Ansel Payne, PhD
Executive Director, ansel@alaudubon.org
Ansel joined the Alabama Audubon staff as a naturalist in 2016, before becoming the organization’s first Outreach Director later that year; he assumed the role of Executive Director in May 2018. A graduate of Harvard (BA) and Tufts (MS), he earned his PhD in comparative biology at the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Graduate School, where his work on the evolutionary history of digger wasps led to field expeditions in the American West, Central America, and the Middle East. The author of several scientific papers and popular articles, he lives in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood with his wife, Dr. Mairin Odle.
Sabrina Cobb
Coastal Biologist, sabrina@alaudubon.org
Sabrina Cobb recently relocated to Alabama from South Carolina to engage and continue her ongoing passion for coastal ecosystems. She graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 2011 with a B.S. in Marine Science and minor in Coastal Geology. Upon graduation Sabrina worked 8 years as a National Marine Fisheries and Endangered Species Monitor. Her work has allowed her to observe and document several species interactions in the commercial fishing and dredging industry. In 2019 Sabrina collected data for Oregon State University through Sea Grant on sea bird interactions with trawl gear. It has been her long-term goal to monitor and protect nesting shorebirds and seabirds with Alabama Audubon.
Alliemarie Humphries
Administrative Coordinator, alliemarie@alaudubon.org
Born in Birmingham and raised primarily in Central Florida, Alliemarie joined us in 2019 after spending several years working in administration for various organizations in West Alabama. Following completion of a B.A. in literature from the University of Alabama, she continued to cultivate experiences through volunteer work. Alliemarie has a master’s degree in public administration, with certification in nonprofit management, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is currently pursuing a doctorate, studying health education and promotion at UAB. One of her goals while at Audubon (and beyond) is to play a role in creating broader access to birding and developing programming that aims to improve resiliency for those with mental health diagnoses. In addition to her studies and work, Alliemarie volunteers for a handful of local and state-wide organizations. She currently resides in Birmingham with her partner and their rescued-cats.
Lianne Koczur, PhD
Science & Conservation Director, lianne@alaudubon.org
A Massachusetts native, Lianne’s lifelong interest in birds began by watching them at feeders in her yard. After earning a B.A. in biology from the University of Maine at Farmington, she spent several years working as a field biologist, monitoring piping plovers and least terns in South Dakota and black-capped vireos and nesting sea turtles in Texas, restoring seabird habitat on California’s Santa Barbara Island, and conducting shorebird surveys along the Gulf Coast. In 2013, Lianne earned her master’s degree in range and wildlife management from Texas A&M–Kingsville for her studies of American oystercatcher reproductive success; she then continued at Kingsville, earning a Ph.D. in wildlife science in 2017 for her work on reddish egret movement. She joined our team in March 2019, and currently resides in Hoover.
Olivia Morpeth
Coastal Biologist, olivia@alaudubon.org
Born and raised in central New Jersey, Olivia graduated from Delaware Valley University in 2018 with a BS in conservation and wildlife management and a minor in business administration. She worked at the Mercer County Wildlife Center in college, rehabilitating orphaned, injured, and displaced native wildlife. Olivia came to Alabama in the fall of 2018 to intern at the Orange Beach Wildlife Center. Starting in April 2019, she interned at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Fort Morgan, protecting sea turtle nests and collecting data through predation observations and excavations to determine hatching success on refuge beaches. During her time at the refuge, she also participated in Alabama beach mouse trapping surveys as well as beach nesting bird surveys for snowy plovers.
Theresa Nabors
Programs Assistant, theresa@alaudubon.org
Theresa graduated from the University of Alabama’s New College program with a depth study in interdisciplinary culture and social change with a concentration in ethnographic photography. She has a love for traveling and exploring new places and ideas. In 2020, she had a baby and graduated from the University of Alabama with a master’s of social work degree. Theresa is excited to bring her passion for environmental conservation to Audubon and this position. She’s a Birmingham native and lives in the Crestwood neighborhood with her husband and daughter.
Chris Oberholster
Development Director, chris@alaudubon.org
Chris started working with Alabama Audubon as the organization’s Partnership & Policy Director in December 2016, before transitioning to his current fundraising role in 2019. Born and raised in South Africa, he earned a master’s degree in agronomy and soils at Auburn University, and has lived in and explored Alabama for the last thirty years. Before coming to Audubon, Chris worked for almost twenty-five years at The Nature Conservancy—most recently as that organization’s Alabama State Director—and played a pivotal role in the 2012 renewal of Alabama’s popular Forever Wild public-land program. An avid hunter, birder, and stamp collector, he lives in Hoover with his wife Suzanne and their three children.
Sarah Randolph
Outreach & Communications Director, sarah@alaudubon.org
A Birmingham native, Sarah brought her diverse background in the nonprofit and private sectors—including over eight years of experience in communications, marketing, development, public relations, and event planning—to Alabama Audubon in 2018. An artist and dedicated environmentalist who has spent much of the last decade volunteering with local nonprofits, she is passionate about making Alabama a better place for both people and birds. She earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in communication management with a minor in marketing, and currently calls the Glen Iris neighborhood home.
Cortney Weatherby
Coastal Outreach Manager, cortney@alaudubon.org
Born and raised in Nebraska, Cortney developed a love for all things outdoors at an early age. After earning a BS in Marine Biology from Northwest Missouri State University, she spent several years working as an educator and a naturalist with environmental organizations in the Florida Keys, South Carolina, Alaska, and Virginia. Cortney’s interest in birds started thanks to a coworker, and has since become intertwined with her passion for education, stewardship, and community building around coastal ecosystems. Cortney lives in Daphne and enjoys birding, fly fishing, kayaking, and reading.