NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Jan Fiderio 603.283.2107 jfidero@antioch.edu

May 11, 2011 for Immediate Release

Environmental Excellence Awards to Be Presented at Antioch University New England

Scott Hecker, Greg Watson honored for contributions to sustainability and environment

The Department of Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England (AUNE) will present two Environmental Excellence awards at the department’s year-end ceremony on Friday, May 13, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Community Room.

The Alumni Environmental Excellence 2011 Award will be presented to Scott Hecker, executive director of the Goldenrod Foundation. The Community Member Environmental Excellence 2011 Award will go to Greg Watson, senior advisor for clean energy technology in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The awards are given each year to an AUNE alumnus or alumna and to another person who have contributed significantly to sustainability and environmental protection through their work or personal actions.

About Scott Hecker

Scott Hecker (MS ’87) completed a master’s degree in resource management at AUNE in April 1987 and the next month went to work as a tern warden for the Massachusetts Audubon Society in Plymouth Beach. His affection for this remarkable beach and his passion for protecting threatened terns and plovers have only increased since that day. He is now the executive director of the Plymouth-based Goldenrod Foundation, which advocates protection of barrier-beach ecosystems through science-based advocacy and policy initiatives.

Hecker served as director of the Coastal Waterbird Program for Massachusetts Audubon between 1987 and 2002, playing a vital role in developing research, advocacy and education to protect threatened terns and plovers and conserve barrier beaches. The work of his staff and partners contributed to the dramatic rebound of the piping plover, which has been designated by the federal government as threatened, from 126 pairs in 1987 to 530 pairs in 2002.

From 2003 to 2008, Hecker developed the Coastal Bird Conservation Program for the National Audubon Society. As director, he broadened the reach of Audubon’s effective model to include a larger number of threatened coastal birds species and additional states on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Hecker is the author of “The Piping Plover as an Umbrella Species for the Barrier Beach Ecosystem,” published in Saving Biological Diversity.

About Greg Watson

Greg Watson is senior advisor for clean energy technology in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Watson’s long career of exemplary, cutting-edge public service has included serving as executive director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). Since residents of the Dudley Street neighborhood of Roxbury, Massachusetts, won eminent-domain power to redevelop abandoned property in their community, DSNI has become a beacon in the community development field.

Watson is the current vice chair of the board of directors for Bioneers, a nonprofit organization that provides solutions-based education and social connectivity through conferences and programs. He has also been director of educational programs for Second Nature, supporting senior college and university leaders in making healthy, just and sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education.

He has been executive director of the New Alchemy Institute, director of the Nature Conservancy's Eastern regional office and commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture.

About Antioch University New England (AUNE)
Antioch University New England offers highly respected doctoral, master’ s and certificate programs in education, environmental studies, management and psychology. Located in Keene, New Hampshire, this unique institution serves a thousand students each year. Our graduates have gone on to be leaders of positive change, working toward a more just and sustainable society. Founded in 1964, Antioch University is the oldest of Antioch University’ s graduate campuses. Learn more at: www.antiochne.edu.

About Antioch University
Antioch University serves more than 4,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and at its five campuses in four states. Each campus offers degree programs that meet—and often anticipate—the pressing needs of its region and the wider world. The University is also home to the landmark PhD in Leadership and Change; Antioch Education Abroad, an exceptional opportunity of immersive service and study programs; and WYSO, a leading public radio affiliate and an essential source of global news and opinion.
Antioch University is a nonprofit private 501(c) (3) organization and member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. For more information, www.antioch.edu.

Last Updated: 5/14/11