Honoring A Leader
The Conservation Leadership Awards were created in 2005 by the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Zoological Society to honor the lifelong legacy of animal welfare and the worldwide conservation leadership of George Rabb, Ph.D., president emeritus of the Society.
2022 Recipients
The Conservation Leadership Awards is an exclusive dinner hosted by the Chicago Zoological Society Trustees and Women's Board to recognize individuals and organizations for their collective impact on conservation efforts that are transforming our vision of how we INSPIRE conservation action, ENGAGE our communities, and RESTORE wildlife populations and people's connection to nature.
For more than 80 years, the Society has provided a safe haven for the species of the world, and has been a destination with compelling exhibits and programs, a source for transformational conservation efforts, and an incubator for future conservation leaders. Each year, at the Conservation Leadership Awards Dinner we celebrate the achievements of those who share our vision to INSPIRE, ENGAGE, and RESTORE. This year, we celebrate the following:
Corwith Hamill Lifetime Achievement Conservation Award | The Kunkler and Crown Family
Mr. William C. Kunkler III and his family are dedicated conservationists and active with Yellowstone to Yukon, an organization which conserves animal habitats and protects corridors along the 2,000-mile stretch from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon. Bill has been part the Chicago Zoological Society since 1989, and served two terms as its Board Chairman.
Edith Rockefeller McCormick Partnership Award | Polk Bros. Foundation
Polk Bros. Foundation and Chicago Zoological Society share a common commitment to education. With the Foundation’s support, CZS provides a variety of classes and workshops for Chicago Public Schools teachers to develop classroom practices that support high-level student engagement in science.
George B. Rabb Conservation Medal | Dr. Patricia Majluf, Senior Scientist at Oceana, Peru
Since 1982, Dr. Majluf has directed the longest running private conservation and research program in coastal Peru, recently turning her attention to conservation issues such as assessing the impacts of El Niño and fisheries on the fur seals and other marine wildlife populations. She has almost singly led marine conservation efforts in Peru, successfully promoting the establishment of the first Marine Protected Area System in Peru and South America in 2009 and developing nationwide awareness of the large-scale ecosystemic and socio-economic impacts of the anchoveta fishery.
Rising Conservation Leader Award | Dr. Susana Cárdenas-Alayza, Director of the Punta San Juan Program
Dr. Cárdenas-Alayza is Director of the Punta San Juan Program, where she oversees year-round field monitoring, capacity building, engagement with the local community, and research. She is incredibly involved with providing aid in the aftermath of the January 2022 Repsol oil spill off the coast of Peru, where she analyzes local seabirds for evidence on the oil spill’s effects on wildlife. As a professor at the Faculty of Sciences and Philosophy and the Marine Science Master’s Program at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, she serves as a connecting point between government institutions, environmental agencies and universities.