Leadership

Lauren Jonaitis was appointed Executive Director of Tropical Audubon Society in 2025 after serving as Senior Conservation Director for nearly four years. As the face of “South Florida’s Voice of Conservation,” she brings a wealth of environmental expertise and her considerable leadership track record to the executive director role. Along with advancing policies and partnerships that protect and restore South Florida’s unique natural ecosystems, as chief executive she oversees strategy, advocacy, operations and growth, driving a bold vision for how to achieve and support a more resilient and sustainable South Florida.

When Lauren joined TAS in 2022 she quickly established herself as a leading regional force in environmental policy and coalition-building. Under her conservation leadership, TAS expanded its influence with local, state and federal agencies, strengthened community partnerships, and elevated its role as a trusted voice for smart growth, Everglades restoration, Pine Rockland conservation and Biscayne Bay protection.

Before assuming the ED role, Lauren was recognized as the best in her conservation field locally and nationally, including being named a “Local Legend” by the Miami Dolphins in 2024; being honored twice in Miami Today’s “Best of Miami for Environmental Stewardship” (2024 and 2025); and playing a crucial role in earning TAS both the 2024 “Regional Recovery Champion Award for the Southeast” (bestowed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an honor shared with our conservation partners) and the 2023 “Grassroots Activism” award bestowed by the Everglades Coalition.

Lauren has tackled complex environmental challenges across the public, private and nonprofit sectors over the arc of her career. Early in her career she began with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission she helped mitigate light pollution impacts on sea turtles before serving as an Environmental and Coastal Scientist in the private sector, and taking on leadership roles in national and regional conservation efforts. She currently serves as Vice President of Policy for the Society for Conservation Biology North America (SCBNA) and as Co-Chair of both the Everglades Coalition and the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Coalition (impactful collaborative initiatives that unite diverse partners to protect our most vital ecosystems).

Lauren received a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from SUNY Oswego in 2014 then earned a master’s degree in Biology (Conservation Biology) from Bowling Green State University in 2017. A lifelong advocate for the natural world, she is passionate about wildlife, and is deeply committed to inspiring others to protect the places that make South Florida extraordinary. In addition to time spent in nature, Lauren enjoys travel, art and horseback riding.

Events

Amy Creekmur joined Tropical Audubon Society in 2013, and quickly secured and implemented the 2013-2014 Toyota TogetherGreen Innovation Grant awarded to TAS for its significant South Florida conservation work. In addition to orchestrating monthly Steinberg Nature Center Volunteer Gardening Days and coordinating outreach events, Amy is presently shepherding the milestone 3-Phase restoration of our historic Doc Thomas House headquarters and facilitating the Steinberg Nature Center Master Plan.

From 2020 through present-day, Amy has been deeply engaged with the installation and upkeep of a suite of Bird-friendly Pollinator Demonstration Gardens that frame the 1932 cottage and border Sunset Drive. Oversight of the Pine Rockland and Hardwood Hammock Demonstration Forests also falls under her purview.

From fall through spring, Amy stewards an annual calendar of on-campus community events, including BEE-cause Flea, BIRD Day, Conservation Concerts, Movie Nite, the Go-Native Plant Sale and Walk in the Woods with Wine & Whisk. She additionally oversees onsite private events such as weddings, memorials and anniversary parties. The accredited Master Gardener finds the most joy, however, in nurturing the organization's diverse corps of grounds volunteers.

Prior to joining TAS, Amy was program coordinator for TREEmendous Miami, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to building community pride via planting, protecting and preserving trees in Miami-Dade County. During her tenure there, she developed a lasting relationship with TAS and an abiding appreciation for its conservation Mission.

In addition to her TAS role, she often teaches as an adjunct professor at Miami International University of Art & Design where she graduated with an AA in Fashion Merchandising & Design when the university was known as International Fine Arts College.

Communications

Ana Lima formally landed in the Tropical Audubon Society nest in 2018, joining the staff as Communications Director. The Coconut Grove resident, birder and mother of two brings more than 20 years of communications field experience to the TAS table, along with a passion for environmental conservation.

Ana takes great joy in elevating the TAS profile across social and traditional media platforms. Her day-to-day duties include communications strategy, social media content, digital marketing, graphic design, event marketing, brand partnerships and creative content. Prior to accepting a staff role, the New Jersey native volunteered for 8 years in various capacities, including as an editor of the since sidelined print newsletter, as electronic content editor and as a Doc Thomas House docent.

Her extensive media background includes 12 years as a reporter at The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, and stints as a freelance journalist and public relations consultant. Ana's byline has appeared in the New York Post, Miami Herald, Ocean Drive Magazine and University of Miami Magazine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Ramapo College and a master’s degree in Public Affairs Journalism from the University of Maryland.

Ana is a founding member of the Phoebes, an all-female South Florida birding group. In her spare time, she enjoys birding, kayaking and exploring Florida’s natural treasures with her family.

Jennifer Quintero joined Tropical Audubon Society in April 2025 as the Communications and Membership Assistant. She is passionate about bridging the gap between people and the natural world through inclusive storytelling, community engagement, and environmental education.

In her role, Jennifer supports the Membership Program and assists the Communications Director in developing and distributing content that connects the public with South Florida’s birds and ecosystems. Her work helps raise Tropical Audubon Society’s community profile and supports its conservation and advocacy efforts. Her communications portfolio includes social media, e-newsletters, media advisories, internal reports, and other strategic messaging. She also monitors media coverage, supports events, and contributes to multimedia projects.

Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Sustainability & the Environment and Public Administration from the Honors College at Florida International University, as well as an M.S. in Environmental Studies from FIU. Her graduate research focused on songbird migration, supported by long-term bird banding studies in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.

She brings a strong background in public engagement, having previously served as an education ranger at Everglades National Park, an interpretive ranger at Yosemite National Park, and an interpretive leader for Miami-Dade County Parks. She currently also serves as the Everglades Fellow for the National Parks Conservation Association, where she advocates for public lands through policy and outreach work.

Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys reading, birding, hiking, camping, and thrifting—especially when shared with friends and family.

Education

Daniel John Mlodozeniec joined Tropical Audubon Society in March 2025 as Education Director. The Western New York native brings with him an impressive expertise in environmental education, from directing summer nature camps, community science projects, afterschool STEM classes, and programs for youth and adults. He especially enjoys leading bird-themed programs, most notably “owl prowls.”

In addition to his considerable work experience in WNY, Daniel, who goes by “DJ,” enjoyed a stint at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia as an Environmental Education Coordinator, designing and leading programs to attract visitors to the refuge, and teach them about swamp ecology. He also helped promote the Okefenokee Swamp as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site.

DJ was introduced to the Everglades as part of his studies at the  University at Buffalo, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. He immediately fell in love with the River of Grass and would thereafter return to South Florida regularly to deepen his understanding of the Everglades.

He’s now pouring his passion for  South Florida’s unique ecosystems into his environmental education role, and strongly believes that by connecting locals to their natural world, he’s fostering a sense of care, curiosity, and belonging, which in turn may inspire conservation advocacy.

In his free time, DJ enjoys camping, canoeing, fishing, wildlife photography and anything that involves outdoor adventure.

Intern

Her research focuses on how microplastics migrate from agricultural systems into South Florida’s urban waterways, their effects on plant and soil health, and their broader implications for coastal ecosystems such as Biscayne Bay. Her interdisciplinary work bridges ecological health, urban sustainability, and environmental policy development.

Kylie holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida International University (FIU), where she supported ecology students as both a teaching assistant and Peer-Led Team Learning Leader, offering academic guidance and mentorship. She is also a co-author of a scientific publication investigating how silicon amendments can improve climate resilience in native South Florida plant species.

Outside of the lab, Kylie has worked as a primate caretaker and led conservation-focused outreach events at the Dumond Conservancy, home to a colony of owl monkeys retired from biomedical research. As Vice President of both the FIU Garden Club and the Geology Club, she helped foster inclusive student communities through environmental education and hands-on service projects.

With a minor in sociology/anthropology, Kylie brings a justice-oriented lens to her work, exploring how climate vulnerability, pollution exposure, and urban agronomy are shaped by social and economic structures. Her background fuels her advocacy for equitable access to education and inclusive science. In her free time, Kylie enjoys hiking, crafting, and spending time with her dog.

Banner photo: Anhinga by Leslie Stokes