The Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) is pleased to announce Kathryn “Kitty” Pochman as the recipient of the 2026 ANCA Nature Center Leadership Award. This award acknowledges Pochman’s major achievements in the nature center profession through her work at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation (LLNF) and the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Pochman has led an impressive career in the nature center profession, amounting to nearly four decades of environmental leadership on Nantucket. Pochman was the first Executive Director of the Maria Mitchell Association, leading the organization from 1988 through 2005, in which time she helped the organization expand and establish itself as a renowned scientific institution. In 2007, Pochman became the first Executive Director of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, and continues in the position today.
At the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, Pochman’s significant accomplishments include:
- Leading the organization to clarify its mission and vision
- Managing a significant increase in organizational funds, more than doubling the annual budget
- Overseeing a major growth in LLNF’s property, expanding from an initial five acres to its current 275 acres
- Growing the LLNF staff to six full-time, year-round staff members
- Leading the expansion and retrofitting of the LLNF’s facilities
- Developing new partnerships, such as the Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative, with other organizations in Nantucket and beyond
Pochman is known among her peers as a strong collaborator and supportive colleague. Through her work, LLNF has built partnerships with many other Nantucket organizations, and Pochman herself founded the quarterly Nantucket Executive Director’s Meeting, where organizational leaders could share their challenges and work to address them. The LLNF staff collectively wrote in their award nomination of Pochman, “Some leaders only think about how their actions will improve their organization. While Kitty has always had LLNF’s best interest in mind, she also truly cares about the impact that her actions will have in the broader community and has always been willing to share her vast knowledge and experience.”
Pochman has been deeply involved in ANCA as a source of professional development and connection. She has attended every ANCA Annual Summit since 2009, and served on ANCA’s Board of Directors for nine years (2016-2025), including two years as Board President and two years as Secretary. She previously served on ANCA’s Executive Committee and Development Committee, and continues to serve on the Governance Committee. Pochman is also a longstanding mentor in the ANCA Mentor Program, and has additionally served on multiple ANCA Peer Consults.
ANCA will recognize Pochman with this award as part of the Leadership Award Ceremony on August 26 at the 2026 ANCA Annual Summit.
Kitty leads with compassion, grace, and a deep commitment to the values that define ANCA, and is so deserving of this award! She has mentored countless professionals throughout her career and is always generous with her time, support, and expertise. I am personally grateful for the many occasions when she has offered thoughtful advice, empathy, and wisdom. Through her leadership and dedication, Kitty has made a lasting impact on both people and organizations, consistently working to make the world a better place while never losing sight of the importance of caring for those around her.
— Jen Levy, ANCA Executive Director
Over the last several years LLNF has come to the point where it is known and respected in the community, where it has a valued seat at the table with island educators and land conservation organizations and has a reach beyond the miles that separate Nantucket from the mainland. Kitty Pochman is largely responsible for its success.
— Daniel W. Drake, Board President, Linda Loring Nature Foundation
Kitty has always led by example, and has been a guiding light at MMA and LLNF, consulting with other organizations in Nantucket and beyond, in the Nantucket Community, at ANCA, and with the myriad ANCA members who have benefited from her guidance, direct and indirect. Kitty leads with purpose and compassion, and we are all better for knowing and working with her.
— Wendy Schmidt, President, Schmidt Family Foundation
Kitty has given enormously of herself to ANCA, to the nature center community, and to the broader cause of connecting people to the natural world. She leads her own institution with excellence while making time to strengthen the organizations and individuals around her. She is, in the truest sense, a leader of leaders.
— Kay Carlson, Consultant, Kay Carlson Consulting, LLC and Kessel Strategies
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 750 members that include nature center directors, managers, senior administrators, and board members.