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.
Meg Ford
Black Belt Coordinator, meg@alaudubon.org
A Birmingham native, Meg has worked as a musician and an educator for over a decade. In 2014, her desire to learn more about the flora and fauna of her home state led her to a career in conservation, first at Birmingham’s Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, then at McDowell Environmental Center in Winston County, experiences that cemented her lifelong dedication to conservation, outreach, and community. When Meg’s not spending time outside hiking or gardening, you can find her around playing violin or enjoying a local show.
Alliemarie Humphries
Administrative Coordinator, alliemarie@alaudubon.org
Born in Alabama and raised in Central Florida, Alliemarie returned to her home state to grow her roots in 2010. As a student at the University of Alabama, she gained experience working with a local urban farm and volunteering with other community-oriented nonprofits, and has since worked primarily in the substance-abuse field, concentrating on improving peer services and providing access to treatment. She earned a master’s degree in public administration with a certification in nonprofit management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2019. Passionate about many things—including rescuing senior disabled animals, farming organically, and growing her community—Alliemarie currently calls Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood home.
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 BA 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 PhD in wildlife science in 2017 for her work on reddish egret movement. She joined our team in March 2019, after working most recently as a postdoctoral research associate studying brown pelicans.
Nicole Love
Coastal Coordinator, nicole@alaudubon.org
Originally from Pittsburgh, Nicole spent much of her life in Florida, the state where she earned both her BS and MS degrees (from University of Central Florida) and where she began her professional biology career. She has since been involved with several marine and estuarine programs operating at a variety of scales and covering a range of topics, from the ecological relationships of benthic invertebrates to regional watershed issues. She came to Alabama Audubon in 2018 from The Nature Conservancy, where she worked throughout the Gulf of Mexico with local communities and other stakeholders on coastal-resilience and restoration issues. Through her work, Nicole has developed a deep appreciation for the Gulf, an appreciation that continues to grow now that she and her family live in Fairhope, on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.
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.
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 Birmingham 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 Highland Park neighborhood home.