Marshall Johnson is the Vice-President/Executive Director for Audubon Dakota. In this role, he is responsible for all Audubon programs, projects and initiatives in the both North & South Dakota. This includes the management of the Edward M. Brigham III Alkali Lake & Frederick L. Wicks grassland sanctuaries, totaling nearly 5,000 acres of grassland and wetland habitat. Additionally, he has led the implementation of Audubon’s Important Bird Area program in the Dakotas where he manages all aspects of this initiative. Marshall also chairs the six-member board of directors for the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust, a $24m entity created to assist in the preservation, restoration, management, and enhancement of North Dakota wetlands and associated upland & riparian habitat.

Marshall began his professional conservation career with Audubon Dakota, leading their field organizing through a Clean Energy Works grant. Later, he served as Outreach Coordinator for three years where he led a revitalization of Audubon chapters in the Dakotas. While outreach coordinator, he initiated a number of Toyota TogetherGreen funded projects in the Dakotas, leveraging $100k for conservation and education projects.

Born into a strong military family, Marshall was raised in both California and Texas, moving to the upper Midwest to study Business Management at the University of Minnesota Crookston.  While at the U of M, he served as campus student body president, vice-chair for the U of M student senate, representing nearly 55,000 students system-wide, and was very active in the sustainability work that was happening within the system.  Marshall was integral in many Crookston campus initiatives, several of which include the development of a comprehensive campus-wide recycling program, a $250K energy conservation program, and the creation and building of the first L.E.E.D. certified dormitory within the University of Minnesota system.

Marshall resides in Fargo, ND, where Audubon Dakota has been headquartered since 1997.