The time that Charity Krueger spent at SEAS has paved the way for 42 years of work in the field of natural resources following her graduation in 1973. “The early 1970s was a time for environmental revolution through legislative action both locally and nationally,” Krueger said. “I wanted to change the world through activism, conservation and education.” Since then, Krueger spent 33 years as the Executive Director of Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. 

Starting in the 1980s, Krueger focused on sharing environmental messages through mass media. A weekly series named Our Earth A-Z was distributed through newspapers in 18 states, allowing it to reach millions of readers during its two-year publishing history. In the 1990s, Krueger focused on the conservation of neotropical migrant songbirds and habitats in North and Central America, bringing together 5,000 children and adults for conservation efforts and creating a six-part bilingual newspaper series that reached 1 million subscribers and 15,000 teachers and students. The 2000s saw Aullwood collaborating with faculty and students from Central State University (CSU), a historically black university, to transform a 37-acre former brownfield site in downtown Dayton, Ohio, into an urban tallgrass prairie. In one year, volunteers planted over 7,200 native prairie plants that were grown by CSU students. In 2004, Aullwood was selected from a field of over 60 nominees to receive the University of Syracuse’s Feinstone Award as one of two Outstanding Nature Centers in the country, demonstrating how much impact this organization has had over the years. Most recently in the 2010’s, Aullwood created STEMing Science and Research into Conservation Action, a program that engaged students from five Dayton STEM-education based schools to boost student performance in life and earth sciences.

Krueger’s time at Aullwood reinforced her belief that every challenge is a hidden opportunity for growth. “Whether the challenges are financial or meeting the needs of underserved constituents or engaging people in conservation action, it is important to listen, empower your staff/volunteers, build community partnerships and implement a plan for action,” she reflects. “Possessing passion, drive and determination as well as having the ability to blend visionary with organizational skills are key to success.”

Krueger also credits SEAS as having opened many doors for her. Throughout her career, she has worked with various federal and state agencies, school systems, and nonprofit organizations using the skills and knowledge she gained from SEAS. “U of M prepared me to excel,” Krueger said. “That is why I created a planned gift to SEAS to provide scholarships for future graduate students. I challenge SEAS graduates to provide others with the opportunities we received from our priceless experiences at U of M.”