Anne Taylor has two sons and lives in Archer Lodge, North Carolina. Her commitment to a healthy environment has always been focused on their future quality of life, and now that of her two grandsons, Max and Griffin. Anne Taylor was instrumental in creating the North Carolina Office of Environmental Education under the Environmental Education Act of 1993. She served as Director of the Office of Environmental Education from 1995 until 2002. In 1998 Anne became the founding Chairman of the Environmental Education Fund and in 2002 became its first Executive Director. Most recently, effective December 31, 2003, Anne was selected by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator to serve on the 11 member National Environmental Education Advisory Council.

Upon leaving state government for the non profit sector, she was awarded the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state’s highest honor for leadership for her distinguished career in environmental management. She served in the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources, Director of the Office of Natural Resources Planning & Assessment, Director of the Office of Environmental Education, Director of the Office of Regulatory Relations and as the Governor’s Policy Advisor for Natural Resources.

Anne’s commitment to collaborative partnerships for excellence in environmental quality is also evident in her volunteer work where she served on the first Raleigh Greenway Commission and as President of the North and South Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, created the North Carolina Sreamwatch Program, and created the first statewide Adopt A Park program which became the state park advisory councils. She serves on various Boards of Directors including North Carolina Audubon, Environmental Educators of North Carolina, Big Sweep, and formerly the North Carolina Wildlife Federation Education and Endowment Board.

She’s received the Joseph LeConte Award from the Sierra Club, the Wildlife Federation Conservation Education Award, the Norton Award from the N. C. Public Health Association for her work creating the Asbestos Task Force, the Wildlife Federation Governor’s Award as Environmental Educator of the Year, and the National Environmental Education Training Foundation award for development of the NC Environmental Education Certification Program.