Get to Know Our Staff

Main Office

Chris Canfield
Executive Director

Chris Canfield was named Executive Director of the North Carolina State Office in January 2000 after working as the office's Director of Development. He joined Audubon after more than 6 years with UNC-Chapel Hill. There he was Director of Development for the Ackland Art Museum and Director of Communications for UNC's business school. A former air force officer, Chris worked at the Pentagon as a liaison with national news media. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama and a graduate degree in English literature from the University of Oxford in England which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Chris is an avid birder and trained bird bander. He is former treasurer of the New Hope Audubon chapter. In 1998, he attended Audubon's Ecology Workshop in Wyoming. Chris authored a children's play about the environment, "The Green Man Gets a Hand," presented at schools around the Triangle. His wife, Kate, also a birder, is an outreach educator for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. She is pursuing state certification as an environmental educator.

Ken has extensive experience in fundraising in the state having been development director for Rex Healthcare, Wesleyan College, and the NC office of the American Lung Association. As campaign counsel for DuBois Group, and most recently for Jerold Panas, Linzy and Partners, he has guided organizations across the county in development initiatives. Ken attended Lees-McRae College and lives in Raleigh with his wife and two children.

Margaret Scott
Office Manager

Margaret Scott, a North Carolina native, grew up in Rockingham County. After graduating from UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, she embarked on a 31 year career at the UNC Health Care System in Chapel Hill where she worked as a systems analyst and department manager.

From childhood, Margaret has always had a sense of concern and caring for plants and animals. From her travels worldwide, she expanded her understanding of many ecosystems and the importance of their preservation. Witnessing the various environmental changes throughout the state, she chose to become more directly involved in work on conservation and restoration of ecosystems in North Carolina. Upon her retirement in April 2001, Margaret joined the North Carolina State Office staff as a part-time administrative assistant.

Laura Jost
Development Associate

Laura Jost joined Audubon NC in February 2005 as Development Associate. Laura recently moved to North Carolina from Chicago where she was the external affairs and marketing assistant at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. She has extensive development experience including donor prospect research, special events, grant writing, and corporate and foundation relations. Laura holds a BA in environmental policy from Drake University. Laura will work on development activities with Chris, Ken, and Margaret in the Chapel Hill office.

Walker Golder
Deputy Director

Walker Golder, a native of the North Carolina coast, grew up exploring the marshes, tidal creeks and beaches near his home on Wrightsville Beach. He developed a keen interest in  waterbirds and shorebirds as a student of Dr. James F. Parnell and served as Warden for Audubon's Battery Island Sanctuary from 1986-89. After completing a Masters of Science degree in Marine Biology from UNC-Wilmington, Walker was hired by National Audubon as the first manager of the newly-created North Carolina Coastal Islands Sanctuary program. Under his management, the North Carolina sanctuary system has grown to 21 locations protecting tens of thousands of birds and their habitats.  Walker also instituted and leads the NC Important Bird Areas Program that seeks to identify and protect the state's most vital bird habitats. In 1999, Walker became Deputy Director of the North Carolina State Office and heads up the Wilmington location.  Walker received the National Audubon Society's "President's Award" in 1990, the National Audubon Society's Audubon Cares About Excellence Award for "Individual Achievement" in 1998, the Partner's In Flight "National Award for Stewardship" in 2001, and the Governor’s Award for Conservation Achievement -- "Wildlife Conservationist of the Year" in 2004.

Andy Wood
Director of Education

Andy Wood was formerly Education Curator at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, a post he held for nearly 13 years. After graduating from Texas A&M University in 1981 with a degree in Wildlife Management and Resource Conservation, Andy traveled to New Mexico, where he met his wife Sandy, and then on to North Carolina. Andy has literally spent a lifetime pursuing small critters and exploring unique and interesting habitats. His focus on environmental conservation spans over 30 years, beginning as a 15-year-old in a Connecticut nature center. In addition to authoring numerous environmental articles and appearing on local and national television and radio news networks, Andy has provided a weekly commentary on the many natural wonders of southeastern North Carolina for Wilmington public radio WHQR for more than 13 years. In 1998, Andy was recognized as the James Centorino Non-Traditional Marine Educator of the Year by the National Marine Educators Association. In 2004,  Andy was honored by Governor’s Award for Conservation Achievement Program for his accomplishments as a member of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission's Non-Game Advisory Committee, which was chosen as "Conservation Organization of the Year." He authored the most recent North Carolina-specific insert to the Audubon Adventures classroom learning kit. Andy then joined North Carolina Audubon as Education Director in October 2000. He focuses on expanding Audubon's education program in the state, especially through developing a network of Audubon environmental education centers across NC. Andy and his wife Sandy live in Wilmington, NC, with their two sons, Robin and Carson.

Damien Ossi
Conservation Biologist

Audubon North Carolina is excited to welcome Damien Ossi as its new Conservation Biologist. Damien joined the Audubon North Carolina staff  in October 2004 and will work with the Important Bird Area and Sanctuary programs. A 2004 graduate of Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment with a master's degree in environmental management, Damien has wide-ranging experience with bird protection and management. He monitored and managed Piping Plover populations for Massachusetts Audubon while in graduate school. Prior to that he worked with the Whooping Crane restoration project at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland from 1997-2002.  Damien will work in the Wilmington Office.