The ANCA team is incredibly grateful for a successful Summit at the beginning of this month — this was the 28th ANCA Summit, and the first in-person Summit since 2019. We were elated to gather at Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills, Md., where not only could we facilitate professional development through workshops and discussions, but also build camaraderie over meals and activities like evening campfires.
Our heartfelt thanks to the entire team at Irvine, who went above and beyond to welcome the ANCA community. We also are grateful to our top tiers of sponsors for making this event possible; these include:
- Brown Advisory, an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm.
- GWWO Architects, a design firm that specializes in nature and environmental learning centers.
- Taylor Studios, Inc., a leading exhibit design and fabrication firm.
While the virtual Summits of the past two years provided ANCA members the ability to connect safely at the time, there’s simply no comparison to sharing space and experiences in person. We’ve heard from a number of Summit participants that this year’s event was the boost of energy and inspiration that they needed for their work. We too feel that energy and look forward to continuing our work of supporting directors and managers at nature centers throughout North America.