Audubon Hires New Action Fund Leader and Expands Climate Team

WASHINGTON – Today the National Audubon Society announced three additions to its staff in Washington, D.C. including a new executive director for the Audubon Action Fund and two senior directors for its federal climate team.

“With the federal government poised to make decisions that will impact birds and people for generations, this is a critical time for Audubon’s advocacy efforts as we continue to grow our power across the United States and right here in Washington D.C.,” said Sarah Greenberger, senior vice president for conservation policy.

Joining in March, Andrew Mills takes the helm of Audubon Action Fund as its executive director where he will split time as vice president for political affairs for National Audubon Society. The role was previously filled by Justin Stokes who left last year to become executive director of Audubon South Carolina. Mills will assist in leading strategy for Audubon’s federal policy work and ensure its partner, the Action Fund, brings important tools to bear that advance issue campaigns on the state and federal level.

“Andrew brings tremendous expertise and enthusiasm to Audubon Action Fund and our policy work to protect birds, people, and the places we need,” said Greenberger.

Mills has more than 15 years of grassroots, political, and legislative experience including significant time spent as a senior staffer in the United States Senate, on several notable political campaigns across the country, and managing public affairs and advocacy for corporations and non-profit organizations. Most recently, he was the vice president of government affairs for the Niskanen Center, a center-right think tank, where he worked with Audubon to advance shared goals on climate policy. He is a proud Indiana-native.

Audubon is also pleased to announce the addition of two senior directors to help lead its federal climate strategy. “Michael and Dan will be critical to using Audubon’s climate victories at the state-level to force meaningful action by Congress and the Administration,” added Greenberger.

Michael Obeiter comes to Audubon from Holland and Knight, LLP, where he was a senior public affairs advisor. There, he represented early-stage clean-tech clients in their interactions with Congress and the executive branch, with a particular emphasis on the Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Defense. He has also served as the energy and climate advisor for Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and as a senior associate for the climate program at World Resources Institute, focusing on issues that included renewable energy, carbon pricing, and methane reduction. He is a former analyst for energy and the environment for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee.

Dan West grew up in Missoula, Montana and comes to Audubon from his most recent role as a Senior Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Prior to that, he served as a legislative staffer in the US Senate and as a congressional liaison at NASA. Before coming to DC, Dan worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Montana, performing field research in Glacier National Park and Western Greenland. He holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Lewis and Clark College and a master's degree in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University. 

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Media Contact: Matt Smelser, matt.smelser@audubon.org, 202.516.5593

About Audubon

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.