Matthew Emmer

Refuge Friends & Advocacy Manager
memmer@refugeassociation.org

Serving as Refuge Friends & Advocacy Manager at the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Matthew works to strengthen the national network of Friends organizations and grassroots advocates supporting America’s National Wildlife Refuge System. Drawing on his experience as President of Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges, he works at the intersection of conservation, community engagement and advocacy—helping people find meaningful ways to connect with and champion the places that protect wildlife and wild landscapes.

A storyteller and filmmaker by training, Matthew holds a Master’s in Film and Television from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a Bachelor’s in Audio Engineering from Clemson University. He has twice served as an artist-in-residence at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in 2018 and 2023, where his work focused on documenting park rangers, gathering oral histories and exploring the human stories behind public lands. He brings this creative perspective to his conservation work, believing that the future of the Refuge System depends not only on protecting these special places, but also on telling their stories and building the communities that will carry them forward.