Elizabeth (Betty) Petersen

ABA Betty Petersen Award for Conservation and Community to former Nuttall President Betty Petersen

The ABA Board is also proud to establish an entirely new award in the name of former ABA staffer Betty Petersen, who created and sustained the Birders' Exchange program. This new award, to be named the Betty Petersen Award for Conservation and Community, will recognize those who, like Betty, expand, diversify and strengthen the birding community, or who work – perhaps behind the scenes – to build a support network for conservation. The focus of this new award is less on ornithology, per se, and more on the effective application of skills that support and connect people.

The first recipient, made posthumously, will be Betty Petersen herself.