Conservation Conference 2023 | June 20-21 | Hilton Baltimore

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Nature is our business… and yours.

As the only conservation organization to focus on corporate contributions to biodiversity, employee engagement and community relations, WHC is in a unique position to offer the most relevant and timely insights into the issues facing the intersection of biodiversity and business today.

Join us at the 2023 WHC Conference, where corporate conservation professionals will convene to share strategies and inspiration to drive the success of biodiversity around the world.

With 700 WHC-certified programs in 28 countries around the world, our collective reach can make a difference in our environmental and economical futures because, not only is nature our business, nature is everyone’s business.

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Visit the 2022 Conservation Conference website

Recognizing excellence in corporate conservation

Each year, the WHC Awards recognize programs and projects that demonstrate excellence in corporate conservation. Recipients include both national and international companies across a variety of industry sectors.

General Motors WHC Award Winner 2022

Award finalists and winners are chosen from Conservation Certification applications submitted from January 1, 2022 – December 1, 2022. (Applications received after December 1, 2022, will be considered for the 2024 WHC Awards. Applications under appeal are not considered.) Finalists will be announced in March.

WHC Awards criteria

Previous WHC Awards winners and finalists

Download the agenda

DAY 1  |  TUESDAY JUNE 20

7:00am-3:30pm | Badge Pick Up and On-Site Registration

8:00am-4:00pm | Exhibit Hall Open

8:00am-9:00am | Breakfast Briefing: Plant for Pollinators: Creating a Cost-Efficient and Thriving Pollinator Habitat

  • Shannon Farmer, NAPPC Coordinator, Pollinator Partnership
  • Mark Fiely, Horticulturist, Ernst Conservation Seeds
  • Angela Schreffler, Senior Project Manager, McCormick Taylor, Inc.
  • Kelly Bills, Executive Director, Pollinator Partnership (Moderator)

9:05am-10:20am | Keynote: Fred Tutman
WHC Awards Presentation: Avian, Mammals, Reptiles & Amphibians, Species of Concern, Other Species

10:30am-11:30am | Concurrent Sessions

Aligning with Regulations to Speed Restoration and Improve Biodiversity

  • Jeff Hamm, Vice President, ESG/Business Development, Summit Materials
  • Rebecca Madsen, Director, Restoration Economy Center, Environmental Policy Innovation Center
  • Sean Saville, Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife Campaign Manager, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
  • Hannah Tailor, Senior Manager, Certification, WHC (Moderator)

Classrooms Without Walls: Expanding STEM Access Through Conservation Education

  • Ann George, Sr. Scientist, Freeport-McMoRan
  • Karen Kish, Environmental Scientist, Jacobs
  • Jacque Williamson, Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

Harnessing the Power of Nature: The Business Case for Nature-based Solutions

  • Jeff Hanratty, Managing Director for National Sustainability Programs, Ducks Unlimited
  • Becky Martin, Environmental Sustainability Manager, Toyota
  • Edwin Pinero, CEO, EcoMetrics LLC
  • Joey Mendolia, Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

12:00pm-1:45pm | Lunch and Mainstage: State of Corporate Conservation

  • Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC

WHC Awards Presentation: Desert, Forests, Grasslands, Marine Intertidal, Wetlands/Waterbodies

2:00pm-3:00pm | Concurrent Sessions

From Data Mapping to Drones: Applying Innovative Technology to Corporate Conservation

  • Adam Melick, Environmental Advisor, Ontario Power Generation
  • Jenn Rogers, Vice President, Steward Green
  • Gene Huntington, Steward Green (Moderator)

Nature for Everyone: Prioritizing Inclusivity in Conservation

  • BreAnna Lockhart, Corporate Social Responsibility Representative, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
  • Ambika Rajyagor, Co-Founder, Disabled & Outdoors
  • Tony Richardson, Senior Manager, JEDI Initiatives, Rock Creek Conservancy (Moderator)

2:00pm-4:30pm | Using Nature to Inspire and Educate: A Project WILD Workshop

  • Elena Takaki, Director of Professional Development and Conservation Education, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
  • Kerry Wixted, Amphibian, Reptile, and Invasive Species Program Manager, Association of Fish & Wildlife
    Agencies
  • Delainey Williams, Manager, Conservation Certification, WHC (Moderator)

3:00pm-3:30pm | Networking Break

3:30pm-4:30pm | Breakout Session

Real-World Solutions to Commercial and Industrial Landscaping Challenges

  • Andrew Bunting, Vice President of Horticulture, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
  • Steve Castorani, President, North Creek Nurseries
  • Dean Rosencranz, PA Master Naturalist
  • Claudia West, Principal, Phyto Studio
  • Patricia Billette, Sr. Program Manager, Social Impact, WHC (Moderator)

DAY 2  |  WEDNESDAY JUNE 21

7:45am-3pm, 5pm-6pm | Badge Pick Up and On-Site Registration

9:00am-3:00pm | Exhibit Hall Open 

8:00am-9:00am | Breakfast Briefing: Stellar Conservation Stories from Around the Globe

  • Karla Gonzalez, Sustainability Manager, Vulcan Materials Company
  • Cale Reeder, Quality Control/Environmental Supervisor, Covia
  • Nancy Laser, Environmental, Chemistry and Safety Technician, Ontario Power Generation
  • Erin Allegro, Senior Manager, Business Development, WHC (Moderator)

9:05am-10:20am | Keynote: Sylvia Baffour
WHC Awards: Awareness/Engagement, Formal Learning, Training, Green Infrastructure, and Landscaped Projects

10:20am-10:50am | Book Signing with Keynote Sylvia Baffour

10:00am-2:00pm | Makers’ Pavilion

10:45am-11:45am | Concurrent Sessions

Healthy Trees, Healthy Planet: The Many Benefits of Reforestation

  • Lisa Chiffolo, Environmental Engineer, Toyota
  • Ashley Triplett, Senior Forest Resilience Manager, Rock Creek Conservancy
  • Daniel Goldfarb, Director, Social Impact, WHC (Moderator)

Lessons from Nature: Biodiversity Uplift and Circularity Across Supply Chains

  • Mechelle Engemann, Sr. Sustainability Officer, Solvay
  • Marsha Forthofer, Senior Circular Economy Engineer, General Motors
  • Sarah Tea, ESG Strategies Nature and Packaging Lead, General Motors
  • Rob Campbell, Director, Technical Services, WHC (Moderator)

Making Connections Between Climate, Water and Resilience: A Project WET Workshop

  • John Etgen, CEO, Project WET
  • Gwen Harris, Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

11:45am-1:30pm | Lunch and Mainstage Session: Nature Is On The Agenda: What’s Happening on the Global Stage of Biodiversity

  • Delf Bintakies, Head of Environment, Bayer
  • Shell Lin, Partners and Operations Manager, Business for Nature
  • Regan Smyth, Vice President, Data & Methods, NatureServe
  • Ben Grumbles, Executive Director, ECOS (Moderator)

WHC Awards: Land Conservation Agreements, Remediation, Rocky Areas, and Other Habitats Projects

1:30pm-2:00pm | Coffee Break at the Makers’ Pavilion

2:00pm-3:10pm | Mainstage Session: Conservation in Charm City

  • Curtis Bennett, Director of Equity and Community Engagement, National Aquarium
  • Jeff Carroll, CEO, Urban Wood Economy
  • Tanaira Cullens, Environmental Scientist, Biohabitats
  • Adam Lindquist, Vice President, Healthy Harbor Initiative, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore

WHC Awards: Bats, Pollinators, Invasive Species, and Invasive Species Coordinated Approaches Projects

3:00pm-5:00pm | Certification Photo Studio, Sponsored by Chemours – By Appointment

3:15pm-4:15pm | Breakout Session

Navigating the Reporting Landscape: Understanding, Assessing and Building an ESG Strategy

  • Prabhjot Bal, Environmental Social & Governance Analyst, Summit Materials
  • Bruna Pasquini, Program Manager, Arcadis
  • Matthew Rusk, Head of GRI North, Global Reporting Initiative
  • Shaun Clark, Sr. Consultant, WHC (Moderator)

5:00pm-6:00pm | Networking Happy Hour

6:30pm-9:30pm | WHC Awards Dinner, Sponsored by General Motors

Please note that agenda and speakers are subject to change.

Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

401 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201

WHC’s room block has expired. Please contact the Hilton Baltimore directly for availability.

Find us next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Inner Harbor’s museums, the National Aquarium, and TopGolf Baltimore are all within a mile. We’re connected to Baltimore Convention Center via skywalk and near downtown dining. Camden Station’s light rail is a three-minute walk and offers airport transit. Enjoy our heated indoor pool, whirlpool, and sauna.

What’s going on in Baltimore?

Explore Baltimore’s dining scene

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*For those attendees that book a room in the official Room Block over the peak Event dates, quoted group room rates will be offered to Group’s attendees, based on contracted room type and rate availability, three days before and three days after the above official Event date.

Register now …

PRICING DEADLINES January 19 – May 21
Advance Rate		 May 22 – June 19
Standard Rate		 June 20 – June 21
On-site Rate
Member $845 $1099 $1299
Non-Member $1299 $1649 $1799
Non-Profit, Government $499 $599 $699

Registration Policies
Registration includes all scheduled meals, including the WHC Awards Dinner, and admission to all sessions. Registration is not final until payment has been received. Substitutions will be allowed. Refund Policy: 100% before March 31, 2023; 50% between April 1 and April 30, 2023; no refunds after April 30, 2023. All requests for substitutions and refunds must be made in writing to conservationconference@wildlifehc.org.