By Emma Castleberry
John Robbins, former chair of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF), has been elected as chair of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The 52 state affiliates of the NWF voted on his nomination at the 86th annual meeting. Robbins will serve for one year as chair-elect and assume the chair role in June 2023. A resident of Asheville, he is the first North Carolinian to serve as chair of the NWF.
“It’s a convergence of things for me,” John says of his commitment to conservation. “It starts with a lifelong love of nature.” John grew up in inner city Indianapolis, but he sought out wild experiences in the urban setting, playing and fishing in the creek that ran through town and watching in wonder as raccoons rifled through his garbage bins. John’s father was a fisherman and he gave him his first fishing pole for his fifth birthday. They spent many happy years fishing together, long into his father’s late life.
Trout fishing on the Davidson River with Earl B. Hunter Jr. of Brevard. Photo by Debbie Gillespie
“But a broader love of nature was developed between me and Mom,” says John. “We shared a love of birds.” Robbins kept a list of new birds he’d spotted and remembers the thrill of reaching 100 birds. “To this day, I have bird feeders around the house,” he says.
After a demanding career at Accenture as a consultant in technology, strategic planning and change management—experience that will have direct application in his new role as chair—John was able to retire early at 51 years old. “I had a personal commitment to give back that was enabled when I retired,” he says. His post-retirement life has been defined by nonprofit involvement as an active volunteer and with numerous other boards at the local and national level. “If we don’t protect nature and its surrounds, we aren’t protecting ourselves,” he says.
The NWF is uniquely organized under CEO Collin O’Mara as a national group with 6 million members and 52 state affiliates that is run by a board of directors. “We are clearly far and away the most impactful conservation organization in the country,” says Robbins, who joined the board of the NCWF in 2009. He has served for more than a decade as chair of the NCWF’s Charlie Shaw Society of supporters who annually contribute $1,000 or more toward NCWF’s work and programs. He also helped to develop NCWF’s IDEA (Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity and Awareness) committee and introduced Earl B. Hunter, Jr., founder and president of Black Folks Camp Too, to board members and staff, which led to Hunter’s invitation to speak at NCWF’s annual meeting in 2021. “I‘ve come to recognize that when protecting and restoring habitat, you can’t disengage yourself with involvement of people as well,” says Robbins. “Everyone deserves and should have the right and ability to be outside—not only at Yellowstone, but also at a park in their city.”
After joining the board of the NWF in 2017, he was elected eastern vice-chair in 2019. He played a lead role with conservationist Dr. Mamie Parker in launching the Creating Safe Spaces series, a multiyear initiative that focuses on the unique challenges and barriers Black people face in safely accessing and enjoying outdoor green spaces, and addressing institutional and systemic obstacles through program and policy initiatives. “John is really committed to diversity and inclusion,” says Parker. “When you see people like him lifting people up, it’s just amazing to watch.”
Robbins is quick to elaborate on the importance of the NWF’s mission, particularly that it’s not just about protecting wildlife in a vacuum. “We are a wildlife organization, but we are in a role that we are taking on things to save wildlife and humanity itself,” he says. “We are committed to conservation, restoration and protection of wildlife and habitat, but also connecting it to the necessary involvement of things that have impact for all of us.”
For more information, visit NWF.org.
