On October 8, PennFuture recognized the accomplishments of 11 exceptional women conservationists in southwestern Pennsylvania during its Sixth Annual “Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards” event.

Honorees

This year’s honorees include--

-- Lifetime Achievement In Conservation--

     -- Caren Glotfelty - Executive Director Of Allegheny Parks Foundation

     -- Beverly Braverman - Executive Director Of Mountain Watershed Association

     -- Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D - Author and Documentary Film Producer

-- Environmental Community Engagement--

     -- Maren Cooke - Environmental Science Educator, Sustainability Salon Host

-- Renewable Energy and Climate--

     -- Sharon Pillar - Executive Director of the PA Solar Center

-- Environmental Arts--

     -- Ann Rosenthal - Environmental Artist & Educator

-- Environmental Media, Marketing & Communications--

     -- Kirsi Jansa - Documentary Filmmaker and Journalist

-- Environmental Education--

     -- Camila Rivera Tinsley - Director of Education At Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

-- Environmental Justice--

     -- Raina Rippel - Director at Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project

-- Watersheds--

     -- Melissa Reckner - Program Manager For Penguin Court, Brandywine Conservancy

-- Young Woman Of Conservation Leadership--

     -- Leandra Mira - Leading Organizer of Pittsburgh’s FridaysForFuture & Climate Youth Strike

Click Here for profiles of each winner.

PennFuture’s “Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards” are designed to encourage continuing excellence in conservation and to forge a stronger network of exceptional women working to protect Pennsylvania’s environment.

Since its inception in 2015, this event has traveled around the state to different communities to ensure recognition of local leaders, volunteers, and career professionals. For 2020, we celebrated women in southwestern Pennsylvania.

PennFuture President and CEO Jacquelyn Bonomo, a former resident of the Pittsburgh area, said it was a difficult task selecting less than a dozen women to honor from among nearly 100 nominations.

“I wholly appreciate the powerful women who are driving forward environmental protection, helping to clean up our water and protecting residents from the devastating effects of air pollution and fracking,” she said. “We know that there are so many out there who deserve recognition.”

This year’s event was initially slated to be held at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic necessitated a pivot to an online-only event.

Despite the shift, PennFuture is thrilled to honor the following women conservationists in the region.

Visit PennFuture’s Celebrating Women In Conservation Awards webpage for more information.

(Photos: Caren Glotfelty, Beverly Braverman, Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D.)

Related Articles:

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-- Environmental Hearing Board Judge Richard P. Mather Retires

-- PA Environmental Council: 50 Years Of Civil Environmental Advocacy

-- ‘PEC's Pennsylvania - A Photo Essay’ By Photojournalist Jeff Swensen For PA Environmental Council's 50th Anniversary

[Posted: October 9, 2020]

10/12/2020