her position at Apple, she was a partner in the law firm of Mayer Brown International. She had a long career at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, rising to Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe & the Mediterranean, where she coordinated U.S. trade and investment policy for Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Novelli currently serves on the Board of the National Wildlife Federation and the Advisory Board of the Pristine Seas Initiative of the National Geographic Society as well as the Wildlife Conservation Society. She also serves on the Policy and Global Affairs Oversight Committee of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She was named an Ocean Elder.

Novelli has received numerous honors and awards. She is a graduate of Tufts University, holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Laws from University of London.

Miguel Ordeñana joined the Natural History Museum (NHM) of Los Angeles County as a wildlifebiologist and educator in April 2013. He is currently a Manager in the Community Science Program. Prior to working at the museum, Miguel worked as a wildlife biologist for federal and state agencies throughout California.

At NHM, Miguel’s role as a biologist involves studying local urban wildlife species of Los Angeles and serving as a liaison between Research & Collection researchers and the general public. Miguel’s role as a community science manager involves promoting and creating community science projects, recruitment of community scientists, and community science training. In addition to his work at NHM, Miguel uses bat detectors to study urban bat species of Los Angeles and camera traps to study urban carnivores of Griffith Park, where he grew up. He also co-lead a jaguar camera trap study in southwestern Nicaragua, where his family is from. Besides constantly exploring local nature of Los Angeles, Miguel is very focused on improving as an educator so that he may inspire a more diverse next generation of scientists and environmental educators.

A current board member of the Chesapeake Conservancy, Dr. Mamie Parker is the former Assistant Director of Fisheries and Habitat Conservation at the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Prior to this position, she made history when appointed the first African American the FWS Regional Director of the 13 Northeastern states. Mamie has an extensive amount of experience as a fish and wildlife biologist and an executive.

She served as the Ecosystem Coordinator in the Great Lakes and Big Rivers Region and worked in many programs including the national fish hatcheries, national wetlands and coastal mapping, contaminants, invasive species, marine mammals, wetland restoration and protection programs among others. Mamie was designated the authorized official for the negotiations with General Electric Corporation to clean up the Hudson River and played a major role in helping to protect our nation’s waters from the invasive species such as the Asian Carp and Snakehead fish. This extensive amount of experience led her to receiving the Annual Ira Gabrielson Award, an award to given by FWS leaders to the most outstanding leader.

The President of the United States presented Mamie, a Senior Executive Service member, with the Presidential Rank award, the highest award given to government employees. She has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show and featured in Dudley Edmundson’s Black and Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places”. She is an author in the American Fisheries Society’s most recently released book entitled “The Future of Fisheries”. The Governor of Arkansas inducted her into the Arkansas Hall of Fame for her accomplishment as the first Arkansas native to rise to the Head of Fisheries in this country.

Mamie is a leader in various organizations and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Refuge Association; Defenders of Wildlife; and the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership Steering Committee. The Council of World Women Leaders, under the leadership of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and women prime ministers, awarded her with an Aspen Institute fellowship. In this capacity, she participated in an exchange program and gave speeches to the Prime Minister cabinet members, legislators and the U. S. Ambassador in the Kingdom of Lesotho, in addition to various natural resource organizations in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sara Parker Pauley recently announced in January that she will retire as Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation on July 1, 2024 after a 30-year career in public service that began as a policy coordinator at MDC and ended as the first female director of the agency when she took the position in November 2016. A native of Columbia, Pauley received both her law degree and bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and did post-graduate studies in Australia as a Rotary Fellow. She previously served as Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources since 2010. She has worked as project manager for D.J. Case & Associates, a natural resources communications firm, and as a deputy director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. She has been an instructor at the University of Missouri’s School of Natural Resources, teaching a course in natural resource policy and administration. She has also served as President of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and on its Executive Committee and on the Executive Committee of Midwestern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. Pauley began her professional career as a Policy Analyst with the Missouri Department of Conservation from 1993-1996.

Stevie Kapanui Parsons is a Kanaka Ma’ole, or Native Hawaiian, who was born and raised in Hawaii. As a native Hawaiian, conservation values have been ingrained since birth. She has lived her life trying to incorporate the native values of malama ‘aina and lokahi, or, balance and love for nature and humans; an understanding that whatever one does to the land or the ocean’s ecosystem, in turn affects us.

‘Aina, or love of the land, includes the Hawaiian belief that land and fresh water are not mere commodities but are a vital core to our existence as human beings. This includes a commitment to care, protect, and consider future generations in all land and water decisions. It is a holistic perspective in which one never takes too much, only what is needed and eventually one gives back what is taken and one recognizes the coexistence between organisms and ecosystems.

Stevie relocated to Oregon eight years ago and has for the last five years been active in the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, NWF’s Oregon affiliate, speaking out and testifying for among other things, the importance of wild spaces to our well-being, salmon and wildlife habitat, fresh water, and against oil trains in the gorge.

Stevie is committed to and actively recruits women, young people and minorities into the hunting and fishing fold as well as discussions in the board room. She brings her love of food and previous chef experiences to the table as she invites, teaches, and uses food as a way of bringing people of different interests, cultures, and political beliefs to the table, while calling attention to and raising money to fund current issues.

She is also an avid fisherman, deer hunter and gardener who also hunts mushrooms and not only catches the seafood but grows all the family’s fruits and vegetables – all sustainably with a love and appreciation for the land.

Rebecca Pritchett is an attorney with over 29 years' experience in environmental and natural resources law. She is special counsel at Adams and Reese LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm with offices from Houston to Washington, DC, where she leads the firm’s Environmental Team. Her practice includes full-service environmental and natural resources law. She assists clients across the country with regulatory compliance, enforcement actions, and civil litigation in all aspects of environmental and natural resources law, as well as brownfield redevelopment and formation of habitat mitigation banks.

Rebecca has extensive experience in water quality, water rights, municipal water supply, wetland and coastal zone issues, hazardous waste and solid waste issues, mineral rights, brownfield redevelopment, brownfield economic incentives, financing purchases of contaminated property, and due diligence investigations. ShFe also has experience in the areas of air quality, insecticides, fungicides, mitigation banks, endangered species, wildlife law, and environmental law on tribal lands.

Rebecca earned a B.S. in Journalism, cum laude, from the University of Southern Mississippi, Honors College, Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1990 and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, Eugene, Oregon in 1993 with a Certificate of Completion in Environmental & Natural Resources Law. She is currently admitted to practice in Alabama and California.

Rebecca grew up hunting and fishing in the woods and on the lakes and rivers of rural south Alabama with her father, a forester and avid sportsman. She continues that tradition today, hunting and fishing with her husband, Matt, and her 20-year-old son, William, who is the youngest ever holder of an Alabama lifetime hunting and fishing license, having received it on the day he was born. The license was a gift from his “uncles” at the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

Rebecca is a Past President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and came to her first NWF Annual Meeting as an AWF Delegate in 1998. She chaired multiple resolution committees, participated on several bylaws committees, and – though very pregnant at the time – traveled to the Dakotas with NWF to help resolve affiliate conflict over the Garrison Diversion Project in 2001. She served on the Board as Region 4 Director from 2017 to 2022.

Dr. Mark S. Berry, P.E., is currently senior vice president of research and development (R&D) for Southern Company Services. In this role, he leads all activities of Southern Company’s industry-leading R&D organization and guides the company’s strategic advancement of technologies that provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy for customers in a net-zero future. This includes developing low- and no-carbon technologies, including advanced nuclear and the hydrogen economy; advancing energy storage, renewable, distributed generation and transportation solutions; modernizing the grid; and promoting negative-emission and sustainability innovations.

Named to the position in June 2022, Berry previously served as vice president of Southern Company Services R&D, as well as vice president of environmental and natural resources for Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, where he oversaw Georgia Power-owned natural resources and managed environmental compliance and stewardship programs to meet or surpass all environmental laws and regulations.

Over his career, Berry has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including director of Southern Company research and technology management, managing a portfolio of research related to emission controls, energy efficiency, renewables, power delivery, central station generation and carbon capture, utilization and storage. He served as director in the generation sector at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), where he managed research and development efforts in renewables, water management, carbon capture and storage, and advanced fossil generation; and director of energy and environment at Southern Research. He was also manager of environmental assessment for Southern Company’s research and environmental affairs organization, where he managed the company’s regulatory response to federal rule-making activity and the environmental science research program.

Prior to joining Southern Company, Berry attained the commissioned rank of lieutenant commander in the United States Navy as a surface warfare officer. While on active duty, he served upon the USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) in the capacities of deck officer and combat information center officer. After joining the reserves, he served as an engineering officer supporting the USS Sentry (MCM-3) and as an intelligence officer supporting the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA HQ).

Berry holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Alabama A&M University, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering and Ph.D. in interdisciplinary engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also earned a master’s degree in public and private management from Birmingham-Southern College and is a registered professional engineer. He is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. Berry is currently pursuing a chief technology officer certificate from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Berry is vice chair of the Research Advisory Council at EPRI. He is an advisory board member of the Strategic Energy Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the School of Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Berry is a board member of Wellstar Health System and serves on the boards of the Georgia Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation. Berry is a member of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, where he leads the mentoring efforts for the organization. Berry also teaches thermodynamics as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is a program evaluator for the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Berry is an active, lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He has established two scholarships for minority students pursuing a degree in engineering in the name of his grandfathers – an endowed scholarship in the name of Marion Luscious Nell at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the Simpson Berry Sr. Endowed Scholarship at Alabama A&M University.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Berry and his wife, Crystal, have four children.

Brad and his wife Ana live in Scottsdale, Arizona and spend time with their commercial property business in Hermosillo, Mexico. Brad began his career in conservation over 50 years ago with the US Forest Service. He completed a career of over 35 years with the US Forest Service (District Ranger, National Monument Manager, Forest Supervisor and Regional Forester) and then over a decade with Trout Unlimited in conservation advocacy focused on public lands.

For the last 15 years with the Arizona Wildlife Federation (AWF), Brad has been a strong advocate for the NWF-affiliate partnership. While helping grow AWF into a strong regional conservation voice in the Southwest, Brad also has been a national leader of NWF's One Federation. Brad served on NWF’s Strategic Planning Committee, along with five other affiliate leaders, and played a major role in designing the Plan with the One Federation concept incorporated. Brad and his colleagues went on to write the "We Commit" statement, affirming NWF and its affiliates' pledge to implement the Plan. The statement was unanimously adopted by all affiliates. As a member of the One Federation Advisory Board, Brad helped guide the implementation of One Federation, incorporating strategies such as a redesign of the affiliate caucus/workgroup structure that enables affiliates and staff to work together effectively around conservation priorities such as Recovering America's Wildlife Act, the Great American Outdoors Act, and climate change. Brad also served as Co-chair of the Public lands and Hunting and Angling affiliate work groups.

Sally A. Ranney has forty years’ experience in the environmental, energy and climate fields. Currently, she is the President/Co-Founder of the American Renewable Energy Institute and AREDAY Summit, President/Co-Founder of the Earth Restoration Alliance and Senior Advisor/IWECI Co-founder for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network and CEO of Stillwater Preservation, LLC. Previously she served as the President of American Wildlands and as a Resource Policy Analyst at The Wilderness Society.

She has earned multiple awards and recognitions that reflect her passion for wildlife and conservation including nominated as one of 35 women around the world saving wildlife by WomenforWildlife.com; Horace Albright Award recognizing outstanding conservation achievement, U.S. National Park Service; Meritorious Conservation Award by Wildlife International; R.K. Mellon Fellowship, Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; International Conservation Award, Earth Guardians’ Earth Stewardship Award; and the Lifetime Achievement Award, Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation. Political appointments include Presidential Commission on American Outdoors (Reagan), New Mexico Rio Grande Committee, Harvard School of Government: The New Environmental Agenda, and Colorado Tourism Board.

Ms. Ranney is an avid outdoorswoman, enjoying hunting quail and pheasant, fly fishing, rafting, horseback riding, and spending time at her very remote, modest family compound off the grid in Argentina. Additionally, she is a professional artist, enjoys writing and composing music, playing the piano and guitar.

"Bob has been an unparalleled leader in Oregon and at the national level in protecting America's wildlife. Through his work, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders has become one of the most sought after and successful partners in conservation because of his energy, dedication, and tireless work ethic," said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "From Bob's willingness to work jointly on common goals to his leadership on shaping the future of the Federation through recent strategic planning and diversity initiatives, he exemplifies the spirit of the ideals at the core of our One Federation."

Bob Rees is a 6th-generation Oregonian that acquired his "recessive" outdoor gene from both of his grandfathers; one from Pennsylvania and one from Washington. His love of nature started early and retrieving the National Wildlife Federation animal stamps from his Dad's garbage can was integral in launching his advocacy for all things natural.

Also, a professional fishing guide of over 30 years, Bob quickly came to understand industry's role in protecting the future of our natural resources and the burden ahead for future generations of hunters and anglers.

Bob is the former executive director for the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and continues to work campaigns on the organization's behalf.

Emily Schrader is the current director for Region 5 with the National Wildlife Federation, representing Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Professionally, Emily is a Senior Client Success Manager for PayIt Outdoors, serving state fish and wildlife agencies as their strategic partner. Previously, she worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation in various roles that included championing the agency’s Pathways to Relevancy work, facilitating their Inclusion and Diversity Council workshops, and actively engaging as a team member for the state’s R3 efforts.

Emily has also been on the Board of Directors for the Conservation Federation of Missouri since 2021, assisting with their Strategic Planning, Relevancy, and Young Professional teams. Her recent work with CFM was dedicated to improving intergenerational relations and training for Board members.

Emily is a hunter, angler, and outdoor recreationalist on public lands across the nation. Her extensive passion for conservation inspires her to help others connect with nature.

Patty Schwanlenberg is the Executive Director of the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council, and was recommended by NWF Board Member Gloria Tom. A native Ojibwe woman of the northern Wisconsin area, Ms. Schwalenberg moved to Alaska in 1992 and immediately became involved in working with the Alaska natives to ensure they were meaningfully involved in the creation of the migratory bird council.

She has also served as Executive Director of the Chugach Regional Resources Commission, a nonprofit inter-Tribal fish and wildlife organization located in Anchorage, Alaska. Ms. Schwalenberg worked for CRRC for over 25 years, and has worked in the field of Tribal natural resources since 1982. Ms. Schwalenberg's background is in Applied Anthropology, focusing on community-based research and local community economy development. She is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin.

Rob has been Director of Research for the last 15 years for Everett Harris & Company, an investment firm founded in Los Angeles in 1935 which now oversees $8 billion in assets. Clients are typically high net worth families and individuals, as well as educational and charitable organizations who share our philosophy of focusing on long-term investing that spans generations.

Earlier in his career, he was Director of Public Equities for the Global Environment Fund of Washington, DC. He was the portfolio manager for GEF’s investments in publicly traded companies around the world that helped improve the environment by following three key strategies: energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean water.

Rob started his career at IBM and served in a variety of product development and financial roles before joining the IBM Retirement Fund as a research analyst.

He received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.

Rob lives in McLean, VA with his wife Leslie and two daughters. He and Leslie share a passion for public policy in the areas of the environment and public education, and enjoy biking, skiing and sailing.

Dr. Rachel Sprague is passionate about connecting people to wildlife, creating sustainable wildlife conservation solutions, and engaging communities and partners in meaningful decision-making. She is the Director of Conservation for Pūlama Lānaʻi, the company that owns and manages 98% of the island of Lānaʻi for the major private landowner. Rachel moved to Lānaʻi in 2016 to help build Pūlama Lānaʻi’s wildlife programs, and now co-leads the company’s Conservation Department, working on management and protection programs including endangered seabird, tree snail, monk seal, and other wildlife monitoring, native habitat restoration, rare plant protection, invasive predator control, game management and research, biosecurity inspections, and marine debris monitoring and removal. Her program received the 2018 Business Leader Award from the State of Hawaiʻi’s Invasive Species Council for their work protecting seabirds and other native wildlife on Lānaʻi from invasive predators, and the company's biosecurity efforts to prevent new species introductions.

Rachel has worked with coastal and island wildlife for over 20 years, from the Bay of Fundy in Canada, to the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, to California’s Channel Islands. She received her B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College (ME), and her Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana studying hormone physiology and behavior of Laysan albatross on Kaua‘i and Midway Atoll. Through all of her conservation work, Rachel has developed strong skills in scientific and public communication, stakeholder and community engagement, conflict transformation, and long-term partnership building, including co-authoring a book chapter on the role of language in framing and driving human conflict about wildlife. As the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, she led the writing and stakeholder engagement process for the development of the Main Hawaiian Islands Monk Seal Management Plan.

Rachel is the president of Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi (the National Wildlife Federation’s state affiliate), member of the board of advisors for the Hawaiʻi Marine Mammal Alliance, past-president of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society, and board member and past-president of the Hawaiʻi Chapter of the Wildlife Society.

Elizabeth joined the Idaho Wildlife Federation board because she is committed to helping hunters, anglers, and all outdoor enthusiasts present a united voice and advocate for conservation of Idaho’s public lands, wildlife and natural resources. She appreciates wildness and understands the important roles that sound research, community education, and responsible management play in long term conservation.

Growing up in northwest Pennsylvania, her love and respect for the outdoors was instilled at a young age through many days of hunting, fishing, and exploring in the forests, rivers, and mountains. She and her husband are laying that same foundation for their son, who started enjoying nights under the stars at five months old.

Elizabeth fell in love with the Idaho wilderness during a summer spent working as a ranger and hiking guide at Craters of the Moon National Monument. She returned to Idaho after completing both a master’s degree in environmental law and a law degree at Vermont Law School, and is currently an attorney in Boise.

Elizabeth enjoys Idaho’s public lands and natural wonders through many means including fishing, hunting, camping, rafting, and skiing, and is motivated to help preserve Idaho adventures for all generations.

Dr. Benjamin Tuggle is a conservation and diversity leader. He retired in 2019 after 40 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), where he held key leadership positions, including a wide variety of field experience and time in the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. He served as the Service’s Regional Director for the Southwest Region from 2005 to 2017 before serving as the Assistant Director for Science Applications at USFWS until his retirement. During his time as Regional Director for the Southwest Region he provided leadership and policy direction for the conservation of natural resources to 1,000 Service employees in the four-state area of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona. Dr. Tuggle began his career with the USFWS in 1979 as the Research and Diagnostic Parasitologist at the National Wildlife Disease Laboratory in Madison, WI. In 1985, Dr. Tuggle established the first Cooperative Wildlife Unit at a Historically Black Educational Institution, Grambling State University in Louisiana. Later, as the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chicago Field Office Supervisor, Dr. Tuggle played an active role in creating the Chicago Wilderness Initiative and served as its first Executive Director. Dr. Tuggle holds a BS in biology from Fort Valley State University (1975) and an MS (1977) and PhD (1982) from Ohio State University.

He is currently the President of Impulse ABT, LLC, and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. He has also served on the national board of Conservation Without Conflict and on the board of Conservation Legacy.

The University of Texas at San Antonio named its environmental science mentorship program after Dr. Tuggle. The UTSA Tuggle Scholars Program is dedicated to mentoring and training graduate students who aspire to become leaders in environmental science and ecology. Dr. Tuggle continues to be actively involved with the Tuggle Scholars at UTSA, who benefit from his expertise.

As the Western Lands Director at Western Resource Advocates (WRA), Jeremy Vesbach leads a team on a mission to protect at least 50% of the lands in the organization's seven-state region. In tandem with his staff of experts, he identifies smart policy solutions that will allow Westerners to preserve the wild places and wildlife populations that make the region so unique, all in the face of unprecedented growth and climate crises.

With a focus on state-level policy, Vesbach works with coalitions, community groups, and conservation organizations to protect lands through three key drivers: shielding wild lands from development, restoring and safeguarding the health of vital wildlife habitats, and guaranteeing equitable access to public lands for outdoor recreation opportunities.

Having spent his childhood in the rural West, Vesbach has long loved the outdoors. He grew up hunting, fishing, hiking, and more and he intimately understood how much better his life was a result of his time spent in nature. This love of the outdoors cemented his desire to preserve these lands so that they could be passed on to future generations.

Motivated by a passion to protect the West's strongest assets – its wildlife and wild places – Vesbach is determined to continue this critical work. But he doesn't rely solely on that passion to create meaningful movement in the right direction. Deploying the most up-to-date research and data, Vesbach gives voice to public lands and drives change. He was instrumental in the conservation effort to permanently protect the Valle Vidal (Spanish for the Valley of Life) from coalbed methane drilling. The research and solutions he provided helped to ensure that this incredible area stayed undeveloped.

Prior to joining WRA in 2019, Vesbach served as senior field director at the Conservation Lands Foundation, where he directed more than $1 million in annual grant funding to local community organizations. Among other accomplishments, the group was the first grantor to support the tribal nation-led effort for Bears Ears to become a National Monument. Vesbach also led the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which he and board volunteers rebuilt from a storied history of being founded in 1914 as the state’s first conservation organization. It had nearly fallen apart when Vesbach took the reins as the first executive director in several decades, and it is now known as a powerhouse in the conservation movement. He also played an integral role in protecting the Marquez Wildlife Area in New Mexico after it was nearly sold for private development. Today, thanks to recent public land purchases to expand the area, the Marquez is poised to become one of the largest state wildlife areas in the nation.

Outside of his role at WRA, Vesbach sits on the board of directors for Amigos Bravos, a group working to keep rivers and streams in New Mexico clean, and for the New Mexico Wild Action Fund, a 501(c)4 organization dedicated to advancing policies that protect the state's wilderness, wildlife, and water. He has also served as vice chair of the state game commission and as a state mining commissioner in New Mexico.

Vesbach holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biological Aspects of Conservation (an early conservation biology degree designed by Aldo Leopold). He lives in New Mexico with his wife and two teenage daughters, where they enjoy all things outdoors.

Beth A. Viola is a senior policy advisor in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C. office and co-chairs the firm's Energy Team. The primary focus of her practice is working with clean energy technology companies to create sound public policy drivers for their businesses. She works with business leaders and nonprofits to advance effective climate change strategies that result in economic and environmental benefits.

Formerly, Ms. Viola served as a senior advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In this capacity, she served as a senior member of a team responsible for advising the president and the vice president on environmental and energy issues and was one of Vice President Gore's chief environmental advisors. She also served as a senior advisor for energy and environmental policy with the John Kerry for President and the Kerry-Edwards campaigns. Ms. Viola served as a facilitator for climate change discussions at the Clinton Global Initiative from 2006-2008.

In 2016, Ms. Viola was named an Energy & Environmental Trailblazer by the National Law Journal. She was among a select group of attorneys and professionals recognized by the publication as outstanding practitioners who have made their mark in energy and environmental law and policy. Beth also serves on the advisory boards of Planet Forward and Sundrop Fuels, Inc.

An experienced advisory consultant with a demonstrated history of working in government and higher education, Jomar Floyd is currently an Associate with S&P Global Ratings Public Sector. His role also entails reviewing financial and operating statements, economic data, and strategic plans for school districts, cities, counties, tax assessment and other local government credits. He’s also tasked with determining the security of the transactions being rated in accordance with the Standard & Poor's ratings criteria.

Previously Jomar worked for Grant Thornton LLP as an advisory consultant. Prior positions include Indiana University Bloomington graduate teaching assistant, DIW Berlin - German Institute for Economic Research green bond market research analyst, and Manatee County (FL) Government program/financial specialist.

Jomar began developing his leadership skills during his college years in Florida. From organizing sustainability projects on campus to lobbying state officials and congressional members, Jomar emerged as a leader both at Florida A&M University and within his community. Jomar was one of the founding members of the Florida YES (Youth Environmental Sustainability) Coalition. Jomar lobbied with student leaders across Florida for the promotion of renewable energy investments and the Student Green Energy Fund for state colleges and public universities in Florida.

Dianne Dillon-Ridgley has been a director at Interface, Inc since 1997. She was a director at Green Mountain Energy for the first six years and still chairs the Environmental Integrity Committee for the company.

She was appointed by the White House to the US delegation for the Earth Summit in Rio, UNGASS-'97 & WSSD in South Africa, making her the only person to serve on all three US delegations. She is founding chair-- emeritus of Plains Justice, and is a trustee for CIEL, the Center for International Environmental Law) Population Connection (National Chair), Acting Executive Director of WNSF (the Women's Network for a Sustainable Future), USPESD-National chair, the former national chair of River Network and president of ZPG. She was also CEO of WEDO and head of the Iowa Association of Human Rights Agencies, among others.

From 1999 through its tenure she was a member of the Oxford U. Commission on Sustainable Consumption and the first US member appointed to the Global Water Partnership in Stockholm. Former President Clinton appointed her to the PCSD, his council on Sustainable Development. In the recent US election she worked for 18 months on the Obama campaign from its earliest days in Iowa and was part of the P-CAP: Presidential Climate Action Project). In 2000, she chaired the Millennium DPI conference at the UN, which first introduced the idea for the Millennium Development Goals.

Nick is a partner and vice president with Hall Capital Partners, an outsourced chief investment office for endowments and high-net-worth families. As one of 10 senior investment professionals, Nick is charged with identifying strong investment opportunities globally for the firm’s $33 billion of capital under management.

Previously Nick was a senior investment analyst with Passport Capital, a global macro hedge fund. At Passport Capital, Nick led the firm’s global equity investments in the financial services sector and served on the firm’s macro investment committee that set the fund’s global outlook. Nick formerly served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury during the Obama Administration and was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient for his policy contributions.

Kathy served more than 10 years as the Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) representative to the National Wildlife Federation. She served two terms as president of MWF, where she was an active board member for almost 20 years. She was appointed by Montana’s governor to the first Private Lands/Public Wildlife Committee, which resulted in legislation that opened up more than seven million acres of private land to public hunting. Kathy was first elected to the National Wildlife Federation Board of Directors in 2002. Kathy was elected in 2016 to serve as Chair-Elect.

She is a founding board member of the Clark Fork Coalition, a vibrant river advocacy organization, and has served as a conservation representative on the Clark Fork River Basin Restoration Council.

Now retired, Kathy is the former executive director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology, a nonprofit organization that helps people by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.

Bill’s lifelong passion for environmental advocacy led him to join NWF affiliate, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, to protect the West Branch of the Penobscot River from the Big A dam, in the early 1980’s. For several years Bill worked with NRCM to organize a Guide's Rendezvous; a conference designed to empower guides to take actions to protect Maine’s environment. He served on the Board of Directors for NRCM for seven years, with two years as Board President. In 2002, NRCM recognized Bill’s efforts to protect Maine's wild and scenic places, by honoring him with an Environmental Achievement Award.

A Master Maine Guide with thousands of river miles guiding raft, canoe and kayak trips throughout North American and Europe, Bill has taught Outdoor Leadership and Skills at Somerset Career and Technical Center for the past twenty-five years. He developed the pioneering two-year course to prepare high school age students to work in the natural resources and outdoor recreation industries while instilling in them an appreciation of nature and a conservation ethic.

Bill served as chair of the State of Maine's Whitewater Guides Advisory Board for many years and is a life member of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization.

Truman has 20 years of experience at the intersection of business, environment, and policy. He has worked with companies in industries including oil and gas, power, transportation, chemicals, manufacturing, IT, and financial services on corporate strategy for low carbon market opportunities, technology innovation, new business partnerships, and strategic policy engagement. Prior to joining GreenOrder, Truman directed the Business Environmental Leadership Council at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, growing it into the largest U.S.-based business association focused on climate change solutions -- 45 companies with combined revenue of $2.8 trillion and 4 million employees worldwide.

Before Pew, Truman served as Vice President of Ecos Technologies, the U.S. Treasury’s International Economist on energy and environment, and Program Manager at the International Institute for Energy Conservation. From 1995-1999, he was a member of the U.S. climate change negotiating team. He has published widely and been covered in the Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and Petroleum Economist.

Truman has a Masters in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and an MBA from Duke University. He sits on boards including of the National Wildlife Federation, Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, the American Farmland Trust, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Eric is a principal in the Washington, D.C. office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. In that capacity, he works with clients and other professional advisors developing, implementing, and monitoring wealth management plans for families, private foundations, not-for-profit organizations, and companies. Prior to joining Bernstein in 2005, Eric was an analyst, engineer, and entrepreneur. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Wharton School.