COAC Fall Gathering at
Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm

 

When: Saturday, October 25, 2025

Where: Aullwood Nature Center is located at 1000 Aullwood Rd, Dayton, OH 45414, Phone: (937) 890-7360

RSVP by Deadline October 21, 2025 to Mark J Demyan, Mjd.cconst@gmail.com

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Our Two outstanding Speakers, Rob Swindell & Jackie Augustine, bios and topic descriptions are described below.

Timeline

  • 9 to 10 am Hike or  Just network with Other Members at the Aullwood Center

  • 10 am Welcome ( MJD ) 

  • 10 30  to 11 45 am, Building a Thriving State Audubon w/speaker: Jackie Augustine 

  • 11 45 Small Group Discussion

  • 12 15  Box Lunch Lunch 

  • 12 40 to 1 pm  Short Hike or walk or Networking

  • 1 pm to 2 pm or 215 pm, Strategic planning, especially for a volunteer-driven organization w/speaker Rob Swindell 

  • 2 PM or 2 15  Networking 

  • 3 pm COAC Involvement in National Leadership Conference Initiatives

  •  3 30 Discussion on Chapter Needs and wants

  • 3 50 Goodbye for now til next gathering in Spring of 2026 

  • 4 pm Hike around Aullwood with Aullwood staff  Sam Education 

  • And/Or Safe Travels Home! Thank you for traveling to Aullwood

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If you are staying the weekend Aullwood Staff can share with you hotels, hikes and locations to see around Aullwood.

About Our Speakers

Jackie Augustine left COAC to join Audubon of Kansas (AOK) in January 2021 as Executive Director. She received her doctorate degree in biology at Kansas State University studying the mating behavior of Greater Prairie-Chickens. As Executive Director, Jackie works to support AOK's three-fold mission of advocacy, conservation, and education. She is also a birdwatcher devoted to providing native plants around her home.

She will speak about Building a Thriving State Audubon: The impact and profile of Audubon of Kansas (AOK) has recently expanded to include a community of supporters. AOK has collaborated with libraries to initiate a Nature Adventurepack Program which provides binoculars to patrons, started a nationally-recognized bird festival and expanded a regional birding festival, increased the number of Protected Areas managed by AOK for wildlife, and advocated for the protection of wetlands of international importance in Kansas. She will talk about how setting a solid foundation internally, and communicating successes with members, has led to an increase in staff and endowments allowing for increased impact. 

Rob Swindell is a writer and advocate for conservation and animal compassion. He served as president and is the first Executive Director of the Black River Audubon Society, where he has led efforts to protect an Important Bird Area from development, install two Motus towers for wildlife tracking, and guide the organization’s 2024–2028 Strategic Plan. He is also a frequent speaker in the community and has appeared several times on Fox 8’s New Day Cleveland to talk about birds and conservation. In recognition of his conservation work, Rob received the Great Lakes Audubon Alan Dolan Conservation Advocacy Award in 2024.

Rob writes the Winging It column for the Chronicle-Telegram, where he shares stories and insights about birds, nature, and conservation. He previously authored more than 300 Consider This… columns for the Amherst News-Times over 15 years. He is the former president of Erie Shore Greyhound Adoption of Ohio and the Center for Free Inquiry of Northeast Ohio.

 A 2005 graduate of Leadership Lorain County, Rob holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Baldwin Wallace College, an MBA from Tiffin University, and a Juris Doctor from Concord Law School.

He will describe Strategic planning, especially for a volunteer-driven organization, as more than a formality. It creates stability through leadership transitions, provides continuity in vision, and ensures that goals are carried forward even as roles change hands. Without it, organizations can find themselves reinventing the wheel every time leadership shifts, which can be frustrating and inefficient. In contrast, a thoughtful plan gives the group a shared roadmap, helping new leaders step in with confidence and clarity. I believe it’s not only an important topic but one that could generate meaningful discussion—hopefully one that members would find engaging and beneficial.

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Any questions or concerns? Please call Mark J. Demyan
at (440) 708-4120 (cell)