Ducks Unlimited, Government Affairs Office
Skyler Nix is from Katy, Texas, and recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Conservation Biology. Growing up in the suburbs of Houston, one of the nation’s fastest-developing metroplexes, he witnessed the impacts of urbanization on people and wildlife. This perspective inspired his life-guiding goal of protecting the natural world and the right of future generations to experience the marvels of wildlife.
As a ’24 – ’25 Yale Conservation Scholar in the Early Leadership Initiative of the Yale School of the Environment, Skyler worked with the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy in advancing community and research-based conservation partnerships. His multi-institutional background spans the nonprofit, academic, and public sectors.
Over his five years specializing in interpretive messaging at the Houston Zoo, Skyler served as a Lead Naturalist on the zoo’s inaugural Teen Leadership Council and led the formation of the zoo’s Wildlife-Saving Campaigns, helping earn a national Top Honors in Education Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2024.
As a program coordinator for the Texas Conservation Alliance, Skyler spearheaded the formation of the Bird–Friendly Buildings Initiative at Texas A&M. He launched a campus-wide bird collision monitoring program and formed a Bird-Friendly Campus Working Group with university administrators and architects. His leadership led to profound policy changes and institutional funding for long-term campus monitoring. He also served on the City of College Station’s Conservation Advisory Group, supporting the city’s successful Bird City Texas designation. In 2025, Skyler received the National Wildlife Federation’s National Conservation Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation.
Through his internship with Ducks Unlimited, Government Affairs Office, Skyler looks forward to expanding his conservation-policy experience and applying his science-driven background to the federal arena.