2026 Symposium Speakers

We are thrilled to have such a wonderful lineup of speakers for this year’s symposium. Learn more about each of them below. Speakers are listed in speaking order, which you can find on the agenda.

Amanda Robinson has a passion for nature and community building. Before joining NVBA she spent her career working with nonprofits focused on climate action and education, serving most recently as the Director of Development for The Climate Initiative.

Growing up in Maine, Amanda's earliest memories of birds and conservation revolve around the annual efforts to protect Piping Plover nests along her hometown's beaches. These experiences sparked a lifelong love of wildlife and a particular interest in protecting endangered species. Her path to NVBA was inspired by reading Birding to Change the World, which led her to explore local bird organizations. Upon discovering NVBA, she was immediately drawn to its mission and was delighted to join the team.

Throughout her career, Amanda has worked with organizations driving impact in climate education, faith-based environmental advocacy, and access to higher education. She has focused on strategic fundraising to transform organizational missions into reality, building inclusive cultures, and fostering meaningful connections between people and nature. She brings this collaborative approach to NVBA, along with her commitment to expanding access to nature and environmental education.

Paul Gilbert is a conservationist and lifelong resident of Northern Virginia. Paul was Executive Director of NOVA parks from 2005- 2025. During that time, he led the efforts to create 16 new regional parks and add about 2,000 acres to the park system. In recent years these projects have included the creation of Reservoir Park in Loudoun County, the acquisition of the Winkler Preserve in Alexandria, and expansions of Pohick Bay and Occoquan Parks in Fairfax County. Prior to this, Paul led the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and helped to create Virginia’s United Land Trusts (VaULT). In 2025 Paul won the Pugsley Medal, which is the highest national award for conservation of parkland.

Today Paul is the CEO of Green Results LLC a consulting company helping park agencies and conservation organizations with strategic planning and helps public agencies improve the environment and generate revenue through mitigation banking projects.  Paul is also Executive in Residence for the Recreation Management Program at George Mason University.

Josefina (Jo) Doumbia is a Colombian national with a degree in Chemical Engineering and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Environmental Engineering. She retired recently from a 25-year career with the World Bank where she focused on environmental, sustainability and climate change issues. She has worked in 30 countries, both developed and developing, with experience in impact assessments, environmental management systems, environmental audits, and environmental and social guidance documents. 

Libby Lyons is the Board President of NVBA.  Libby led the charge on the Stretch Our Parks (SOP) program, and helped the Board consider and navigate the chapter’s recent name change. She spent 25 years with the National Science Foundation, and she was a Biology professor for 10 years before that.  Although her training was in plant science, she considers herself a “lapsed botanist,” with birds as her major passion now.

Dan Rauch is a Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist and ornithologist for the Department of Energy and Environment. For the last 16 years he has been inventorying and monitoring the birds of the District and working to conserve and restore their habitat.  Dan is the lead for the District for the MD/DC Breading Bird Atlas Project and assists NPS, USDA, and other federal and non-profit partners working towards positive wildlife outcomes.  Prior to working for the District, Dan was at the Smithsonian National Zoo, studied migration for the College of William and Mary Center for Conservation Biology, raised Whooping Crane chicks at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and examined Brewer sparrow’s declines on BLM lands in Montana. Dan is a DC area native, who grew learning about nature on a tobacco farm in Maryland and is dedicated to wildlife conservation for future generations.

Joe Coleman is a founding member of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, established in 1995.  He led the campaign to create the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in 1999 and in 2000 became the first President of the Friends of Banshee Reeks. Currently, when he is not volunteering with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, he is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Between the Hills Conservancy. He was President of the Virginia Society of Ornithology and was also the President of the Board of Directors of Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society). He also served on the Board of Directors of the Land Trust of Virginia from 1996 to 2006, and currently serves on their Easement Acquisition Committee. Since 1997, Joe has organized and compiled Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Central Loudoun Christmas Bird Count and serves as the Birding Activities Coordinator.

Gary Shinners  is a Northern Virginia Bird Alliance Board member, a Virginia Master Naturalist and Member of the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists, a volunteer Park Steward and Roving Park Steward for Arlington County and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and the Vice-Chair of the Arlington County Park and Recreation Commission.

Laura Grape has been engaged in environmental planning and stewardship at the local and regional level for over 25 years. Whether it was as a Fairfax County ecologist sharing the importance of stoneflies in our community.  Or as a planner with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission mapping and demonstrating the value of conservation for natural, cultural, health, and recreation benefits.  More recently as the Executive Director with Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District leveraging resources for action by all.  Now as Resource Management and Interpretation Division Director with the Fairfax County Park Authority, she leads a terrific team in the care, programming and interpretation of our shared natural and cultural heritage.  Community engagement, informed decisions, partnerships, collective impact, stewardship, and fun are central to Laura’s efforts in Northern Virginia both professionally and personally.  She is a proud resident of Manassas with her husband and three teenage sons.

Betsy Martin is a Board member of NVBA and leads the Wildlife Sanctuary Program, formerly known as Audubon at Home. Betsy Martin spent her career as a researcher improving methods and measurements in the decennial census and government surveys. She’s a founder and president of the Friends of Little Hunting Creek, leads creek cleanups, and works to preserve riparian habitat on the creek. Betsy serves on Fairfax Supervisor Dan Storck’s Environmental Advisory Committee and is chair  of the Fairfax County Chesapeake Bay Exception Review Committee.

Award winning naturalist, storyteller, and environmental educator Alonso Abugattas is the Capital Naturalist. Professional naturalist and environmental interpreter for over 35 years working with Arlington County, City of Alexandria, Fairfax County, and the Maryland National Capitol Park and Planning Commission. Longtime Co-Chair for the Beltway Chapter of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), the professional organization for naturalists, historians, and others who interpret resources for over 20 years.

Andreas Seiter serves as chair of the NVBA Conservation Committee and Vice President of the Board. He has been a birder since his high school days in Germany. An international career in pharmaceuticals and health policy development came with travel to many countries that are not typical tourist destinations, which helped him build his eBird life list. Since his retirement in 2022, Andreas has more time for birding, guiding and family, while still doing freelance work for his former employer. His favorite NOVA birding spots are Huntley Meadows, Dyke Marsh, Meadowood and Occoquan Bay NWR.

Maddie Bright is the Executive Director at Earth Sangha where she has worked full-time on native plant conservation since 2011, and where she grew up as the daughter of co-founders Lisa and Chris Bright. Maddie has worked closely with ecologists, botanists, and park managers across the Northern Virginia region on plant conservation and ecological restoration projects over the years, including a brief stint interning at Huntley Meadows Park. She regularly teaches for the Arlington Regional Master Naturalist chapter and serves on the steering committee for the National Capital Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management. Before starting at the Sangha, Maddie graduated from Kenyon college with a BA in History and spent four years as a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician with the College Township Fire Department in Gambier, Ohio.

Kisha Sogunro is a dynamic and innovative public-sector leader that has garnered 12 national, state and local awards for her successful projects.  Her body of work includes introducing Family Search, the largest genealogical database in the world, to local NAACP chapters to connect families across generations.  Additionally, having recruited over 10,000 volunteers, she is internationally recognized for her leadership in community and volunteer engagements.  

One of Sogunro’s proudest moments came in 2011, when she was invited to participate at the White House as part of the President’s “Champions of Change” program. Ten Champions, ranging from educators and entrepreneurs to community activists from around the U.S., were recognized for the work they achieved in bettering their communities. 

Sogunro earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications and Leadership from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Brigham Young University.

Sarah Mayhew is a longtime member of the Bird Alliance. She is a general naturalist who has worked as a Ranger-Naturalist for the National Park Service, as an Assistant United States Attorney and a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. She is also Past President of the Fairfax Master Naturalists. Sarah has been an advocate for various environmental issues and is a proud member of the League of Women Voters. She joined the Bird Alliance Advocacy Committee in 2025 and made her first-ever lobbying trip to Richmond last week. Sarah is looking forward to our discussion on how to be an effective advocate.  

Ashley Studholme is executive director for Prince William Conservation Alliance. She has a BA in Biology from the University of Virginia and a MSc from the University of Oregon in Environmental Studies. Before joining the Alliance in 2020, she spent 10 years in the Ecuadorian Andes working on water resources management projects and researching high-altitude tropical ecosystems. Trained in both the natural and social sciences, she values participatory and interdisciplinary approaches to address our complex environmental challenges.

Edie Juno works in environmental policy, at the intersection of climate change, land use, and biodiversity. Prior to her current role, she worked at a think tank researching the benefits of forests and as a wildlife technician with the National Park Service monitoring Piping Plovers. She earned her master's in conservation ecology and environmental policy from the University of Michigan. Edie is a certified master naturalist (ARMN) and enjoys volunteering in local restoration projects, as well as reading, knitting, birding, and nature journaling.

Sponsors

This event is sponsored in part by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. We are grateful to their support for this collaborative event.

Thank you to our individual donors who have helped make this event possible!