Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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I and my wife owned a Wild Birds Unlimited store at the time and became interested in hummingbirds. We also sold some products from the Society and I was asked to join by its founder, Ross Hawkins, and have been president of the board of directors ever since. 

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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Prior to Wild Birds Unlimited I had 30 years experience in finance and accounting. My passion for the outdoors and conservation has propelled me to learn more about hummingbirds - an amazing species. 

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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After the passing of Ross, the founder of the International Hummingbird Society, Beth asked Kate and I to join the board.  We were happy to help!

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society? 

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I have been on several nonprofit boards, so experience with that helps greatly. Being a lawyer can usually help too. I have been interested in hummers since I started feeding them about 10 years ago, and have become even more passionate about that as a result of meeting people like you.​​

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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I joined The Hummingbird Society’s board at Ross’s invitation (and insistence) prior to 2009.  I had been doing his Quickbooks since we moved from the east coast where I had worked with Ross in the IHS office for a year plus, following my retirement.  Daryl and I belonged to same ornithological society as Ross and Beth and joined the society as soon as they formed and presented it.  While we only had one regular species of hummingbird in the neighborhood, I grew up in the southwestern part of the US raised by birders and lovers of hummingbirds.  The opportunity to support both folks I cared about and critters I adored was too good to pass up.

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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I have lots of experience serving on many boards and in many diverse groups. I have deep historical knowledge re the International Hummingbird Society. 

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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There were several openings on the Board and I had just been at the Festival that year and was helping out. I had been impressed with the Festival from the very first year and had attended every year prior to 2018.  I always stopped in at the International Hummingbird Society when Tom and I came out to visit our daughter in Flagstaff. Ross thought I had enough commitment to hummingbirds that he called me in September of that year and asked if I would be on the board. I suppose, I thought being on the board would allow me to learn from the other board members and I wanted to be a part of a group that focused on the conservation of these birds as well as educating people about them.  

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society? 

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I have been gardening and feeding hummingbirds for about 30 years and love talking to others about them and encourage backyard feeding and hummingbird friendly plants. I do have a passion for hummingbirds.  If I am somewhere and see them I can easily lose track of time watching them. I find watching them is definitely the best mood lifter there is.  Better than chocolate!  I work well on a team, am good at brainstorming ideas, and open to compromise.​​

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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I have fostered a yearlong habitat for hummingbirds since 2012 because I love these little winged gems. I was raised in Northern California by a gardener and a birder, so it was the perfect combination to learn about creating and maintaining a healthy habitat for all kinds of wildlife. I took the knowledge I learned as a young person and brought it with me when I relocated to Sedona almost  40 years ago. Very different climate, but the love of nature and gardening helped me adapt.  

One of the reasons I chose to be on this board is my love of connecting the community with the natural world around us. I have a long history of community participation in things I am passionate about. My love of IHS and the Sedona Hummingbird Festival has spurred me on to want to contribute to the growth of this wonderful group. It is an important organization in our city, and it allows people to come from all over the globe to enjoy the migration of these little creatures as well as our year long resident birds. And as you know, hummingbird enthusiasts are a lot of passionate and just a little bit eccentric - I speak from personal experience.  ​

What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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 I am a successful small donor fundraiser - I create events to raise money and provide education that engages local folks in a way that allows them ownership of belonging to a special group of people, hummingbird people. 

I think outside the box, I make events that are fun and memorable in their creativity, I am good at enrolling people and it creates more and more connectivity between people and the environment  in our community. And I am good at making money without spending a lot of funds.  

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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I was the past Executive Director of Tucson Audubon Society, where I oversaw efforts to restore, protect, and preserve habitat for Southern Arizona’s rich bird species. 

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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I have many years of non-profit leadership, including as a staff member with the Sierra Club. I am happy to be on board to do what I can for the  hummingbirds.

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

 

I was ‘in on it’ from the beginning. I was member #1 as my husband, Ross Hawkins, founded the society in 1996. When he passed at 81 in 2020, the board asked me to come on as Executive Director. I agreed, wanting to keep his (and our) dream of an organization to save hummingbirds alive and thriving. Now Executive Director, Emerita, having retired in 2003, I share my knowledge of the society by continuing to serve on the board.

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

 

I am a professional nature photographer specializing in hummingbirds with extensive travel to see and learn about them. I have written two books on hummers as well as a third one I am currently working on. A portion of those proceeds will go to IHS.

I am a valuable resource re knowledge of the history of the society, its members, donors, and contacts. I am also an advocate for the society through my presentations for the Sedona Hummingbird Festival, garden clubs, Sedona women's organizations, Rotary, local library, and Northern Arizona Audubon Society (NAAS). 

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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 Joining the board and actively contributing as a member offers me a broader platform to support the conservation of critically endangered hummingbird species—work that surpasses what I can achieve independently. The thought of any hummingbird species facing extinction in our lifetime is unimaginable, yet it is a reality we must confront and address urgently.

My passion for hummingbirds stems from cherished memories with my grandparents. It all began with a single feeder, and I vividly recall the joy on their faces as we added more, eventually attracting over a dozen hummingbirds to their backyard. Those moments, filled with pure wonder and connection, are forever etched in my heart and soul.

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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I am a dedicated hummingbird photographer who uses my personal platforms to educate and raise awareness about endangered species. With an engaged community already established, I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the International Hummingbird Society (IHS) to amplify our shared efforts. Additionally, as the owner of a social media marketing agency, I bring my expertise to help IHS achieve greater reach and expand its impact.

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

 

What I bring to the Board of Directors of the International Hummingbird Society is for the past eight years, I have devoted myself to studying, feeding and photographing hummingbirds. This journey has not only deepened my knowledge of their remarkable behavior and beauty, but has also given me firsthand insight into the challenges many species face due to harmful farming practices and global climate change.

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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As a hummingbird photographer my work has been published in multiple magazines, and I have been invited to share my expertise through podcasts, presentations and international events. I have spoken twice at the Sedona Hummingbird Festival and most recently at Global BirdFair, which attracted more than 17,000 birders worldwide. These opportunities have allowed me to communicate both the wonder of hummingbirds and the urgent need for their conservation to broad and diverse audiences.

I bring to the board a blend of artistic vision, scientific awareness and a strong track record of public engagement. My goal is to use my platform and experience to help the International Hummingbird Society inspire others, raise awareness about the threats facing hummingbirds, and strengthen the global community committed to the protection of these vital pollinators.

Why did you choose to join and support the International Hummingbird Society?

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Growing up in New Zealand, conservation—especially bird conservation—has always been part of my identity. After moving to Sedona, Arizona, I discovered the International Hummingbird Society through its Page Springs banding project and began volunteering.

Hummingbirds first captured my attention while traveling through South America, where their significance in Indigenous cultures deeply resonated with me. As I learned more about hummingbirds in Arizona and across the Americas, I became increasingly aware of the challenges they face. Joining the IHS board felt like a natural way to support their conservation and help bring greater attention to these remarkable birds.

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What skills, experiences, or passions do you bring as a board member for the International Hummingbird Society?

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I believe that my over 13 years of experience in the corporate world, specializing in brand and lifecycle marketing, would be an incredible asset to the IHS. I have worked in a number of startups that had been running with little to no marketing support nor strategy, and have helped them define their strategy, create a consistent brand/story, develop and execute a marketing plan, allowing them to grow their base and increase their retention. I am now at a stage in my career where I want to take the skills I have learned and apply them to a nonprofit. I bring a background in marketing and communications, along with a lifelong passion for conservation shaped by my upbringing in New Zealand. I’m motivated by connecting people to conservation stories and helping organizations share their impact in clear, engaging ways that inspire action.