Curtis Smalling

Curtis Smalling is the Vice President and Executive Director of Audubon North Carolina and has dedicated his career to protecting North Carolina’s birds, starting with surveys for Golden-winged Warblers near his hometown in Boone and working his way up to leading the organization’s conservation work across the state. Curtis leads all aspects of Audubon’s conservation and advocacy work in North Carolina and guides the implementation of the organization’s new strategic vision, known as Flight Plan, aimed at reversing hemispheric bird population declines. 

Smalling was instrumental in creating Audubon’s Bird Friendly Communities program over a decade ago. He has spent years working with landowners to develop bird-friendly habitat across the state. And most recently, Smalling led the development and launch of Audubon’s first Urban Forestry program. Smalling is a member of several conservation committees including the International Golden-winged Warbler working group (including working on this species and others on their wintering grounds in Nicaragua), chair of the NC State Scientific Council Bird Committee, and a member of the steering committee for the North Carolina Bird Atlas.