Laura Bies has served as the Executive Director for the Ornithological Council since 2020. Before that, she worked at The Wildlife Society for ten years in the government affairs department. During her time at The Wildlife Society, and sporadically since then (in a freelance) capacity, she also developed and led their Leadership Institute.

Laura has a B.S. in Environmental Science  from the University of Delaware and a law degree from George Washington University, and has been working in the conservation policy/non-profit world for nearly 20 years. She lives in Maine with her family, where they enjoy spending lots of time outside, all year long.