2026 Candidate Audrey Mayer

Audrey Mayer (CV)
Field Office Supervisor
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Candidate for: Member of the Board of Professional Certification (incumbent)

I received my B.A. in Biology and Public Policy Analysis from Pomona College in 1994, and my Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Tennessee in 2000. Both my undergraduate and graduate research was focused on federally listed songbirds. I completed postdoctoral work at the University of Cincinnati on bird biodiversity patterns before joining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an ecologist in 2001, assisting other federal and state agencies with stormwater management and aquatic connectivity issues. In 2006, I moved to Finland to lead a research team at the University of Helsinki for three years, assessing the impact of the international forestry industry on biodiversity in northern Europe. In 2009, I began my professorship at Michigan Technological University, with a joint appointment between the Department of Social Sciences and the College of Forestry and Environmental Science, where I taught and conducted research on a range of topics in terrestrial ecology and environmental policy. Finally in 2021, I returned to Federal service as a Field Office Supervisor for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, where I oversee a variety of programs related to endangered species, fish passage at hydropower facilities, habitat restoration, and coastal resilience. I have served in volunteer positions for the International Association for Landscape Ecologists, specifically in the capacity of Councilor-at-Large and as Program Chair for 2018 annual meeting in Chicago.

How Would You Support ESA’s Mission?

ESA’s mission is to “advance[] the science and practice of ecology and supports ecologists throughout their careers.” I have served on the ESA Board of Professional Certification for the past three years and I look forward to continuing my contributions to the certification program that directly supports all of us at all stages of our careers. Specifically, I will contribute advice that assists students in ecology to plan their course of studies that will prepare them with the knowledge and skills needed to launch their careers. I will also endeavor to ensure that the certification program encourages ecologists in all career stages to keep our knowledge and skills current, to adhere to and bolster our common understanding of the field and its requirements for expertise, and to continuously serve our professional communities (whether in ESA or other professional societies).