SCBNA’s CARE (Community, Access, Reach, and Engagement) Committee

SCB North America’s CARE (Community, Access, Reach, and Engagement) Committee exists to facilitate and carry out initiatives designed to promote equity, inclusion and diversity within both SCBNA and will work to increase equity, inclusion and diversity in the field of conservation across all levels – including the public, students, professionals, and leaders in the field. The committee will update this page with policies and initiatives as they develop. Looking to the future, the committee plans to increase engagement on these issues within the Society, its events, and within the conservation community at large, together with support from partner organizations including the Diversity Joint Venture, 500 Women Scientists, and others.

Interested to get involved? Contact CARE Committee Chair Anna Weber – annaweber52@gmail.com

SCBNA Allyship Program

The committee launched an SCBNA Allyship Program at an NACCB 2020 Interactive Session. The program seeks to promote an understanding of the the challenges faced by diverse communities within conservation, and to motivate dominant demographic groups to support minoritized groups based on this new understanding.

Visit the Allyship Program webpage for resources and information on how to become involved. The webpage is in its early stages, so please check back often for news and an upcoming video series. SCBNA thanks all of the CARE committee volunteers and interactive session participants for their contributions to this program.

NACCB 2024 Engagement

  • Pre-Conference Workshop

    • Bystander Intervention Training
  • Interactive Sessions
    • Conservation Towards Anti-Colonial, Action-Oriented Futures for Just and Inclusive Worlds
    • Adding an EDI lens to conservation: which voices are missing?
    • Inclusive Field Safety: Developing Field Safety Standards and Guidelines for Diverse ResearchersEquitable Conservation: From Aspirations to Actions
  • Symposia
    • Inclusive Field Safety: Narratives From The Field

NACCB 2022 Engagement

  • Interactive Session

    • Building a Better Fieldwork Future: Preventing & Managing Sexual Harassment and Assault in the Field
  • Symposia
    • Being with Bison: Balancing Western Scientific Inquiry with Traditional Ecological Knowledge
    • Bringing Together the African Diaspora to Facilitate North-South Collaborations on Biodiversity Conservation
    • Incorporating Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Into Conservation Standard

NACCB 2020 Engagement

  • Plenary Session: A New Paradigm of ‘High Impact’ Research: Why Conservation Science Needs to Prioritize Racial and Social Justice Watch the YouTube Video
  • Events
    • #BlackBirdersWeek Mentoring Panel with NACCB Student Affairs Committee Watch the YouTube Video
    • 500 Women Scientists Trivia night (jointly hosted by SCBNA’s DEI committees, and SCB’s Social Science Working Group)
  • Interactive Sessions – See NACCB 2020 Session Reports

    • Expanding Boundaries Through Allyship in Conservation Biology
    • Inclusion in Conservation: Perspectives and Experiences, A Candid Discussion
    • Claiming Space for Womxn and Other Non-Dominant Identities in Conservation Science
  • Workshops
    • Building a Better Fieldwork Future: Preventing & Managing Sexual Harassment and Assault in the Field,
    • Learning to collaborate in and out of the classroom: A toolkit for more inclusive conservation

NACCB 2018 Engagement

Art by Sam Hester, Visual Graphic Artist, drawn in real time at NACCB 2018

  • Symposia: Black in Biodiversity
  • Symposia: Bringing Back the Buffalo: Re-conceptualizing conservation through the Iinnii Initiative
  • Symposia: New Faces of Modern Conservation: Indigenous Protected Areas and the People Who Manage Them
  • Interactive Session: Conservation Outreach in Urban Schools: A Facilitated Discussion
  • Interactive Session: Indigenous Knowledge and Conservation: A Dialogue with Elders and Knowledge Holders

NACCB Initiatives & Policies

  • Conference Planning: SCBNA’s CARE committee has at least one representative involved in every aspect of NACCB planning and subcommittee work, keeping an eye to CARE priorities each step of the way.  We aim to further integrate and prioritize CARE efforts for every congress.
  • Scientific Program Review: SCBNA prioritizes increasing diverse voices at our events, including within the NACCB Scientific Program. Core requirements for selection of symposia, interactive sessions, workshops, short courses included diverse representation of speakers on panels and as session organizers.
  • Family-Friendly Congress: Feeding/pumping rooms are made available throughout in-person congress, baby-friendly NACCB announced, childcare recommendations provided, childcare subsidies offered.
  • Transparency and inclusion through communication: Funding will be prioritized for sign language interpretation for those in need of this service. Closed captioning available for all recorded presentations at virtual NACCB 2020.
  • Focus on diverse needs of congress participants:
    • Single & multi ID spaces: made available to groups wishing to hold meetings.
    • Accessibility: NACCB abides by ADA and CDA standards, and fulfills requests as made.
    • Diet: NACCB provides mainly vegetarian meals and accommodates gluten free and vegan diets as well.
    • Bathrooms: Includes gender neutral bathroom onsite
  • Financial Support: reduced student rates, developing country rates, and financial awards/registration waivers for: underrepresented and marginalized groups, postdocs, early career practitioners, students, chapter members, and educators.
  • Costs: In general, NACCB strives to keep registration rates as low as possible to accommodate all attendees and make the events affordable.
  • Code of Conduct and Safety Officer: All NACCB attendees are required to read and agree to this before purchasing registration. NACCB hires an experienced professional to assist with conflict-resolution and deescalation for in-person conferences. See NACCB 2020 and 2018 Codes of Conduct.

CARE Panel – International students and their status in the USA (Wednesday, September 18, 12-1:30 PM PDT)

WEBINAR RECORDING

Join the SCBNA CARE Committee for a virtual session where we will discuss the status of international students in the U.S. Our panelists will each present for 5-10 min and will then open the floor for a Q&A session with audience members. A recording of our session, along with relevant resources, will be uploaded to this page and to SCBNA’s Youtube site for future viewing. For more information on our panelists, please click below.

**NOTE: This is an informative webinar only; no legal advice will be provided by our panelists to attendees.**

Joann Ng Hartmann | Senior Impact Officer, NAFSA

Deeply committed to advancing international education, Joann supports strategic initiatives at NAFSA that foster intentional and impactful change at both organizational and systemic levels. She provides leadership for professional development programs, training, and publications that equip educators to navigate a complex global landscape. She also manages key regulatory relationships with federal agencies to ensure effective compliance practices and advocate for policies that enhance international mobility.

Clare Overmann | CEO, Assoc. of International Education Administrators (AIEA)

Clare Overmann is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), the premier professional association for international education leadership. In this role, she oversees the strategic direction and growth of the 700+ member organization. Prior to AIEA, Clare served as a senior leader at the Institute of International Education (IIE), directing its Center for International Partnerships, higher education initiatives, and external affairs. Clare holds degrees from Georgetown and NYU.

Malathi Benjamin | Immigration Attorney, Pasadena, CA

I am an immigrant to the USA myself with a great deal of cross-cultural exposure and experience, having been born in India, lived in Sri Lanka as a child, moved to England which was my home, moved to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates after marriage, and then to the USA. All my education was in England where I initially earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature before becoming a lawyer. I have practiced law in England, Dubai and in the USA since 1998. I opened my immigration law firm as a sole practitioner in 2001 and handle a variety of cases, including student related cases.

I am married with two sons and 3 (soon to be four) grandsons!

Christie Thomas | Director, Office of International Students and Scholars, University of New Orleans

Since 2007, Christie Thomas has served as Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at the University of New Orleans, where she manages compliance for visa sponsorship for international students, scholars, faculty, and staff.  Prior to coming to UNO, she held roles in international education and student affairs at institutions in Connecticut and New York.  She holds membership in NAFSA:  Association of International Educators and CUPA:HR.  She resides in New Orleans with her small rescue dog, Stella.

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Committee Members:

  • Anna Weber, Chair
  • Brendan Reid
  • Wynne Moss
  • Cait Williamson
  • Tiffany James
  • Jessa Madosky
  • Martha Groom
  • Matthew Knope