Dr. Elizabeth Gray serves as Audubon’s Chief Executive Officer. In this role Elizabeth leads Audubon towards its vision of a future where birds thrive. Elizabeth is a champion of science-based conservation and renowned expert in the field of global conservation and climate change. Elizabeth joined Audubon in March 2021 as President and Chief Conservation Officer; she was named Chief Executive Officer later that same year. She is the first woman since Audubon’s founding in 1905 to hold the role. She leads more than 700 staff working together across the Americas to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss. Since her arrival, she has led the completion of a landmark $826 million campaign, the release of the groundbreaking Migratory Bird Explorer, and the organization’s unifying Flight Plan strategy which underscores Audubon’s commitment to a hemispheric approach to conservation. Under Elizabeth’s leadership, Audubon has elevated Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) as a driver of the organization’s work across the Americas, codified in a set of EDIB Conservation Principles.
Prior to joining Audubon, she most recently served as the Global Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Climate Change program. Under her leadership, TNC completed the $130 million Cumberland Forest Impact Investment Fund, founded Washington, D.C.’s, first urban conservation program, and launched climate adaptation and natural climate solutions across North America. Trained as an ornithologist, she has spent 30+ years as a dedicated conservationist, spending considerable time in the field nationally and abroad. Elizabeth has been a leader on equity issues throughout her career, including empowering the next generation of conservation leaders through a young professional network and youth advocacy program. She has also been a global spokesperson for conservation and climate issues, speaking at COP events for over a decade. Elizabeth is a proven fundraiser of major gifts, including securing $100 million from the Bezos Earth Fund for TNC's climate work. She holds a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Washington and an AB with highest honors in psychology from Harvard University.
