Terri Watson has been named as executive director of LightHawk, a non-profit that uses volunteer general aviation pilots to help conservation organizations.
Watson has a long history with LightHawk beginning as a volunteer pilot in 1997, and later becoming a board member. She served a previous term as executive director from 2000-2003, flight services director from 1999-2000, and Northern Rockies program manager from 1998-1999.
Most recently, she was executive director of the Pearl Harbor Institute of Pacific Historic Parks in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has also served as executive director of Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.
In addition to her extensive nonprofit leadership experience, Terri is a 30-year career professional pilot and aviation business owner. She has worked in many roles as a Search and Rescue/EMS pilot; a fire recon and suppression pilot; a State Department support and training pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan; a former US Army aviator in Europe, Greenland and Korea; and an aviation consultant.
She is a 11,000+ hour Airline Transport Pilot with airplane single/multi-engine land and sea, helicopter, instrument-airplane and helicopter ratings, and flight instructor ratings for each of these.
Founded in 1979, LightHawk works with a network of more than 200 volunteer pilots. It establishes partnerships with conservation organizations to perform flight campaigns that accelerate conservation success by promoting informed decision-making, fostering dialogue and building consensus, and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of conservation action.