Director’s Report from the National Audubon Leadership Conference
By Joaquín Swett-Fosmo, Executive Director
When I initially heard about the 2025 National Audubon Leadership Conference in Montreál, I quickly put aside the idea of attending. Even ignoring the distance to Quebec, the entrance fee for the event was expensive, and I suspected (correctly) that very few chapters would be attending from our state. Even so, as the conference crept closer, I had a nagging feeling that I had to go, knowing that the opportunity to connect with both the larger international conservation community and the hundreds of Audubon chapter leaders from around the country was one I couldn’t let pass by. Just a few hours before the registration closed, Gregoriah Hartman, National Audubon’s Director of Network Action and Leadership Development, called to give me one last push to attend, with an offer I couldn’t refuse: they would cover the food and lodging, and waive the conference fee. I said yes!
My goal for the conference was to collect as much information as possible from our peers around the country, to learn from their successes and how we can implement the same strategies in our own chapter. Every day began bright and early with an educational, outdoor experience to appreciate Montreál and its wildlife, which warmed us up nicely for a day of non-stop workshops, seminars, and keynotes. I had the privilege of attending sessions focusing on a broad range of topics; including youth engagement, chapter branding, social media management, grant writing, Climate Watch, forming international partnerships, acquiring public funding, and a pair of excellent work sessions where we met and engaged with other chapters of a similar size and scope to our own; learning about the hurdles we have in common and the unique solutions that many chapters have found to solve some of those challenges.
Attending this conference reminded me of how important every chapter is, not just as a part of the National Audubon Society, but also as an international movement to study and protect birds and their habitats around the globe. Every session was led by passionate experts from Audubon and beyond, and the event was packed with opportunities to meet new people and join new experiences. Every person I met and every conversation I had brought a valuable new perspective to the table, and we have continued to foster those connections and are working more cohesively towards our conservation goals even after the conference has ended. Our chapters do often face similar challenges, but by sharing our unique skills and experiences we can work together to raise every chapter to its full potential and to face the threats to our ecosystem head-on.
I look forward to sharing the insights and, as was the motto of the event, "Soaring Together” with our regional chapters, local environmental organizations, and the whole community.