Judy Cheske, Communications Committee Chair

Judy Cheske, Communications Committee Chair

Judy first became involved with Chicago Audubon in 2019, volunteering to build their new website. Always interested in birds and conservation, she became a Montrose Beach Piping Plover Monitor the same year, and later joined the CAS as a board member. She considers herself a novice birder and is enjoying rediscovering the world through the eyes of a conservationist, always learning. She is grateful for opportunities to combine her passion for conservation, her love of nature and animals, and her technical/communications expertise.

Jennifer Johnson, Programs Chair

Jennifer Johnson, Programs Chair

Jennifer Johnson is a native Chicagoan and artist. Like John James Audubon, nature has always inspired her artwork. Jennifer has her bachelors in Illustration from Columbia College Chicago. She has also completed graduate level courses in library science from Dominican University.

Jennifer is pursuing her conservation career at Audubon Great Lakes where she is a Wild Indigo Coordinator. She continues her art practice making illustrations of plants, birds, and people that inspire her. She joined Chicago Audubon’s board in 2020.

Adriana Garcia

Adriana Garcia

I became acquainted with the Chicago Audubon Society through their umbrella organization the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors in the Fall of 2019. An injured pigeon appeared at my front door and through this unfortunate event, I learned of the wonderful network of dedicated volunteers and conservation organizations in the Chicagoland area. I strive to increase my knowledge of birds and bird habitat restoration through hands-on participation and time spent in the field. I volunteer with various orgs including the North Park Village Nature Center where I was tapped to co-lead bilingual bird walks in 2020. I’ve since helped form a bilingual English/Spanish bird walk club, the Avelingües.

I am a Chicago native and first generation Mexican American with roots in the border towns of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila. As a computer scientist specializing in the data field, I am no stranger to underrepresentation and intersectionality. I am a natural born birder; I support citizen science. My intentional birding practice is recent, but my love of birds and nature is deeply embedded. I believe through expanding engagement beyond the domains of biology, ecology and the environmental sciences, we can scale the stewardship necessary to protect birds and bird habitat. Birds are our kin, along with the rivers that weave their magic throughout this country.

Antonio Flores, Program and Communications Manager

Antonio Flores, Program and Communications Manager

I use he/him pronouns. Black Lives Matter. Abolish the Police. I am a proud Mestizo. When I was a kid I would watch my grandfather, surrounded by people, be more interested in watching the wild birds around him that everyone else seemed to ignore. He would tell me which birds were fighting and why. My grandmother used to keep families of parakeets in her home and she would tell me intricate details of their social lives that were better than any novela. My father taught me how the birds would tell him when it was about to rain. My mother used to thrill me with her whistling birdsong imitations. My wife enjoys daydreaming about the fact that these birds have been co-evolving with us and have been our companions since before we were even humans. My daughters request birds on their birthday cakes. All my ancestors - ancient and recent - had and continue to have personal relationships with birds. Last year I learned what a field guide was and got introduced to the birding hobby.

Daniela Herrera

Daniela Herrera

¡Soy Mexicana y me encantan las aves! I have been a casual birder since 2018 and was blessed with having more time to get outside during the 2020 pandemic. Most of my time spent outside is when I'm walking my dog, Abi, and is coupled with birding without binoculars - observing movement in trees from afar and listening for warning calls and mating songs. One of my greatest experiences has been volunteering for Piping Plover Watch in 2019 and 2020. After participating in a CAS bird walk at McKinley Park, I was excited to start hosting bird walks in Spanish for Spanish-speaking communities and communities of color in partnership with the Spanish-Birdwalk group: Avelingües.

Some of my other hobbies include: cooking platillos Mexicanos tradicionales, dancing Cumbia, painting and embroidery, and running my small avian-inspired candle business, VelAves Candle Co. I currently work at the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation as a Program Analyst. Here, I manage the organization's data analysis efforts, communications, oversee a portfolio of grants, and guide applicants through the grant application process.

Radhika Miraglia

Radhika Miraglia

Radhika has been engaging people in conservation efforts ever since she led the environmental committee at her high school.

She has a master’s degree in Conservation Biology, with a focus in community-based conservation efforts. Radhika has been working in the Chicagoland environmental community for 20 years, in outreach, education, volunteer and fundraising capacities.

As the Advocacy & Engagement Director at Friends of the Forest Preserves, Radhika now leads a team of organizers who integrate the lives of a diversity of individuals with the wonders of our forest preserves in order to build a sustainable, healthy future for local biodiversity.

Devoutly committed to protecting animals since she was a little girl, Radhika was honored to join the Chicago Audubon Society board in 2018.

Kim Ruffin, Program Committee

Kim Ruffin, Program Committee

As a child, Kim fell in love with the outdoors climbing trees, playing on dirt mounds, and riding bicycles off homemade ramps in flip-flops. Inspired by her family’s legacy of nature stewardship, she became an educator and author. A desire to open more doors for nature connection led her to become a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide. She is excited about inviting people to encounter other forms of nature and each other. Through her company, Cardinal Encounters, she celebrates the joys of life on Earth.

Kim joined the CAS board in 2019.

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Sunshine Cahill

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Sunshine Cahill

Sunshine is an ecology enthusiast and educator, ever in wonder with evolution. Sunshine makes art from interactions with kindred, human and otherwise. Birding and salameandering have been two of Sunshine’s life-long pursuits, coming from a family of ecologists, conservationists and trail seekers, and many years living within a variety of biomes and cultures. Most recently, Sunshine has become passionate about re-drawing maps and thinking about how our structures affect how we view the world.

The past couple years, Sunshine has volunteered with CAS bilingüal bird walks and organized a bird tour to Guatemala for Chicago area birders in 2019. Sunshine brings years of life-stories and acres of contemplation to Chicago Audubon. Sunshine hopes to collaborate with the many bright minds in this group to encourage growth and learning, through bird walks, artistic ventures, and other outreach. Sunshine seeks to inspire a welcoming space for everyone… to put down our binoculars, just for a minute, and appreciate the landscape.

Dana Harbaugh

Dana Harbaugh

Dana Harbaugh is an attorney and avid environmentalist. She attended the University of Colorado Law School to specialize in environmental law and policy and continues to pursue her passion by volunteering with CAS. Dana has volunteered with CAS's Advocacy Task Force since 2022 and joined the board in 2023. Dana hopes to create better policies for birds, people, and the environment upon which we all depend.

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