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NEW YORK – The Լ����Ƶ announced today the appointment of Lisette Martinez to Chief Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer (CEDIBO). Martinez has more than 18 years of experience in launching, scaling and championing successful equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) programs. She joins Լ����Ƶ as a member of the Executive Team and will start on September 18. She was most recently the Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Jefferson Health.

“Lisette brings a long career in centering EDIB work, a track record of launching impactful EDIB initiatives, and experience working hemisphically to this important role,” said Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the Լ����Ƶ. “As Chief Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer, Lisette will help ensure that implementation of Լ����Ƶ’s new strategic plan is driven by EDIB values, and she will be a key leader in making the organization an inclusive and powerful force for conservation.”

At Jefferson Health, Martinez created and implemented Jefferson’s first global DEI plan in its 198-year history. She led a democratic, non-hierarchical, and transparent process with a broad range of stakeholders, including staff, faculty, boards, administrators, students, community members, and patients. She was responsible for overseeing their DEI strategic plan across 18 hospitals and 10 colleges impacting more than 50,000 students and employees. 

Prior to her time at Jefferson Health, she held leadership roles at the Yale New Haven Health System, where she designed their first EDIB strategic plan, and TriHealth, where she helped launch their first health equity initiative to provide care to underserved patients. She also serves on the boards of the Mann Center, Urban League of Philadelphia, and Project Home. 

Martinez was awarded for her leadership in Becker’s Hospital Review, named one of the Top 100 Women in Business by the National Women’s Conference, and recognized as one of the Top 25 Diversity Leaders in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare.

"As a birder, I am excited to join the Լ����Ƶ and be a part of a mission that impacts birds, people, and our planet,” said Lisette Martinez, Chief EDIB Officer of the Լ����Ƶ. “The driving force of my work is inclusion, and I am looking forward to working collaboratively with the entire Լ����Ƶ community." 

As the CEDIBO, Martinez will oversee Լ����Ƶ’s EDIB program and ensure that EDIB values drive the organization’s conservation efforts and internal culture. Լ����Ƶ recently announced a $25 million investment over the next five years to accelerate EDIB work at the organization. Martinez will be responsible for implementing these resources to align with Flight Plan, the organization’s new five-year strategic plan.

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About Լ����Ƶ 
The Լ����Ƶ is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need today and tomorrow. We work throughout the Americas towards a future where birds thrive because Լ����Ƶ is a powerful, diverse, and ever-growing force for conservation. Լ����Ƶ has more than 700 staff working across the hemisphere and more than 1.5 million active supporters. North America has lost three billion birds since 1970, and more than 500 bird species are at risk of extinction across Latin America and the Caribbean. Birds act as early warning systems about the health of our environment, and they tell us that birds – and our planet – are in crisis. Together as one Լ����Ƶ, we are working to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier bird populations and reversing current trends in biodiversity loss. We do this by implementing on-the-ground conservation, partnering with local communities, influencing public and corporate policy, and building community. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.