Maggie Walker, one of Seattle’s most prominent and effective civic leaders, has been named to the board of directors of the National Audubon Society.
“Maggie is a compassionate and thoughtful leader. She understands that philanthropy and accountability go together and she’s committed to conservation,” said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold. “We’re excited and honored to have her joining the board.”
“Audubon gets things done on a big scale, and I’m really looking forward to this new phase of work with such an influential organization,” Walker said. “Conservation is one of the great challenges of our time, and we can make progress together.”
With total revenues in 2012 of $89.9 million, Audubon is one of the nation’s largest conservation organizations. Headquartered in New York, N.Y., the organization has 22 state offices, 47 nature centers and 465 chapters across the country, reaching more than four million people annually and playing leading roles in local and national conservation policy decisions, from Alaska to the Gulf Coast.
Walker chairs the Seattle Foundation board and is a board member of the University of Washington Foundation, where she chairs the Advisory Board of the College of the Environment. she also chairs the Bullitt Foundation board and co-chairs the Prosperity Partnership’s Cultural Task Force. Recently, she was reappointed co-chair of the Central Waterfront Committee and joined the board of Global Partnerships.
She previously served as vice president of the board of Audubon Washington and as chairwoman of the Woodland Park Zoological Society’s board. She is past president of the board of trustees of the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, past chairwoman of the board of the Washington Women’s Foundation and past president of the Seattle Art Museum board. She is also a past president of the ARCS Foundation Seattle Chapter, past chairwoman of the board of the Museum of History and Industry and past chairwoman of Art Fair Seattle.
Walker holds degrees from the University of Washington. She and her husband, Doug, share a commitment to the environment, education and the arts, supporting them through the Walker Family Foundation at the Seattle Foundation. They were co-founders of Social Venture Partners and co-chairs of the Campaign for Lake Union Park, and they currently co-chair the North Cascades Initiative for the Wilderness Society.