World Wildlife Fund

About Wendy Smith:

As founder and director of WWF’s Southeast Rivers and Streams Program, Wendy manages the protection and restoration of critical and endangered aquatic habitats from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This freshwater ecoregion covers nearly 10 percent of the United States and includes some of the most species-rich freshwater systems in the world.

On a daily basis, Wendy works with local governments, policymakers, communities and businesses to adopt more eco-friendly practices and to preserve and reintroduce species. In fact, her team has already convinced the state of Tennessee to change their water policies to ensure adequate clean water flow for mussel and fish populations. “Every group has their own interests at stake. What we try to do is define sustainability in terms that everyone can easily digest – and work with.”

Another of Wendy’s crucial roles is raising funds for local groups in support of the program. From hands-on preservation efforts to dealing with local officials, these groups bring a unique, informed focus to the conservation goals for the ecoregion.

A Detroit native, Wendy’s interest in the environment began at an early age. At seven, she became a junior Audubon Society member, and eventually went on to study Natural Resource Management at the University of Michigan. More recently, she co-authored “River Basins at Risk,” an assessment document used by resource agencies and NGOs throughout the ecoregion.