Dartha Campbell Named Recipient of the 2025 Refuge Employee of the Year
For Immediate Release January 9th, 2026
Contact: Eden Taylor etaylor@refugeassociation.org
Humble hero of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, spanning Georgia and Florida, honored for 49 years of service
FOLKSTON, GA – The National Wildlife Refuge Association is proud to announce that Dartha Campbell has been named recipient of the 2025 Refuge Employee of the Year, one of the top honors of the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards. The annual Wildlife Refuge Awards honor those whose service strengthens the National Wildlife Refuge System — the nation’s only network of public lands and waters dedicated to wildlife conservation.
A Monumental Career
The nearly 90 year old Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 — and for nearly 50 of those years, Campbell has been a constant, serving first as Administrative Officer and now as Budget Analyst. In recent years, her impact has extended even further: she is now the primary budget analyst for two additional refuge complexes — the North Florida Refuge Complex and Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Complex — supporting a total of 13 refuges across three states with a combined budget of more than $6.5 million annually.
Her monumental career and unwavering love for the Refuge System are evident, reflected in the trust she has earned from colleagues and the stability she has provided through decades of change. Refuge managers across the Southeast credit her with ensuring financial integrity, meeting the highest standards in audits, and providing trusted guidance that allowed them to focus on conservation.
Supporting a World-Class Landscape
At over 407,000 acres spanning Georgia and Florida, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is one of the crown jewels of the Refuge System — a National Natural Landmark, a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, and recently nominated for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its vast peat beds, blackwater channels, and cypress forests shelter thriving populations of alligators, sandhill cranes, and endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, while its prairies and wetlands sustain thousands of migratory birds, amphibians, and fish. The swamp is also the source of two rivers — one flowing to the Atlantic, the other to the Gulf of Mexico — making it one of the most important freshwater ecosystems in North America.
Okefenokee NWR is one of over 570 national wildlife refuges that make up the Refuge System —a network of more than 850 million acres of lands and ocean that conserves wildlife while providing clean water, flood protection, and outdoor recreation for communities nationwide. For nearly half a century, Dartha has been the quiet force ensuring Okefenokee NWR’s operations run smoothly, her dedication touching every program and partnership at the refuge.
Steady in the Face of Fire
Campbell’s contributions are perhaps most visible in times of crisis. During the Bugaboo Fire of 2007 — the largest fire in Georgia and Florida history — and subsequent wildfires including Honey Prairie (2011) and West Mims (2017), she managed the finances and logistics that kept firefighting crews supplied, housed, and operational. Her work behind the scenes ensured that frontline responders had the resources they needed to protect the swamp and surrounding communities.
“For nearly five decades, Dartha has been a cornerstone of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Refuges—serving with distinction as a Budget Analyst, Administrative Officer, and in numerous other key roles. Her deep institutional knowledge, unwavering professionalism, and generous spirit have made her a trusted resource and mentor to colleagues across the Service in the Refuge System. She is not only respected for her expertise but deeply admired for the person she is—a true embodiment of dedication and service." said Annette Taylor, Business Team Lead, R4-Refuges, USFWS.
A Humble Hero & Mentor
Though her work is often behind the scenes, Campbell is celebrated by colleagues as a humble hero of the Refuge System. She has trained countless staff, guided refuge managers through complex financial processes, and even assisted local vendors register in federal systems so they could work with the refuge — strengthening both refuge operations and the local economy.
"Dartha has been the beating heart of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for 49 years - more than half of its 88 year existence. Whether we like to admit it or not, money is the blood that keeps our day-to-day operations running, and Dartha has been the heart of the refuge by making sure that funding keeps circulating and getting where it needs to go. Dartha has been an amazing employee who has been willing to work late and on the weekends when necessary to pull the refuge through difficult times, such as when the Refuge had the largest wildfires in the history of the Department of the Interior. Dartha has supported seven refuge managers over the years and helped each one be successful. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge would not be the exceptional example of management of public lands that it is today without Dartha's dedication and commitment." said Michael Lusk, Refuge Manager, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
A saying heard across the National Wildlife Refuge System is that “everyone knows Dartha” — a reflection of how her work has touched colleagues across the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, particularly those who have done stints in the Southeast Region. That includes staff at Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges, led by Andrew Gude, recently retired and honored as the 2025 Paul Kroegel Award – Refuge Manager of the Year.
Recognition Beyond the Okefenokee
Campbell’s career is also marked by innovation and sacrifice that extend well beyond a single refuge. She was a driving force behind the tiny homes project at Okefenokee NWR, which saved the USFWS more than $1 million in construction costs while providing safe housing for fire crews. During disaster recovery, she meticulously managed FEMA reimbursements to ensure every dollar was accounted for and refuges could rebuild quickly.
Known for putting the mission first, Campbell has postponed retirement multiple times, determined to keep refuges stable during critical transitions. Her devotion to the Refuge System has become a model of service for colleagues across the country.
“Anyone who’s spent time in the Refuge System knows the name Dartha Campbell. For 49 years she’s been the one keeping the lights on, the budgets balanced, and the fires fought — literally,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “From Okefenokee to the Florida and Savannah refuge complexes, her fingerprints are on every project and every success. People talk about the challenges facing the Refuge System, and they’re real. But the reason the Refuge System endures — and continues to make a difference — is because of people like Dartha who show up year after year with grit, integrity, and a deep love for the mission. If that’s not Refuge Employee of the Year, I don’t know what is.”
“Okefenokee is a place of wonder, with cypress forests, blackwater channels, and wetlands alive with birds and wildlife,” said The Honorable Lynn Scarlett, Board Chair of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “For nearly half its history, Dartha Campbell has been at the heart of keeping this refuge strong. Her integrity, her constancy, and her devotion to both people and wildlife exemplify the very best of the Refuge System. Dartha reminds us that conservation depends on the human hands and human heart that sustain these places, year after year.”
Recognition Events
Dartha Campbell will be recognized locally at a celebration on Friday, January 16th, 2026, from 5:00–8:00 pm at Hartley Oaks in Folkston, Georgia, honoring her decades of service to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the wider community of conservation partners. For more information please visit refugeassociation.org/dartha.
Her story will also be featured nationally during the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards — Virtual National Celebration of the Refuge System on Tuesday, March 24th, 2026, at 7:00 pm ET.
To learn more visit refugeassociation.org/awards.
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As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the Refuge 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.
The National Wildlife Refuge Awards, presented annually by the National Wildlife Refuge Association since 1994, honor the exceptional contributions of volunteers, professionals, and partners who strengthen the National Wildlife Refuge System. Now in their 31st year, the awards celebrate the people whose passion and dedication protect wildlife, restore ecosystems, and connect communities to the natural world.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of public lands and waters in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation, encompassing more than 570 refuges and 850 million acres. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, refuges provide critical habitat for thousands of species and offer opportunities for Americans to experience nature through hiking, hunting, birding, photography, and education.
