Message from Doug Bechtel, Our New Executive Director

Hello from Audubon International! My name is Doug Bechtel, and I am excited to be the new Executive Director at Audubon International. I have been working with many of you recently on our golf programs and I must say it has been extraordinarily rewarding to work with members of this organization, many who have been with us for over a decade. I am also inspired by your commitment and by our shared belief that the critical work you do has a positive impact on our communities and our natural landscape. 

Here in Troy, we are slowly seeing Spring emerge, perhaps more slowly than we would like. I imagine you are preparing for the growing season and either digging out from snow, or dealing with drought, or even preparing for colder weather (we are International, as you know). Weather may be an easy topic to break the ice, but it is also a reminder about change and how the environment is critical to your work and business. For me, as a bird-nerd, it is a time to watch and wait for the return of birds as they migrate and nest. I hope you all enjoy the coming change in season as well.

Working with people on sustainable practices has been a career for me. Prior to AI, I worked for over a decade and a half in protecting lands and waters with The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire. I led teams and staff in managing natural lands and worked with landowners to protect the native areas in their towns. I am so honored and privileged to bring my experiences to AI in order to continue this critical work with you and your organizations. Keep it up; our members are superheroes!

As I step into this new role for Audubon International, I can tell you that our focus will be to continue to provide the highest quality service to our members and to continue to effectively deliver a high-impact program that provides significant benefit to both our members and the natural environment. We are determined to make the quality of member services the highest priority in this organization.

Lastly, we have a great Team here at AI. We are all focused on providing great service, protecting natural lands where you work and play, and reducing our impact on nature. Feel free to reach out to any of us at any time; we are happy to hear from you. Thanks for your efforts on these shared goals.

Stay in touch!