For more than 75 years, The Wildlife Society has been influencing the future of wildlife and wild places for the benefit of generations to come.
The Wildlife Society Hawai‘i Chapter
The Wildlife Society Hawai‘i Chapter dedicates itself to the conservation and preservation of flora and fauna endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawai‘i Chapter is part of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society. Its membership is drawn from Honolulu, Kaua‘i, Mau‘i, and Hawai‘i (Big Island) counties.
TWS Hawai‘i Chapter’s objectives are to:
- Promote the sound stewardship of wildlife and their habitats in Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
- Promote the conservation of indigenous and endemic Hawaiian and other Pacific wildlife and their habitats.
- Promote the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for success of wildlife professionals and the conservation community in the State of Hawai‘i and Pacific.
The Wildlife Society
Founded in 1937, The Wildlife Society is an international non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. Our mission is to enhance the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, sustain productivity, and ensure responsible use of wildlife resources for the benefit of society. The Wildlife Society encourages professional growth through certification peer-review Publications, and Conferences. TWS is an international organization committed to addressing national and international issues that affect the current and future status of wildlife in North America and throughout the world.
Society members are dedicated to sustainable management of wildlife resources and their habitats. Ecology is the primary scientific discipline of the wildlife profession, therefore, the interests of the Society embrace the interactions of all organisms with their natural environments. The Society recognizes that humans, as other organisms, have a total dependency upon the environment. It is the Society’s belief also that wildlife, in its myriad forms, is basic to the maintenance of a human culture that provides quality living.
Support TWS Hawaii by purchasing TWS Hawaii gear here.
Organization By-Laws
Meet the Members of the Board
President
Hillary Foster
Hillary Foster has extensive experience in coordination, logistics, and program organization. During graduate school at The Evergreen State College, she served as Student Association Coordinator for the Master of Environmental Studies Student Association, where she facilitated meetings, mentored coordinators, and helped organize the annual Rachel Carson Forum with community partners across the state. She also worked as a Graduate Student Ambassador supporting outreach and recruitment, and previously assisted with statewide coastal stewardship programming that engaged thousands of volunteers annually. Hillary is currently the Data and GIS Senior Technician with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, where she supports data management, analysis, and technical operations across multiple conservation programs. She is running for President of The Wildlife Society Hawaiʻi Chapter to help strengthen member connections, communication, and engagement.
Lizzy Baxter
Lizzy Baxter is originally from Washington DC and has been dedicated to Hawaiian wildlife conservation for the past 7 years. Presently, she is the Forest Response Technician at Kauai Invasive Species Committee where she focuses on Rapid Ohia Death and Miconia management. Her favorite native plant is the Ama’u fern with it’s rainbow fronds. Lizzy has been working in the conservation career field for 16 years and is happy to bring her knowledge to Hawaiian conservation.
Treasurer
Brenda Becker
Brenda Becker is a Biological Technician for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program at the National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, Hawai’i. She holds a B.S. in Wildlife and Range Management from the University of Nevada-Reno. She began working with the endangered Hawaiian monk seals in 1985 and has extensive experience conducting monk seal field research at all sites in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which entails living and working for 3-6 months in remote, primitive field camps for 17 seasons. Currently, she is more O’ahu-based and manages the monk seal digital photo ID databases, co-manages the population assessment data, and opportunisitically conducts field work. Brenda is a TWS-Certified Wildlife Biologist and has been an active member of TWS-Hawai’i Chapter, serving as Chapter Representative for the TWS-Western Section 1993-94, Secretary from 2002-2010, Vice-President 2011, Chapter’s Newsletter editor 2011-2014, Vice President 2015, Secretary 2016, and Treasurer 2017-2026.
Koa was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is continuing in the Master’s of Environmental Management program as a Hauʻoli Mau Loa Graduate Fellow to study the relationships between wetland stewards and the native waterbirds that reside within the habitats they manage. He joined the Hawaiʻi Chapter of The Wildlife Society in 2023 and became a board member in 2025.
Sam Sosa- Membership Coordinator
Sam Sosa is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® based on Guam. He currently works as part of a team to manage habitat for federally threatened and endangered species. Previously, he worked with federally threatened and endangered species in Northern California, on aquatic invasive species prevention in Northern California, on red-cockaded woodpecker recovery in Mississippi, and on invasive species removal and seabird monitoring on Pacific islands. Sam also had the pleasure to work as a Community Youth Development worker for the Peace Corps in Mongolia (2014-2016). In his free time, you can find Sam exploring Guam and the western Pacific.