The Wildlife Society has selected Geriann Albers, William Jensen and Randi McCormick to receive Distinguished Service Awards for 2026 for decades of service to their regional chapters.
The awards are given to wildlife professionals who have rendered exceptional service to regional sections of The Wildlife Society.
Geriann Albers was awarded a Distinguished Service Award due to her leadership and work at various levels of The Wildlife Society, whether regional, state or international.
She has served as a board member of the Wildlife Damage Management Working Group and as chair of the Hunting, Trapping, and Conservation Working Group. She also currently chairs the Editorial Advisory Board for The Wildlife Professional, The Wildlife Society’s member magazine.
She’s served on the board of the Indiana Chapter as well and is consistently involved with state chapter meetings. “Known as someone who is ‘always there,’ she routinely contributes her time, expertise and mentorship to support conferences, professional dialogue and emerging professionals,” her peers said in their nomination letter.
Geriann Albers embodies the essence of the Distinguished Service Award through her leadership, mentorship and unwavering commitment to The Wildlife Society, making her highly deserving of this recognition,” the nominators said.
At the regional level, Albers is treasurer of the North Central Section, where she manages student travel grants for the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference.
In her career, Albers has worked with state agencies in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Indiana. She continues at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, where she now works as the furbearer and gamebird program leader.
Albers said she is honored to receive the award. “TWS is an important community for me professionally, so to be recognized by peers is meaningful,” she said. “It’s always rewarding when you feel others recognize the effort you’re expending.”
William Jensen was awarded a Distinguished Service Award by the Central Mountains and Plains section (CMPS) for serving in various capacities on the Kansas Chapter of TWS, including as president and a board member. He also established a student chapter at Emporia State University in 2008—he’s currently the chapter’s advisor.
“As a long-time member, Jensen typifies the ‘always there’ benchmark of the Distinguished Service Award,” said TWS member Gary White, a past Aldo Leopold Award winner, in a nomination letter. He contributed at Kansas Chapter and CMPS meetings, often presenting and pushing his students to present, plus providing role models for many younger members.”
Aside from his service to TWS, Jensen has collaborated for years with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. He’s worked on its nongame advisory council, the Kansas Threatened and Endangered Species Task Force, the Kansas Whooping Crane Advisory Board, the Biological Advisory for the Center for Great Plains Advisory Committee and the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Joint Venture. He served in these capacities during his time as a professor at Emporia State University in Kansas.
As a teacher, he’s mentored 14 master’s students and served on the graduate student committees of 19 other students.
“It’s truly an honor to be nominated and receive such an award, especially given the incredible number of hard-working people that go above and beyond to conserve our natural resources,” Jensen said. “It’s hard to imagine myself as particularly distinguished among all those working so hard in the service of wildlife.”
Randi McCormick was awarded the honor by the Western Section for three decades of service to TWS. McCormick served as president of the Western Section, representative for the San Joaquin Valley chapter and has also worked with the California Central Coast chapter. McCormick is the president and principal biologist of McCormick Biological, Inc., a private biological solutions consultancy based in California.
“Randi McCormick is not just a great biologist, mentor, member of the Society, and community member, she is a good person; one that helps at a cost to her that she does not discuss,” said Western Section past president Jeff Alvarez in his nomination letter.
McCormick considers working with so many “kind and collaborative people” at the Western Section an honor. “I believe in the mission of TWS with my whole heart and it is a privilege to be able to give back,” she said. “The recognition is encouraging confirmation that my service is appreciated.”
The awards will be presented at TWS’ Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, starting Nov. 1.
