For Immediate Release July 2, 2025
Contact: Eden Taylor etaylor@refugeassociation.org
Conservation Leader Lynn Scarlett Appointed Board Chair of National Wildlife Refuge Association
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Wildlife Refuge Association is honored to announce the appointment of Lynn Scarlett as Chair of its Board of Directors. The decision was made during the Refuge Association’s June 2025 board meeting, held at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, Idaho.
Scarlett brings an unparalleled legacy of leadership in conservation and public service. She retired in December 2021 as Global Chief External Affairs Officer at The Nature Conservancy, where she shaped climate and conservation policy across 79 countries and territories. From 2001 to 2009, she held senior roles in the U.S. Department of the Interior, including Deputy Secretary (November 2005 - January 2009) and Acting Secretary in 2006, where she led key initiatives on cooperative conservation, climate change, and landscape-scale collaboration.
Scarlett rejoined the Refuge Association board in 2022, having previously served two terms as a director, from 2011 through 2017. Most recently, she served as Vice Chair before being elected Chair in June 2025. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Scarlett is a lifelong birder, avid hiker, and passionate advocate for public lands.
“I am honored to step into this role as Board Chair,” said Lynn Scarlett. “The National Wildlife Refuge Association plays a critical role in advancing conservation across our nation’s public lands. I look forward to supporting the organization's mission with deep resolve, particularly at this time when our wildlife refuges and the broader landscapes they inhabit face complex and growing challenges. With an extraordinary team and strong leadership from Desirée Sorenson-Groves, I am optimistic about what we can achieve together for the Refuge System and for wildlife conservation.”
President and CEO Desirée Sorenson-Groves shared her enthusiasm:
“I have had the privilege of working with Lynn Scarlett for many years—during her tenure at the Department of the Interior and through our shared time at the Refuge Association,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves. “Lynn has been a mentor, a collaborator, and a visionary leader in conservation. She has always been a staunch supporter of both the National Wildlife Refuge System and the Refuge Association. Her strategic insight and deep commitment to public lands make her the ideal person to lead our board. I’m honored to continue partnering with her in this next chapter for the Refuge Association.”
Scarlett also serves on the Boards of the Sand County Foundation, Santa Barbara Foundation and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and on the advisory councils of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, UC Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and the Salazar Center. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and previously chaired the Science Advisory Board of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to advocating on behalf of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.