Audubon International Announces Search for New Executive Director

The Board of Directors of Audubon International has announced that Executive Director Doug Bechtel will be leaving the organization for a leadership position with New Hampshire Audubon.

“Doug has done a superb job for Audubon International since joining us in January 2014 and we wish him well in his new responsibilities,” said Chuck Bassett, chairman of the AI board of directors. “He has served as an excellent leader at AI, and he has advanced AI’s mission to promote the responsible, sustainable use of our natural resources.”

“His entire career personifies the AI mission, to deliver high quality environmental education and facilitate the sustainable management of land, water, wildlife and natural resources where people live, work, and play,” Bassett said.

Doug added a comment: “I am very excited about this new opportunity in New Hampshire.  I know that I leave AI at a time when the organization is strong, healthy, and positioned to deliverable tangible results in multiple sustainability disciplines. I very much appreciate the people I have worked with at AI, the staff and board members, as well as the many individuals and organizations we work with.”

A nationwide search to fill Audubon International’s top position is underway.

Prior to joining Audubon International, Doug served as the Director of Conservation Science for The Nature Conservancy’s New Hampshire Chapter for more than 15 years.

Audubon International works with private and public lands, including golf courses, communities, cemeteries, ski areas, businesses, and lodging facilities in more than 20 countries, with the goal to help them reduce their impact on nature.  In its 29-year history, Audubon International, a 501.c.3 not-for-profit organization, has enrolled more than 3,000 facilities in its rigorous certification programs and has collaborated with various colleges, agencies of state and federal government as well as golf organizations such as the USGA and the GCSAA. 

Contact: Chuck Bassett, 352-255-6199