Jordan Rutter, chair of the WOS Communications Committee, Director of Public Relations for the American Bird Conservancy, and co-founder of Bird Names for Birds, has been named the inaugural winner of the WOS’s new Early Professional Avian Conservation and Community Impact Award.

This award honors the contributions of WOS members who work in non-research careers that contribute to bird and bird habitat conservation, including applied science, education and outreach, communications, advocacy, and habitat conservation and protection. The award was established to recognize the importance of this work in fostering an inclusive community of people brought together by a shared love of birds and their conservation, and to showcase the diversity of career paths and ways of contributing to ornithology and bird conservation.

The award committee felt that Jordan’s “unique combination of contributions in science communication and commitment to justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity” made her an exemplary choice to receive this first-ever Early Professional Impact Award, writes award committee chair Jennie Duberstein. “In addition to her efforts to push the WOS council to improve its justice, equity, inclusion and diversity efforts, at both the council level and the individual member level, Jordan’s work with Bird Names for Birds has already had a tremendous impact on the future of ornithology, and is poised to be the catalyst for major, positive changes to come. Her advocacy and vision for this important work, her efforts to amplify voices that have been systematically excluded from the conversation, her persistence and commitment to continuing this work in the face of not insignificant push back, and her passion and talent for helping people care about birds are a gift to the bird conservation community.”

Jordan will receive full financial support to attend the 2022 WOS annual meeting in Santa Fe, as well as a piece of original bird artwork by early-career artist Rachel Rothberg. Please join us in congratulating Jordan on this well-deserved honor!