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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release – May 3, 2018
Contact: Sean Cooley, Florida Communications Manager, (850) 999-1030, scooley@audubon.org
 
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NEW YORK – Today, the ���Ĵ�ý announced the appointment of respected Florida conservation leader Julie Wraithmell as executive director of ���Ĵ�ý Florida and the newest vice president at the ���Ĵ�ý. Wraithmell’s appointment follows a five-month stint as interim executive director while ���Ĵ�ý undertook a nationwide search for the role. As head of ���Ĵ�ý Florida, Wraithmell will oversee Florida’s five conservation priorities including water, coastal conservation, restoring America’s Everglades, climate change, and wildlife and wildlands.
 
“Julie is what’s best about ���Ĵ�ý. She uses science to guide decisions; she is highly collaborative and is driven every day to make a conservation difference. This also is why she is widely recognized all over the Sunshine State as a top conservation expert. We are excited to have her lead ���Ĵ�ý’s important work in Florida and to take that work to the next level,” said David O’Neill, ���Ĵ�ý’s chief conservation officer. “Florida faces unique conservation opportunities and challenges with its vast coastline, the one of a kind treasure of America’s Everglades, and 69 distinct ecosystems. Julie's track record demonstrates she significantly moves the needle for conservation, and we are thrilled she will continue to do so in Florida in this new leadership role.”

Joining ���Ĵ�ý in 2005, Wraithmell has successfully led statewide conservation and wildlife policy initiatives, built ���Ĵ�ý Florida's robust coastal conservation program, coordinated ���Ĵ�ý's response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and helped secure millions in funding for protecting Florida’s land and water resources. In 2015, she received the Callison Award, ���Ĵ�ý's highest staff honor. Prior to ���Ĵ�ý, Wraithmell served eight years as a biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). At FWC, she created the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, an incredible Florida network of more than 500 premier wildlife viewing sites. Wraithmell has a Bachelor of Science in biology from Duke University and a Master of Science from Florida State University.

“On behalf of the Board, staff, and thousands of ���Ĵ�ý members in Florida, we are extremely excited to welcome Julie in her new role as executive director,” said Jud Laird, chair of ���Ĵ�ý Florida. “���Ĵ�ý is Florida’s oldest conservation organization, and I believe Florida’s wildlife and wildlands are fortunate to have Julie at the helm of the state’s most effective conservation organization.”

"I grew up in Central Florida and consider Florida my lifelong home. This state and its wildlife are deeply ingrained in who I am," said Julie Wraithmell, incoming executive director for ���Ĵ�ý Florida. "I am honored to have the opportunity to work for Florida's natural resources every day, with the most dedicated and effective network of staff, volunteers, and chapters in Florida."

Wraithmell succeeds Eric Draper, who was tapped in November 2017 to lead the Florida Park Service.
 
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About ���Ĵ�ý: The ���Ĵ�ý protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. ���Ĵ�ý's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, ���Ĵ�ý's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. ���Ĵ�ý is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more how to help at www.audubon.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @audubonsociety.

About ���Ĵ�ý Florida: ���Ĵ�ý Florida is the state office of the ���Ĵ�ý and is Florida's oldest conservation organization. In addition to more than 70 dedicated science, policy, and education staff in Florida, ���Ĵ�ý also has 45 vibrant grassroots chapters around the state. For more than a century, ���Ĵ�ý Florida has encouraged people to take care of the places that make Florida special. Using science to guide its work and birdlife to measure ecosystem health, ���Ĵ�ý works to protect land, water, and wildlife. Today, ���Ĵ�ý is Florida’s most influential conservation organization and leads efforts to preserve America’s Everglades, coastal bird habitats, and other special places. ���Ĵ�ý manages sanctuaries that cover thousands of acres along with two popular nature centers. ���Ĵ�ý also promotes stewardship and appreciation of public land and water so people may always experience and cherish Florida’s natural beauty.