NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Audubon Society today announced the appointment of seven new directors to its board, including advertising executive Jeffrey Goodby, actress and wildlife advocate Jane Alexander, civic leader Maggie Walker, and regional conservation leaders from across the nation.
"Great NGOs need great boards, and this new class of directors has an amazing range of talents," said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold. "And one of the great things about Audubon's wingspan is that it attracts global leaders in communications and conservation as well as community leaders and on-the-ground activists."
With total revenues in 2012 of $89.9 million, Audubon is one of the nation's largest conservation organizations. Headquartered in New York, N.Y., the organization has 22 state offices, 47 nature centers and 465 chapters across the country, reaching more than four million people annually and playing leading roles in local and national conservation policy decisions, from Alaska to the Gulf Coast.
The following are the new members of Audubon's board of directors:
Karim Al-Khafaji is a manager with the Bridgespan Group, where he advises foundations and nonprofit organizations in organizational strategy and development. He has also worked as an environmental engineer and scientist with the Parsons Corporation and serves on the board of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. Al-Khafaji holds a doctorate in ecology from Stanford University.
Jane Alexander is a Tony- and Emmy-award winning actress, author, and wildlife advocate. She is known for her roles in "The Great White Hope," "All the President's Men," "Eleanor and Franklin" and "Playing for Time," among others. She chaired the National Endowment for the Arts under President Clinton, and she has served on boards and councils for many wildlife and conservation organizations, including Panthera and BirdLife International. In 2012, she received the Indianapolis Prize's inaugural Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award.
Jeff Goodby is co-founder and co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, widely known for creating campaigns including Got Milk?, the Budweiser lizards and the E*Trade chimpanzee. Goodby was also the driving creative force behind Audubon's 2011 Birding the Net campaign. In 2010, Adweek named Goodby, along with Rich Silverstein, executives of the decade. Goodby graduated from Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon.
Constance Holsinger is president of the Terra Foundation, a foundation committed to wildlife habitat protection, restoration and stewardship. She has also served on the boards of the Massachusetts Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy of Massachusetts, the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation in Florida, the Boulder County Audubon Society and Audubon Colorado.
Stephanie Little is an environmental scientist at California State Parks' Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, where she studies Western Snowy Plover and California Least Tern populations. She is past president and education chairwoman for the Morro Coast Audubon Society. Little holds a degree in environmental studies from Principia College in Elsah, Ill.
Jack Stewart is a former science educator for International Schools Services and was the first director of the Eastman Nature Center in Dayton, Minn. Stewart has served on the boards of the Buffalo National River Partners and Newton County Resource Council in Arkansas; Kent Place School in Summit, N.J., and the International School of Kuala Lumpur. He and his wife live in an off-the-grid, sustainable home in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.
Maggie Walker is chairwoman of the Seattle Foundation board and is a board member of the University of Washington Foundation, where she chairs the Advisory Board of the College of the Environment. Walker has also served as president of the Board of Trustees of the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, chairwoman of the Woodland Park Zoological Society, chairwoman of the Washington Women's Foundation and president of the Seattle Art Museum board.
Other members of the Audubon Board.
David J. Ringer, dringer@audubon.org, 212-979-3062
Now in its second century, Audubon connects people with birds, nature and the environment that supports us all. Our national network of community-based nature centers, chapters, scientific, education, and advocacy programs engages millions of people from all walks of life in conservation action to protect and restore the natural world. Visit Audubon online at www.audubon.org.
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