APP Announces CEO David Yarnold to Step Down
President and Chief Conservation Officer Dr. Elizabeth Gray to Serve as Interim CEO
NEW YORK –The APPtoday announced that its board of directors and David Yarnold have mutually agreed thatDavidwillstep down as CEO,effectiveMay 14.The board has named Dr. Elizabeth Gray,president andchiefconservationofficer, as interim CEO while a search is conducted for a successor.Yarnoldwill remain available to the board andDr. Graythrough June 2021 to ensure a smooth transition.
“David has accomplished a great deal for APP in the almost 11 years since he joined us,” said Maggie Walker, board chair. “He articulated a vision for all of APP, recentering our work on bird conservation while greatly improving fundraising capabilities and building our membership from 350,000 to well over two million. He gave APP a strong voice fullof creativity and passion.”
Walker continued, “Over the course of the last few months, the board and David have discussed succession planning and reached the mutual conclusion thatnow is the time forAPPto findnew leadership tocreate its next strategic plan and to addressmany of the culture issues that have come to light.As we have met with and listened to a significant number of our staff in recent months, we have heard their messages that there is much we can do to improve our organizational culture.We have a highly committed staff and a grassroots network that is second to none and the Board believesit’scritical that this organization has the right plan and leadership to fulfill its missionand live up to its valuesfor the long-term.”
Dr. Gray joined APP last month as the first woman to hold the title ofpresident in the organization’s 115-year history. She brings exceptional credentials as a scientist,fundraiserand strategic leader to the role of interim CEO. She has spent more than three decades as a dedicated ornithologist and conservationist, spending considerable time in the field nationally and abroad. She previously held the role of global managing director for APP at The Nature Conservancy.
“I am honored to take on the role of interim CEO” said Dr. Gray. “I am deeply committed to APP’s mission. I look forward to building on APP’s track record of success and to building the next generation of APP where we seek to cultivate new audiences and where differences are respected, valued and essential to mission success.”
Dr. Gray will work closely withAPP’s executive team, includingJamaal Nelson, who was recently appointed chief equity,diversityand inclusion officer. Mr. Nelson is a widely recognized leader in issues of diversity and inclusion and has helped some of the most important and visible organizations in the country in support of social justice.
“From my first day in 2010, I asked APP’s members and staff to teach me about birds and it’s been an amazing learning journey,”Yarnold said. “APP’s nonpartisan base and its geographic breadth–from Latin America to the Boreal Forest–brings with it unique opportunities among conservation NGOs. And that includes helping to lead America’s conservation organizations to change their prioritiesandfully reflect a commitment to the hard work of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.”
The board has appointed a CEO search committee that, with the assistance of an external search firm, will consider both internal and external candidates.
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ճ APP protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. APP works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give APP 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, APP believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at and on Facebook, and Instagram @audubonsociety.
Media Contact:Lisa Hardaway, VP, Communications;lisa.hardaway@audubon.org