General Sessions: Keynote + Capstone

Wednesday Keynote Address

Dr. Carol Chambers — What will your Legacy Be?

  • Wednesday, February 4, 2026 — 10:00am to 11:30am
  • In-Person and Recorded
  • Monterey Ballroom/Adjacent to Lobby

Legacy. The long-lasting impacts of our life, our careers, our decisions and actions. The things we leave behind for the next generations. We all leave a legacy. The question is, how do we leave a good one? Ask yourself, what legacy am I creating in my life and my career? What legacy is our wildlife profession leaving for the next generation? I encourage you to think about these questions now and throughout your careers. We leave ecological legacies through the work we do for wildlife, whether we’re working with endangered species or habitat restoration. But there’s another important legacy to consider – that of representation and support for people in our profession. Many have experienced racism and inequity. Women have been told they would fail at their job, just because they were women. Others were told “You do a pretty good job for a girl,” or called “The Token” because they were the only person of color on a crew. Everyone deserves to be seen and well represented in our field and in TWS. There are many ways to create a good legacy that can be as simple as mentoring a young professional. This is a legacy we can continue to build for the wildlife profession.

Carol Chambers is a professor of wildlife ecology in the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University and past president of The Wildlife Society (2020-21). She grew up in the southeastern US and realized she wanted to work with animals while in college. After shadowing a veterinarian, she realized it was much more interesting to work outside with wild animals. Her BS and MS are from University of Kentucky and her PhD from Oregon State University. She believes in diversity in the wildlife profession. Carol’s research focuses on habitat relationships of charismatic microfauna including bats, small mammals, and diurnal breeding birds or “where do creatures live, why, and how can we maintain their habitat?”

Friday Capstone Presentation 

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant,

Wild Life – Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World

  • Friday, February 6, 2026 — 11:00am to 12:30pm
  • In Person AND Recorded
  • Monterey Ballroom/Adjacent to Lobby

Renowned wildlife ecologist, equity and justice advocate, television host, and storyteller Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a trail-blazing conservationist whose insights about STEM, equity, and the power of nature inspire audiences of all kinds. As an active scientist, Dr. Wynn-Grant researches how human activity influences the behavior of wild animals, spending long periods in the wilderness tracking and observing black and grizzly bears in the Western U.S. and African lions in rural Kenya and Tanzania. Her wildlife exploration and media work has taken her to six of seven continents and over 25 countries. Dr. Wynn-Grant attributes her interest in wildlife and conservation from the nature shows she watched on television as a child, and today she uses media to increase representation of Black scientists and explorers. Dr. Wynn-Grant is the Host of 5-time Emmy nominated Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom weekends on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Her memoir, Wild Life: A Scientist’s Journey From Dreams to Purpose, published by John Legend’s imprint Get Lifted Media along with Zando and acclaimed by Oprah Magazine, is available internationally.

Dr. Wynn-Grant envisions a near-future where the outdoors is a safe, equitably accessible, and positively transformative space for all people, and she shares her passionate insights in riveting keynotes and conversations. Dr. Wynn-Grant is a faculty member at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at University of California at Santa Barbara, serves on multiple boards of directors, and is a National Geographic Explorer. Her PBS podcast, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, takes listeners deep into the heart of the world’s most remote jungles, savannas, tundras, mountains, and deserts with her as she studies wild animals in their natural habitats. A phenomenal leader in her field and a compelling speaker, Dr. Wynn-Grant uses the power of storytelling to make science accessible, emphasizing the importance of creating equitable opportunities for young people to experience nature first-hand.