Michelle Manion Named Vice President of Policy And Advocacy

LINCOLN, MA.— Mass Audubon is pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Manion to be Vice President of Policy and Advocacy.

Manion’s position was elevated to the Vice President level, signaling Mass Audubon’s commitment to support robust climate action, and land and wildlife protection as priority environmental policies in town halls, on Beacon Hill, and in the nation’s capital. It also represents the statewide conservation organization’s commitment to mobilize its 135,000 members and other supporters to advocate on behalf of these policies.

“Michelle’s deep understanding of the climate challenges we face and how nature—our forests, grasslands, and wetlands—can help address those challenges will strengthen our ability to respond  effectively to this greatest of environmental threats,” Mass Audubon President David J. O’Neill said.

“Her substantial state, regional, and national policy expertise and her deep management experience are attributes that will immediately contribute to our senior leadership and policy and advocacy teams,” O’Neill added.

It is the opportunity to help guide and advance this work that attracted her, Manion said.

Trained as an economist, with graduate degrees in Public Policy and in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan, Manion brings two decades of environmental policy development and management experience, most recently with the Washington, D.C-based World Resources Institute and before that with Abt Associates, the respected Cambridge research and consulting firm.

"This will be a decisive decade for nature and our climate system,” she said. “I'm thrilled to be joining the Mass Audubon team at this critical moment to build on 125 years of innovative conservation."

During her career, Manion has honed her skills as an effective policy advocate in Massachusetts and at the federal level, committed to finding workable solutions for mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and creating sustainable natural systems.

Mass Audubon, founded in 1896 by two Boston women inspired to stop the commercial slaughter of birds for their feathers, has grown into a regional conservation leader, with influence beyond the borders of the Bay State.

As it celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, the conservation organization protects wildlife and the habitats they depend upon, promotes nature-based education for all ages, and advocates for a healthy environment accessible to people of all backgrounds and experiences.