FAIRFIELD, CT -- The Connecticut Audubon Society has named Amy Barnouw as the new director of the Fairfield Region. Barnouw will lead the organization’s Center at Fairfield, as well as the historic Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary, which also serves as Connecticut Audubon’s state headquarters.
Barnouw will be working with local groups and individuals to meet Connecticut Audubon’s conservation and education goals. She’ll also be responsible for raising the funds to meet those goals. As a member of The Connecticut Audubon Society’s senior team, Barnouw will assist with establishing and implementing conservation, development, research, education, and communication strategies.
Barnouw, who started in her new position on November 1, brings a unique blend of expertise in marketing and business development for regional and national environmental conservation organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. A native of Connecticut, she started her career in the Pacific Northwest as regional director of LightHawk, creating innovative campaigns that addressed conservation efforts around deforestation and watershed health in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. She then served as the assistant director of The Wilderness Society's Northwest Region based in Seattle before returning to the east coast.
In 2010, Barnouw co-founded the Planet Fuel Beverage Company and its social impact arm, the Planet Fuel Charitable Fund. Through the Charitable Fund, she developed a high school advisory council which oversaw the environmental grant-making process and launched an environmental film series at the Fairfield Theatre Company to showcase award-winning documentaries.
Most recently, Barnouw was marketing director at Katabat where she led their global digital marketing campaigns. She has served on the boards of various conservation organizations, including the Connecticut Audubon Society from 2018 until 2022, and currently is a President’s Council Member of the Norma Pfriem Breast Center.
Founded in 1898, The Connecticut Audubon Society operates nature facilities in Fairfield, Milford, Pomfret, Hampton, Sherman, and Old Lyme, a program in the Greater Hartford area, and an EcoTravel office in Essex. Connecticut Audubon manages 21 wildlife sanctuaries encompassing more than 3,400 acres of open space in Connecticut, and educates over 100,000 children and adults annually. Connecticut Audubon is an independent organization, not affiliated with any national or governmental group.