Photo: Piping Plovers, Melissa Groo/Audubon Photography Awards
Libby Lyons
Welcome Amanda Robinson, NVBA’s New Executive Director
On December 17, 2024 the NVBA board and staff were delighted to welcome Amanda Robinson as our new Executive Director!
Amanda is a professional in nonprofit management in the environmental realm, combining real-world experience and academic learning. Most recently Amanda served as the Director of Development at The Climate Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on engaging and training youth to become climate champions. In another organization, Creation Justice Ministries, an organization that encourages environmental action in faith communities, Amanda served in many roles, first as Program Manager, then as Director of Development and Operations, and twice as Interim Executive Director. At Cornell University’s Institute for Public Affairs, Amanda earned a Master of Public Administration degree, with concentrations in Public and Nonprofit Management and in Environmental Studies.
We are impressed with Amanda’s broad experience, her passion for conservation and birds, and her commitment to building a wide range of meaningful partnerships. NVBA recently received several large bequests and so is able to hire Amanda in this leadership role with several years of support. If you have been a regular reader of the Flier you have read about NVBA’s recent growth with, for example, our new Volunteer Coordinator and many more volunteers, our Stretch Our Parks initiative, more bird walks and nature outings, our Bird Safe NOVA initiative, the ever-growing Wildlife Sanctuary Program, and expanded educational offerings. We are excited to have Amanda as our Executive Director as we build out these programs and devise and implement strategies to involve more northern Virginians in protecting and enjoying birds and nature.
I sat down for coffee with Amanda in mid-December and asked her a few questions about her new position.
Please tell me how you feel about taking on this new role at NVBA.
I am very excited to be joining NVBA as its Executive Director. I hope I can use my background in nonprofit management to truly have an impact protecting nature and birds in our region. Over the last couple of years I have fallen in love with birds and birding, so this the perfect opportunity to blend my professional and personal interests. I hope my passion for both shines through.
When did you first develop a love of nature?
I grew up in Maine only seven minutes from the ocean. From an early age, I loved to spend time by the ocean and observe how the wildlife interacted with humans and the changing tides. I was especially charmed by the Piping Plover, and the conservation work being done locally every nesting season to protect its habitat. It was my first awareness of the role humans can play in conservation, and it was always such a delight to see the baby birds every year. The chicks remind me of fluffy little marshmallows! It sparked my interest in endangered species and how we must take action to protect them, and I attribute those early years by the sea as a key part of my desire to spend my career in the environmental space.
What interests you most about our organization and how it works?
I think it’s so inspiring that we have such an awesome and large group of volunteers who want to help protect the birds of northern Virginia. Everyone is so dedicated to their work – your volunteers and all the many things they do are amazing! I hope we can continue to harness that passion and help the board and our many existing and new volunteers advance our mission. At the same time, I hope I can help NVBA by strengthening the organization and its systems. I’m excited to become part of a lovely group of people having a huge impact on local birds.
How do you feel about working in conservation in northern Virginia?
I live in Alexandria and have loved living in this area for seven years. I look forward to engaging the many communities in northern Virginia – listening to them, bringing them along, and finding a shared vision for the work we can do together. We have a great opportunity to bring in new groups and connect them to wildlife, while at the same time conserving nature for the generations to come.
Any last thoughts about leading an organization dedicated to bird conservation?
Birds are such a great way to connect people to nature! Birds are so beautiful – they give people hope. And I have seen in my work with many environmental groups that it is hope that leads to action.
We are planning many upcoming opportunities for our members to meet Amanda and welcome her to our organization!