The Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) is pleased to announce Heather Hahn Sullivan as the recipient of the 2025 ANCA Nature Center Leadership Award. This award acknowledges Sullivan’s major achievements in the nature center profession through her work at Dunes Learning Center (DLC) in Chesterton, Indiana.
Sullivan has led a distinguished career in the nature center profession. Having attended Dunes Learning Center programs as a high school student, Sullivan went on to join the DLC education team as a summer intern in 2004 and 2005. Next, she took on internship roles at ANCA Organization Member Cincinnati Nature Center in Ohio, where she was then hired as the full-time Volunteer and Special Events Manager. She later took on development and leadership positions at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, part of the Chicago Academy of Sciences. In 2018, Sullivan became the Development and Marketing Director of Dunes Learning Center, and assumed the role of Executive Director in 2022.
Sullivan’s significant accomplishments at Dunes Learning Center include:
- Leading the organization to reach a record 15,000 students last year — now on track to reach 20,000 this year
- Guiding organizational leadership to craft the DLC 2024-2030 Vision & Strategy Plan
- Partnering with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the National Park Service to develop a 10-year Cooperative Agreement in 2023
- Creating a permanent endowment and securing funds to support DLC’s Environmental Education Fellowship
- Developing an annual giving society and planned giving program
- Establishing clear salary and benefit standards for staff
Sullivan is seen as a leader among her professional peers, particularly among Outdoor Schools that offer overnight, multi-day programs. January Miller, VP of Education at the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, wrote in support of Sullivan’s nomination: “She is a tireless advocate not only for environmental causes of her region, but of the students, teachers, and community members that call the Great Lakes home … In a field saturated with passionate, innovative, and courageous leaders, Heather stands out.”
Beyond her work at Dunes Learning Center, Sullivan has contributed her skills to other professional organizations. She has served on the ANCA Marketing Committee since 2022 and as a mentor in the ANCA Mentor Program, in addition to attending five ANCA Summits. Sullivan is the Immediate Past President on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Northwest Indiana Chapter, and still serves as a board member.
ANCA will recognize Sullivan with this award as part of the Leadership Award Ceremony on August 27 at the 2025 ANCA Annual Summit.
“Heather exemplifies what it means to be a leader in our field — strategic, collaborative, and deeply committed to impact. Her work at Dunes Learning Center is not only impressive in scale and vision but also generous in spirit, as she consistently shares her expertise to elevate the entire profession. It’s an honor to recognize Heather with this well-deserved award.”
— Jen Levy, ANCA Executive Director
“Heather has shown true partnerships and commitment to growing support of not just her own organization but other organizations as well. She has led the way in sharing how to partner with other organizations to go after larger funding opportunities to support equitable access to outdoor and environmental education.”
— Katie Wright, Founder and President, Connecting Nature LLC
“Her drive to explore partnerships has attracted new audiences, increasing the number of people who treasure our natural world. Children and adults alike benefit from Heather's creative vision that builds upon our unique landscape along the south shore of Lake Michigan.”
— Bill Higbie, President & CEO, Porter County Community Foundation
About the Award
The ANCA Nature Center Leadership Award recognizes an individual who in their role at the highest administrative level of an organization, has made a major contribution to the success of a nature center, as well as important contributions to the profession through professional organizations and the support of other nature center leaders. A committee of ANCA members selects the award recipient from a pool of leaders who were nominated by their peers. ANCA has presented this award to one individual each year since 2000.
About ANCA
The Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) promotes and supports best leadership and management practices for the nature and environmental learning center profession. It is the only such organization in North America and supports over 700 dues-paying members that include nature center directors, managers, senior administrators, and board members.