Georgia Audubon Welcomes Four New Board Members

Georgia Audubon announced four new members elected by members to the Board of Directors at their virtual annual meeting on Sunday, December 13. Joshua Andrews, Robert Cooper, Marc Goncher, and Susie Maclin were elected for three-year terms, beginning January 1, 2021. In addition, Shannon Fair was elected to return for a second three-year term.
 
Joshua Andrews currently serves as the Manager of Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power Company, in Atlanta, where he is responsible for managing a multi-faceted team in support of environmental compliance and policy related activities related to air, water and natural resources permitting, environmental laboratory, and environmental compliance assurance. He has nearly a decade of experience working with an electric utility with a primary focus on state electric utility regulatory efforts. Joshua has worked for Georgia Power Company since 2017. Prior to this time, he worked for Southern Nuclear Operating Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and Savannah River Remediation, in Aiken, South Carolina. He earned a B.S. in nuclear and radiological engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he swam on the varsity swim team. Joshua lives in Powder Springs.
 
Dr. Robert Cooper is Professor of Ecology and Wildlife Ecology in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens. The Dennis and Sarah Carey Distinguished Professor, Dr. Cooper specializes in wildlife ecology and management, nongame and endangered species (including birds), and wildlife population dynamics. Bob’s research focuses on how human activities influence ecological systems and the services they provide. Birds are his primary focal species because they serve such important ecological roles and are often good ecological indicators, but his research has also touched on other disciplines, including conservation biology and landscape, population, behavioral, and restoration ecology. Since coming to UGA in 1997, Bob has given or co-authored more than 250 presentations at local, regional, and international professional meetings. He has also received more than $10 million in grant money for his research alone or in collaboration with colleagues. Bob holds a B.S. and M.S. from UGA, an M.S. in statistics from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in wildlife biology from West Virginia University. He is also a member of the American Ornithological Society, the Georgia Ornithological Society, Oconee Rivers Audubon Society, and The Wildlife Society. He has served as an Advisor for Georgia Audubon for the past several years. 
 
Marc Goncher is the Environmental, Safety and Sustainability Legal Counsel for The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to joining Coke, he served in the City of Atlanta Law Department for 12 years, a large portion of which was spent advising the City on compliance with the Clean Water Act. Marc eventually became the Deputy City Attorney that managed the finance legal team, advised the City Council, and reported directly to the City Attorney. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Georgia Attorney General Office's Environmental Section and started his legal career working in private practice in Savannah, Georgia. Marc grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and came to Atlanta in 1993 to attend Emory University, staying to attend Emory Law. Since his arrival in Georgia he has managed to travel to many parts of the state, helped by his participation in the 2011 Class of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership.
 
Susie Maclin is a life-long bird watcher and retired corporate archivist who splits her time between homes in Georgia and Montana. A native of Dallas, Texas, Susie has lived in places ranging from the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) to Kenya, Oklahoma, and New York. She has served in an advisory capacity for both Houston (Texas) Audubon and Montana Audubon, along with her late husband, John Whitmire, who also served on the board of National Audubon for eight years. Susie says that home has always been where “I am currently.” In 2015, on the recommendation of a friend, she signed up to participate in the In-town Christmas Bird Count, where she was a member of Joy Carter’s team, and so began her affiliation with then Atlanta, now Georgia Audubon. Susie participates each year in a Big Bird Day in Montana, and 2021 will mark her 20th consecutive year participating in this event.  Susie has a B.S. in history, from Bartlesville Wesleyan College, and a Masters in library and information science from the University of Oklahoma. She spent her career as a curator and corporate archivist in locations ranging from the Oklahoma History Museum to the Rare Books and Health Sciences Library at Columbia University. She also served as Corporate Archivist and Curator of Special Properties for the American International Group (AIG) in New York City before retiring in 2002.

“We are excited to welcome Joshua, Bob, Marc, and Susie to the Georgia Audubon Board of Directors,” says Esther Stokes, board chair. “These individuals bring a wealth of talents and experiences to the Board that will help Georgia Audubon fulfill its mission of building places where birds and people thrive.”
 
Additional Georgia Audubon board members include Linda DiSantis, LaTresse Snead, Ellen Macht, Melinda Langston, Esther Stokes, Leslie Edwards, Angelou Ezeilo, Jairo Garcia, Joshua Gassman, Gus Kaufman, Evonne Blythers Lapsey, Emmeline Luck, Paige Martin, Jon Philipsborn, and Amanda Woomer.
 
For more information on Georgia Audubon, visit www.GeorgiaAudubon.org.
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About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement.