Audubon Honors Conservation Leaders at the 2025 Leadership Conference

These leaders are making some of the the biggest conservation impacts for the benefit of birds, people, and the planet.
A group portrait of 5 people, the person at the center holds an award.

This past weekend, more than 450 conservation leaders from 11 countries, 48 states, and 22 colleges and universities, gathered for the 2025 Audubon Leadership Conference in Montréal, Québec, Canada, to celebrate Audubon’s 120th anniversary and look ahead to the future we are building together as we work to reverse declines in bird populations. 

During the conference, we celebrated the power of conservation and community by honoring the outstanding individual leaders and partner organizations making the biggest impacts for the benefit of birds, people, and the planet. 

These deserving winners represent the best of the best in conservation:

  • Hemispheric Champion Award Winner: RedLac, Network of Environmental Funds for Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Raven Award Winner: Gwendolyn Cain, faculty advisor to Morehouse MoreGreen, the Audubon on Campus chapter at Morehouse College
  • Dare to Soar Award Winner: Aiyana Uter, President, Friends of the Earth, the Audubon on Campus chapter at Claflin University
  • Outstanding Chapter Leader Award Winners: Katelyn “KC” Walters, Associate Director of Conservation and Operations, Potomac Valley Audubon Society, and Dennis Riordan, President, Menunkatuck Audubon Society
  • The Hemispheric Conservation Award Winner: Seal River Watershed Alliance, Indigenous protected area initiative 

Congratulations to all the winners!