2026 Environmental Leadership Awards Honors Roberta Barbieri, Anne W. Semmes

On June 3, 2026, Audubon gathered conservation leaders, community advocates, and supporters at its annual Environmental Leadership Awards Benefit in Greenwich, honoring Roberta Barbieri with the Environmental Leadership Award and Anne W. Semmes with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Environmental Leadership Awards Benefit celebrates local visionaries who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to protecting birds and the places they need.

As Vice President for Global Sustainability at PepsiCo, Roberta has spent her career championing the role of global companies as a force for positive environmental change. Locally, her service to conservation and watershed organizations in and around her hometown of Ridgefield helps protect the land and water that birds and wildlife depend upon.

In her remarks, Roberta reflected on how climate change "is not abstract for business. It is already affecting the crops we rely on, the water we depend on, and the stability of our operations. The good news is that we know a lot about what works.” From watershed replenishment programs to removing invasive species in critical bird habitats, PepsiCo's global sustainability efforts aim to slow the forces that are driving habitat loss and biodiversity decline, with Roberta at the helm.

Anne W. Semmes, storytelling powerhouse and prolific journalist who has written and produced for the Greenwich Sentinel, New York Times, and NBC's Today Show, accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award. Anne brought the audience to their feet with a poetic reflection on her connection to wildlife. Her reverence for nature was brought to life through memories of climbing trees in the Peruvian Amazon and watching kettles of hawks soar over her home.

Like a chorus of songbirds echoing through the woods, our 2026 Environmental Leadership Awards honorees have a unique ability to spread important messages. From the boardroom to the newsroom, they amplify efforts to save birds and the places they need, making a conservation impact.

The 2026 Environmental Leadership Awards Benefit was held at the Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Proceeds support Audubon’s vital conservation work in Connecticut.