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August 22, 2011 - Ellen Moorhead Fennell has been selected as Vice President-elect of the Ģ��Av and Executive Director of Ģ��Av Arkansas, a division of the National Ģ��Av Society. Fennell has served as Director of Development since 2002 and since March 2010, has served as Interim Director of the state office.

During her tenure with Ģ��Av Arkansas, Fennell was instrumental in securing funding for a number of state initiatives focusing on environmental initiatives in the state’s schools; water quality education and public outreach; energy policy; and habitat restoration. In 2009, a new Ģ��Av Center with an approximate 400-acre campus was launched in southeast Little Rock where the state program staff is housed. Ģ��Av also staffs a Northwest Arkansas office in Fayetteville.

“We have made great strides connecting people with nature and expanding our outreach to diverse communities around the state,” Fennell said, “but we have many challenges to face, including climate change, habitat loss and management of our state’s water. People are beginning to understand that our prosperity, quality of life and future depend on a healthy environment. Ģ��Av will continue to educate and advocate for policies and practices that protect wildlife, especially birds, and people.”

Ģ��Av Arkansas’s initiatives include: conserving the most essential bird habitats through the Important Bird Area program, working with students across Arkansas to connect schools, teachers and communities with their natural environments; promoting progressive and well planned energy policy that reduce our dependence on fossil fuel; pushing for water policies that promote responsible stewardship of waterways and watersheds; and assisting socially-disadvantaged Delta farmers to grow native warm-season grass seeds to generate additional revenue,

Prior to joining Ģ��Av Arkansas, Fennell held managerial positions at Heifer International, Winrock International and The Nature Conservancy. Fennell holds a B.A. in English from Rhodes College at Memphis, and resides in Little Rock with her husband, Tom Fennell, an architect. Fennell enjoys all outdoor activities including birdwatching, fishing, canoeing, and hiking.