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Education and Communications Leopold Fellow

Aldo Leopold Foundation
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Future Leaders Program Fellowships 2025-2026 

 

Organizational Overview
The mission of the  Aldo Leopold Foundation(ALF) is to foster the land ethicthrough the legacy of Aldo Leopold. Based in Baraboo, Wisconsin, we manage, interpret, and preserve the renowned  Leopold Shack and FarmNational Historic Landmark, which receives thousands of visitors each year. Our care of this special place continues the Leopold family tradition while demonstrating on-the-ground conservation relevance for the 21st Century. Offsite, too, we reach regional, domestic, and international audiences through a variety of education and land stewardship programs. We impart Leopold’s land ethic as described in A Sand County Almanac—the book for which Leopold is most widely known—by actively engaging educators, citizens, natural resource professionals, and landowners to improve land health in their own communities. 

 

The Aldo Leopold Foundation headquarters is in an idyllic setting surrounded by 4,000 acres of land co-managed as the Leopold-Pines Conservation Area (LPCA) within a 12,000-acre public Important Bird Area. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, constructed in 2007, is a LEED Certified Platinum “green” building that is home to the foundation’s office space and visitor center.  

 

Future Leaders Program Fellowships Overview
Leadership in conservation is a critical piece to solving the ongoing and emerging environmental issues of today. The Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Future Leaders Program(FLP) is designed to provide early career individuals who have dedicated substantial schooling or work experience to the field of conservation the opportunity to gain experience and grow in conservation leadership, applied science and natural history, strategic planning, engagement and communication, land ethics, and social dimensions. They will receive on-the-job experience with the opportunity to dive deeper into a chosen area as a focus of the year.
Future Leaders Program Fellowships specialize in two program areas, Education & Communications or Land Stewardship, though each receives exposure to other program areas and organization-wide efforts.  Fellows also have the opportunity to interact with both a diverse range of conservation professionals and the Leopold community, including Leopold family members.  

 

All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States at the time they apply and have a valid driver’s license. Leopold Fellows must commit full-time to the entire 12-month program. 

Education & Communications Leopold Fellow Position Impact Statement 

Education & Communications Fellows support an array of on-site programs, outreach initiatives, and communications efforts, creating opportunities for audiences to learn about Aldo Leopold, the foundation, and our work to advance a land ethic and land health locally and globally. 

Education & Communications Leopold Fellow Position Summary

The Education & Communications Leopold Fellows work side by side with experienced staff members to build a wide array of skills needed to contribute to, conduct, and manage education programs at non-profit conservation organizations through firsthand experience in visitor services, program marketing, and program delivery. Leopold Fellows will also gain experience in mission-based communications to a variety of strategic audiences both in-person and across digital platforms. Visitation and programming vary throughout the year, allowing for both periods of high visitor interaction and times of behind-the-scenes work in the office.   

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

  • Work day-to-day aside passionate education, communications, and development professionals on activities directly in service to the foundation’s mission and success.
  • Attend professional development training focusing on conservation leadership and land ethics. These training courses will constitute approximately 20% of the total fellowship hours.
  • Lead and complete an independent project that addresses a critical need of the foundation’s strategic planning initiatives. Projects are selected from a pre-determined list.
  • Lead interpretive tours of the Leopold Shack and the Leopold Center for conservation professionals, students of all ages and adult groups. Lead crane congregation tours in the month of November.
  • Staff the Leopold Center information desk. Tasks include answering phone inquiries about foundation programs and services, orienting visitors to visitation options, selling tour tickets and gift shop merchandise, managing mail and patron donations, etc.
  • Assist with social media content creation. Write news articles and blog posts for the foundation’s website.
  • Assist with development during the End of Year and Giving Tuesday appeal events in November, December, and January.
  • Design program and event flyers and contribute to larger interpretive graphic design projects as needed.
  • Help promote, organize, and staff public programs, events, workshops, and meeting rentals groups.
  • Participate in monthly field days to gain experience in and contribute to land stewardship efforts such as invasive species management, prescribed fire, and prairie planting.
  • Become familiar with the life and work of Aldo Leopold and his family while exploring your own connection to and understanding of land ethics.
  • Become familiar with the work of all Aldo Leopold Foundation staff and how each staff role contributes to the mission of the organization.
  • Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications Summary 

The Aldo Leopold Foundation seeks applicants who are early career professionals that have dedicated substantial schooling and/or work experience in fields including, but not limited to: environmental studies, marketing and communications, environmental education, sociology, or natural-resources related field. Applicants should have excellent communication skills, demonstrated leadership capabilities, and a passion for learning about and executing educational programs and marketing communications for non-profit conservation organizations. Applicants should also be willing and able to lead programs while hiking (1 mile plus) outdoors in all weather and insect conditions. 

Fellowship Term, Schedule, and Compensation 

This is a limited-term, full-time, non-exempt position. The fellowship will begin on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 and run through May 15, 2026.  

 

Education & Communications Leopold Fellows will have a Tuesday-Saturday schedule June through November 2025 and May 2026, and a Monday-Friday schedule December 2025 through April 2026. Forty hours a week can be expected, primarily during normal business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily), although some flexibility in scheduling may be required.  

All fellows will be paid $13/hour and receive 40 hours of vacation, 48 hours of sick leave, and 48 hours of floating holiday. Housing is provided on campus in the Future Leaders Center. Fellows will move into the Future Leaders Center on Monday, June 9, 2025.  

 

All fellows will receive a $250 gear stipend to be spent on field gear or attire once onboard.  All personal protective equipment will be provided.  

 

Approximate Hiring Timeline 

Applications Due: Saturday, February 1, 2025 

Zoom Interviews: Mid-February (tentative week of Feb 18th) 

Fellowship Start Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 

Application Procedure 

To apply complete the application process by Saturday, February 1, 2025.  

 

1.  Applicants must have two academic and/or professional references complete the Fellowship Reference Form by February 1, 2025. Direct link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7736926/2025-Leopold-Fellowship-Reference-Form 

2.Submit your application materials (resume, cover letter, and essay) to https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7736903/2025-Leopold-Fellowship-Application 


1. Resume (no more than two pages) 

2. One-page cover letter 

3. A response to the following prompt (maximum 400 words): Describe how you see a land ethic being relevant to issues and opportunities we face in natural and human communities in 2025.  

 

Contact Caty Abitz at caty@aldoleopold.org with questions using the subject line: 2025 Fellowship Application.  

The Aldo Leopold Foundation recognizes that just as a healthy ecosystem depends on biodiversity, a healthy human society depends on cultural and social diversity. We are committed to expanding the conversation on land ethics by acting to achieve a rich diversity of staff, board, volunteers, members, supporters, and those we seek to engage with our programming. We encourage applicants to address this foundation goal in their application materials. 

The Aldo Leopold Foundation provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. In addition to federal law requirements, ALF complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.