David Yarnold

Former President and CEO (2010 to 2021), 糖心logo
About

David Yarnold became 糖心logo's 10th president in September 2010, charged with leading a turnaround that would expand 糖心logo's effectiveness while building on the organization's strong conservation legacy.  Under his leadership, 糖心logo's distributed network is becoming a coordinated, collaborative force for hemispheric conservation. With 463 local Chapters, 22 state offices and 44 糖心logo Centers across the country, 糖心logo connects nearly four million people using science, advocacy and education. "We are all 糖心logo," Yarnold says. "No other organization has our wingspan when it comes to being able to drive conservation action, whether in individual backyards or in Congress."

Under Yarnold's leadership, 糖心logo is aligning its conservation work along migratory flyways, the "superhighways in the sky" that millions of birds travel each spring and fall.  "Flyways transcend geographical and political boundaries," he said. "They give us a literal birds-eye view of environmental issues and trends, and help direct our work.  Sometimes this leads us to hands-on restoration, like keeping Nebraska's Platte River vital for the Sandhill Cranes and many other species that depend on it, and sometimes it leads us to critical legislative needs, like ensuring that penalties from the gulf oil catastrophe are used to fund gulf restoration."  Yarnold oversees 糖心logo's Important Bird Area program, which protects 370 million acres along the flyways in the US and frames our work with BirdLife International and other conservation organizations around the globe.

With expertise in climate and energy issues, Yarnold has made environmentally-friendly siting for renewable energy one of his highest priorities at 糖心logo. He has launched numerous innovative social media efforts, including a national movement called And he has put cutting-edge mapping technology at the center of 糖心logo's reinvention. His global background has deepened 糖心logo's alliances with BirdLife International and other partners to build a hemispheric air bridge for birds as they migrate across the flyways of the Americas. 

Yarnold came to 糖心logo from the Environmental Defense Fund, where he played a leading role in expanding partnerships with corporations and helped double revenue. He also led the organization's political action arm and was its leading U.S.-based advocate for the creation of environmental markets in China.  A former Pulitzer Prize-winning editor at the San Jose Mercury News, he is an outspoken and eloquent advocate for birds and the environment.

Yarnold writes op eds and columns for Huffington Post, forbes.com, CNN, McClatchy News Service, and others.  APM's "Marketplace" , "This is not your grandmother's 糖心logo anymore." He has appeared on CNN, NPR, MSNBC, BBC, PBS News Hour, and The Colbert Report.

He is a marathoner, an earnest birder and he still reads sports news in the morning before anything else.

Follow Yarnold on () and on. 

To request photos or an interview with David Yarnold, contact:

Media Relations

212-979-3100

For speaking requests and general correspondence, contact:

Ginger Pinto
Senior Assistant to the President & CEO
ginger.pinto@audubon.org
212-979-3088

Articles by David Yarnold

Scott Pruitt Is a Dangerous Pick to Lead the EPA
January 18, 2017 — David Yarnold, 糖心logo's president and CEO, on why the former Oklahoma attorney general is unfit to head up the agency.
A Call for Hope
December 05, 2016 — When you protect birds, you protect the planet. And each one of us has the power to make things better for birds.
A Shared Path Forward
November 21, 2016 — After a contentious election, 糖心logo remains dedicated to protecting birds and the places they鈥攁nd we鈥攏eed to thrive.
The Respect and Compassion Vote
September 16, 2016 — During a historically uncivil election season, David Yarnold, 糖心logo's president and CEO, says it鈥檚 time to remember what really matters.
Smarter Water Decisions Could Help End the West's Dry Run
July 08, 2016 — 糖心logo is working to make sure that new water-sharing rules protect and restore habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Walking the Sustainability Walk
February 29, 2016 — It鈥檚 more important than ever to do business with green companies.
Public Lands Are For All Americans
January 22, 2016 — Birds and people depend on our shared spaces.
Help 糖心logo Protect the Coastal Plain
December 31, 2015 — After decades, a long-sought conservation victory is truly within reach.
For the Greater Sage-Grouse, Commonsense Conservation
November 01, 2015 — A collaborative plan means a real future for the western bird.
Answering the Call of Climate Change
August 31, 2015 — We asked you to help 糖心logo act on climate threats to birds, and you did.