Audubon Welcomes Five New Industry Leaders to National Board

NEW YORK – The National Audubon Society celebrates the five newest additions to its National Board of Directors: business consultant and naturalist Anne Beckett; senior communications executive Johanna Fuentes; entrepreneur and public affairs executive Kevin Harris; financier and thought leader Victor Hymes; and lawyer Angel Ortiz. The new National Board of Directors will work to support Audubon’s mission to protect birds and the places they need.

“Audubon is focused on tackling the biggest challenges facing birds and our planet across the hemisphere, and the newest Directors on the National Board will significantly contribute to these efforts,” said Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society. “Birds tell us that the climate and biodiversity crises are urgent challenges to our mission. These dynamic and accomplished leaders will help govern Audubon as the organization increases its impact and hemispheric reach.”

“We are thrilled to see the National Board continue to grow stronger with the addition of these industry experts,” said Susan Bell, National Audubon Society Board Chair. “Their expertise and commitment to Audubon’s mission make them exciting and important partners in our work bringing people together to protect birds and the places they need – both on the local and hemispheric level.”

Anne Beckett, of Rio Arriba County New Mexico, is a longstanding Audubon member and served nine years on the board of Audubon New Mexico (now Audubon Southwest), including two years as Board Chair. In addition to supporting Audubon’s New Mexico state office, the Board-supported efforts of the Randall Davey Audubon Center, the NM Council of Chapters, and four individual chapters. Her professional experience included 30 years in real estate finance in the areas of origination, securitization, servicing, and management. A mid-career break was spent working for two nonprofits, including living and working on a Native American reservation. Post retirement she provided consulting services in new initiative development, strategic planning, finance, and operations to for profit and nonprofit organizations. She was appointed by Governor Lujan Grisham to serve on the New Mexico Small Business Investment Corporation. Anne has completed the Master Naturalist program for northern New Mexico and is active in two bird surveys: Climate Watch and the Pinyon Jay project. She is the Gallina Area Team Leader for the Santa Fe National Forest Site Stewards. 

“My involvement with Audubon in New Mexico showed me the organization’s impact on a regional scale, and I’m excited to build on this work by joining the National Board,” said Anne Beckett.

Johanna Fuentes, of Los Angeles California, is a senior communications executive who has had leadership roles at WarnerBros., Showtime, Bravo TV and CBS. Most recently, she served as Head of Global Communications for WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, where she successfully managed content communications at Warner Bros, HBO and Turner Networks during an unprecedented period of growth and change in the company’s history. Johanna has been honored as one of The Imagen Foundation’s Most Powerful and Influential Latinos in the Entertainment Industry since 2012. Johanna is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, BAFTA, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Born in New York and raised in the Dominican Republic, Fuentes is a graduate of Boston College, with a B.A. in Communications and a B.S. in Management and Marketing from the Wallace E. Carroll School of Management. 

“We are at a critical time for bird conservation, and it will be an honor to use my communications expertise to help advance Audubon’s impact as a National Board Director,” said Johanna Fuentes. 

Kevin Harris, of West Palm Beach Florida, is an entrepreneur and public affairs executive who has worked across various sectors focused on voting rights, civil rights, financial inclusion, health equity and climate justice. Kevin brings a strategic communications and government relations background with extensive experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Kevin previously served as the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. He has also worked on a number of political campaigns including the past four Presidential elections, held various roles during the Obama Administration, and served in the cabinets of two big-city mayors including Baltimore City and Washington DC. Kevin earned his B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from Howard University and M.A. in Government from The Johns Hopkins University. Kevin resides in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

“As an experienced public affairs and government relations expert, I am grateful for this opportunity to support Audubon’s mission and hemispheric reach as part of its National Board,” said Kevin Harris. 

Victor Hymes, of San Francisco California, is the Founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Legato Capital Management, LLC. An entrepreneur, thought leader, and independent Board Director, he brings deep investment, finance, corporate strategy and governance experience, having served on for-profit and nonprofit Boards for more than three decades. Presently, Victor is an Independent Director of Principal Funds, Inc., where he chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. At the Brookings Institution, he chairs the Metropolitan Council and Budget and Finance Committees, and is a member of the Executive, Investment and Development Committees. Victor has been a Board member of Earthjustice for eighteen years and serves on their Investment, Finance, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees. Having focused in the areas of music and mathematics, Victor is a graduate of Oberlin College, and received his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Victor resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Kathy, and near their two adult sons. He is a lover of opera, oratorio and golf.

“Audubon is doing important work across the hemisphere, and I look forward to helping ensure the organization has the resources needed to continue protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow,” said Victor Hymes.

Angel Ortiz, of Westfield New Jersey, is the Associate General Counsel and Global Head of Employment and Labor Relations at media conglomerate TelevisaUnivision, Inc. He is the company’s chief labor and employment spokesperson and leads a team of attorneys and labor relations professionals responsible for 55+ collective bargaining agreements and employment law consultancy in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.S. Prior to these roles he served as Senior Vice-President of Labor Operations for NBCUniversal Media, LLC, amongst serving in a variety of other senior labor relations roles during his 16-year tenure with the company. He began his career in public sector labor relations as a Staff Attorney for the Office of Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining at the New York City Board of Education. Angel received his B.A. cum laude from Amherst College and J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He lives in Westfield, New Jersey with his family. 

“I look forward to bringing my legal expertise to Audubon’s National Board at this pivotal time for the organization,” said Angel Ortiz.   

About Audubon 
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon 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, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety. 
 
Media Contact:
Megan Moriarty, megan.moriarty@audubon.org