Adrienne Sponberg named executive director of the Ecological Society of America
Washington, D.C., February 9, 2026 — The ESA Governing Board announced today that Dr. Adrienne Sponberg will become its new executive director effective March 2. Following an extensive search, the Governing Board unanimously selected Sponberg from an outstanding field of candidates because of her deep experience within the ecological community. She is being promoted from the ESA director of publications into the leadership position. Sponberg brings over 25 years of executive-level association experience, with a proven record of partnering with governing boards, securing funding and delivering measurable outcomes across publishing, public policy and member engagement.
“Since my first scientific presentation as a graduate student, ESA has been a constant presence in my career. As an author, collaborator and staff member, I have witnessed ESA’s impact in advancing ecology and connecting science with society,” said Sponberg. “I am honored to accept this position and look forward to working with the ESA community to advance the Society’s mission in the years ahead.”
Before joining ESA in 2021, she served as director of communications and science and Editor in Chief for the Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). Her tenure with ASLO began as a joint position with the American Institute of Biological Sciences, where she served as director of public policy. Throughout her career, Sponberg has received several prestigious fellowships, including an ORISE NOAA fellowship and a Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, during which she was assigned to the office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“She is a well-respected leader with a large professional network recognized for fostering collaboration, building high-performing teams, modernizing technology systems and launching programs that expand member engagement and participation. Sponberg is ready to lead ESA with vision and strategic impact,” said ESA President Peter Groffman.
Sponberg holds a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology from the University of Notre Dame and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Alabama, Huntsville.
“Since my first scientific presentation as a graduate student, ESA has been a constant presence in my career. As an author, collaborator and staff member, I have witnessed ESA’s impact in advancing ecology and connecting science with society,” said Sponberg. “I am honored to accept this position and look forward to working with the ESA community to advance the Society’s mission in the years ahead.”
Before joining ESA in 2021, she served as director of communications and science and Editor in Chief for the Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). Her tenure with ASLO began as a joint position with the American Institute of Biological Sciences, where she served as director of public policy. Throughout her career, Sponberg has received several prestigious fellowships, including an ORISE NOAA fellowship and a Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, during which she was assigned to the office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“She is a well-respected leader with a large professional network recognized for fostering collaboration, building high-performing teams, modernizing technology systems and launching programs that expand member engagement and participation. Sponberg is ready to lead ESA with vision and strategic impact,” said ESA President Peter Groffman.
Sponberg holds a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology from the University of Notre Dame and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Alabama, Huntsville.
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The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org
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