Ronald G. Dodson is the founder and president of Audubon International and chairman of the board of the Audubon Society of New York State, Inc. He is responsible for creating the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (including programs for schools, backyards, corporate properties, and golf courses) which has received international recognition. Dodson also created the Audubon Signature Cooperative Sanctuary program designed for properties in the planning and design stages of development. He also founded the Audubon International Institute for Sustainable Resource Management.
Prior to his present position, he served as a regional vice president of the National Audubon Society, executive director of the Western Kentucky Environmental Planning Agency, and as a biology instructor at both the high school and college level. Dodson hold a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Oakland City University and an M.S. in Natural Resource Management from Indiana State University.
He has received numerous awards and recognition for his conservation efforts, including the 1985 National Environmentalist of the Year, presented by the Friends of Audubon, Inc. to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of John James Audubon. On behalf of the Audubon Society of New York State, he also accepted The President's Award for Environmental Leadership by the Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America. In 1998 he was also recognized by Landscape Management as Person of the Year, received the New Jersey Turfgrass Environmental Award, and a Special Achievement Award from Oakland City University.
He is co-chairman of the United States Golf Association's Wildlife Links Research Committee and a member of the USGA's Environmental Research Committee and Turfgrass Research Committee. He has written articles for such publications as the Green Section Record, Golf Course Management, and Golf Course News. He also serves on the board of directors of the American National Fish and Wildlife Museum in Springfield, Missouri.