Audubon Southwest Welcomes New Policy Manager

Audubon Southwest is seeking an enthusiastic individual to join its diverse team of professionals and promote bird conservation across the hemispheric. Through science, policy, education and on-the-ground action, Audubon will be at the forefront of safeguarding birds and their habitats.

As Policy Manager, you will be accountable for furthering Audubon's environmental law and policy campaigns in one or more of the following areas: climate mitigation/adaptation, wildlife conservation, public/working lands preservation or watershed protection.

Sam Culver

Sam Culver has joined The National Audubon Society as its new Policy Manager for the Southwest region. In this role, he will assist in formulating policy objectives and overseeing their execution.

With more than two decades of experience working on landscape-level cooperative projects in a six-state region among federal agencies, state wildlife agencies and multiple non-profit organizations to improve conservation effectiveness in western grassland and riparian ecosystems, Mr. Robertson served in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where he spearheaded multiple efforts to enhance habitat quality throughout grasslands and other natural areas throughout the state.

While employed at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, he managed a regional conservation project to restore native grassland bird populations. Furthermore, he created several incentives and incentive programs to assist landowners in improving their grassland habitat.

His role at Audubon Southwest involves working closely with the Center Director to manage all aspects of operations. Furthermore, he will oversee the Center's budget and guarantee its objectives are achieved.

The role necessitates the ability to form lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with individuals and organizations in neighboring communities who can utilize the Center as a valuable asset. Furthermore, he will collaborate with local residents on on-site educational and outreach programs tailored to their specific needs and opportunities.

Additionally, he will oversee the implementation of the Nature Explorations program at the Center, which encourages young leaders to create activities related to nature that reflect their community's interests. Furthermore, he will collaborate with development staff at the organization to host donor events at the Center and support its fundraising goals.

As a member of the Audubon Southwest team, he will provide invaluable support to all other Audubon departments when it comes to policy and governance matters. He'll assist with creating policy documents and reports that are in-line with Audubon's values and priorities; furthermore, he'll collaborate with legal counsel in guaranteeing all policies adhere to all federal regulations.

Nada Wolff Culver

Nada Wolff Culver has been appointed as the new policy manager of Audubon Southwest. Her responsibilities include developing the Society's policies and collaborating with partners on pressing conservation challenges in our local region.

As policy manager for the Southwest region, she will strive to enhance state regulations and safeguard local lands and water resources from oil and gas development threats. With extensive experience in land use management, environmental law, and natural resource management from her time at The Nature Conservancy and New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Ms. Pagan brings a wealth of expertise in these fields.

Her career has been deeply shaped by the environmental movements of the past two decades, and she feels proud to be part of this effort for environmental justice. In her new position at Audubon Southwest, she plans to carry on this work.

Nada, a native of New Mexico, brings with her an extensive background in wildlife and conservation to her role at Audubon Southwest. She will be advocating for better public policies at the state level, opposing projects that threaten habitat, and helping Audubon New Mexico and its partners gain federal administrative designations.

She will also be working to strengthen and expand the Society's network of avian biologists. Her aim is to increase the number of knowledgeable birders in the Southwest who support Audubon's work and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for birding with others.

Nada has extensive experience in conservation, having collaborated with federal agencies, state wildlife agencies and non-profit organizations on numerous landscape-level cooperative projects. Furthermore, her knowledge of grassland and riparian ecosystems is extensive.

Prior to her current role, she served as Executive Director of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), leading national conservation initiatives aimed at reestablishing declining species populations.

Furthermore, she has extensive expertise in public affairs and communications. She has managed campaigns on a range of issues while working with diverse audiences.

She will also be accountable for creating and overseeing our local statewide programs, such as Young Birders, Great Backyard Bird Count, and the Great Outdoors Campaign. In her role as president-elect of the Society she will play a pivotal role in building membership and guaranteeing that those from Southwest get heard on issues important to them.

Jon Hayes

The National Audubon Society works to safeguard birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout North America through science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. As Policy Manager of Audubon Southwest, Jon Hayes will be accountable for leading key programs that create more naturally resilient communities.

His primary focus will be the condition of our rivers and grasslands, as well as on-the-ground community science, partnerships, education/outreach initiatives, environmental adaptation projects, and more. He strives to guarantee we are fulfilling our mission and achieving our vision.

He will also be accountable for overseeing the management of our Historic Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Santa Fe, one of our oldest sites and listed on the U.S. Department of Interior's National Register of Historic Places.

Jon is a native of Beaumont, Texas and has spent most of his life in the Southwest. After attending college in Washington DC for two years, Jon earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees - International Studies and Justice.

Before joining Audubon, Jon served as Vice President of Network Planning at Southwest Airlines. In this role, he led teams from Business, Sales, and Technology who are responsible for overseeing all business-to-business sales, service, and distribution relationships (global distribution systems, travel management companies, online booking tools, technology intermediaries).

Prior to joining Southwest, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at Delta Air Lines, overseeing all aspects of their business-to-business and government sales activities. He engaged with customers worldwide as well as suppliers and distributors for the airline.

His current role involves overseeing the airline's commercial planning and revenue management functions as well as providing leadership for their strategic direction. Furthermore, he is passionate about cultivating an inclusive culture that values all employees.

His leadership style and work ethic have made him a highly successful manager. He fully embraces "The Southwest Way," our core values, and people-centric culture.

He is passionate about creating a more sustainable future for our region and has spearheaded various initiatives in New Mexico, such as the Santa Fe Greenway, NM Agricultural Experiment Station and NM Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. Additionally, he has been active in several nonprofit organizations.

Diane Ross-Leech

The National Audubon Society works to preserve birds and the places they need, today and into the future, throughout North America through science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Their Southwest office - which covers a large geographic area in Central Arizona and beyond - is welcoming Diane Ross-Leech as its new policy manager.

The policy manager will collaborate with the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director to craft, implement and assess Audubon Southwest's long-term strategies and plans. In this role, she will aim to further Audubon Southwest's core missions of conservation, stewardship and education on environmental matters.

In her new position, she will strive to strengthen Audubon Southwest's presence in the Southwest and cultivate relationships with influential figures from government, business, media, and community. Furthermore, she plans on creating communication campaigns with measurable objectives that further the organization's priorities.

She will collaborate with the Arizona policy team to develop messaging frameworks, reports, fact sheets and GIS StoryMaps for key water policy initiatives and strategic priorities. Furthermore, she supports advocacy-driven communication campaigns that reach a variety of audiences while giving Audubon Southwest an effective voice.

She will also support and develop the Bird Center as a community asset, offering on-site educational and outreach programs that benefit local populations while contributing to Audubon Southwest's mission. In this capacity, she will collaborate with Center administrative and development staff as well as contract facility management.

She will collaborate with the Director of Safety and Risk Management to create and enforce fire, safety, and security policies and procedures; conduct inspections to detect potential threats or risks; recommend and implement solutions for issues that may arise; support risk management audits and asset loss investigations as needed.