Election Process

Members of NANPA’s Board of Directors volunteer to serve three-year terms.  The terms of five NANPA Board of Directors will expire on June 30, 2026:  Coby Cooper, Daniel Cox, Cathy Illg, Ray Pfortner and Jennifer Warner.

As per NANPA’s bylaws, nominees were selected by the Nominations and Elections Committee who has verified that these candidates are willing to stand for office and meet all criteria and requirements to serve.

The NANPA Board has approved the following six members for this election, and if elected, they will take office on July 1, 2026 for three-year terms:

Alyce Bender

Daniel Cox

Cathy Illg

Kathy Lichtendahl

Ray Pfortner

Jennifer Warner

 

NANPA provides statements and photos for each candidate.  Please take a few moments to learn about these candidates and cast your vote.

The election will end at midnight, Eastern Time, on May 15, 2026.

The link to your ballot is at the bottom of this page.

Student members and members with lapsed dues are not eligible to vote.  You must log in to cast a vote.

Alyce Bender

Candidate: Alyce Bender

Alyce Bender is a professional nature photographer, writer, educator, and adventurer whose creative journey began with a camera in hand during childhood. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, her lifelong passion for photography evolved into a full-time career rooted in a deep love for wildlife and the natural world. Through compelling imagery and immersive field experiences, she seeks to inspire a greater connection to nature, promoting conservation, creativity, and ethical photography practices.

Bender is a Tamron Ambassador, a contributing writer and photographer for the Journal of Wildlife Photography, and a mentor with the non-profit Girls Who Click. Her work has been showcased in both solo and group exhibitions across the United States and featured in publications spanning from the U.K. to Japan. During her tours and workshops, she guides photographers of all skill levels to ethically explore their creative vision while deepening their understanding of the natural world. When not out in the field, she offers a range of educational and mentorship opportunities, available both in person and online.

Learn more about Alyce Bender

Daniel Cox

Candidate: Daniel Cox

Daniel has been documenting the world of nature and conservation for four decades. His publications include two National Geographic cover stories, hundreds of magazine covers, and a dozen books. In 2013, he was awarded the North American Nature
Photography Association’s (NANPA) Outstanding Photographer of the Year. In 2023, he received NANPA’s Environmental Impact Award for his Arctic Documentary Project for Polar Bears International.

Learn more about Dan Cox

Cathy Illg

Candidate: Cathy Illg

Cathy, along with her husband Gordon, have been working as full time professional nature photographers since 2000. Their work appears in nearly every major nature and travel publication, including numerous covers of magazines like Backpacker, Defenders, National Geographic Young Explorer, National Geographic Kids, National Wildlife and Ranger Rick. In the extreme print category, several of their images decorate the tails of Frontier Airlines’ jets. She has also placed in BBC’s Wildlife Photographer Of The Year as well as other well-known contests. Their livelihood now revolves around sharing the magic of wild things and wild places with other photographers by leading nature photography tours under the name Adventure Photography. And while none of this qualifies Cathy for a position on the board (some of the most effective board members have never sold a photo) it is an enduring indication of her love of photography and the natural world.

Originally Cathy served on the Communications Committee. She has continued NANPA support by having a company booth at the Summit, providing portfolio reviews, webinars and leading a number of Regional Events.

There is no better group for nature photographers and Cathy would like to continue NANPA’s vision and mission by advocating for nature photographers to be able to continue their love of the natural world and it’s wildlife. As a long-time professional, and female wildlife photographer, I feel I can provide a well-rounded background for our members.

Learn more about Cathy Illg

Kathy Lichtendahl

Candidate: Kathy Lichtendahl

Kathy Lichtendahl is a professional nature photographer based in Cody, Wyoming where she has owned and run Light in the Valley, LLC since 2014. A graduate of the Photographic Communications program at Northwest College, Kathy went on to teach at the college between 2015 and 2018. Her images can be found accompanying stories promoting conservation in a wide variety of local, regional and national publications. Kathy also spends a number of weeks each year leading workshops in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond for several well known photo expedition companies. Kathy’s work can be seen on her website at www.kathylichtendahl.com.

Learn more about Kathy Lichtendahl

Ray Pfortner

Candidate: Ray Pfortner

Ray has worked in photography for over 20 years – as educator, agent, photographer.

He teaches youth, adults and seniors with partners like the University of Washington and gardens, libraries and art centers. He received the University of Washington’s Legacy in Teaching Award in 2025.

Ray’s teaching focuses on making more of a business of art for all art mediums, painting to photography to ceramics, including how to go far beyond just the original using techniques like beeswax transfers. For photographers, he focuses on the power of compelling composition beyond just camera settings.

He is a Fellow and Board Member of the North American Nature Photography Association. He has received the NANPA Kinne and Recognition Awards. His photography, which is most often used to advance conservation and environmental issues, is represented by Getty Images.

Ray was a partner at Peter Arnold, Inc, a NYC stock agency specializing in science and medicine, an account executive for Minden Pictures, a CA stock agency specializing in nature and the Magazine/Publishing Liaison for Art Wolfe, team leader for his first self-published book, The Living Wild. He has worked for the US Environmental Protection agency, National Park Service, plus NYC EPA and Parks Department.

With his wife, Nancy Wing, he leads photography explorations of Canada, China, Cuba and the Czech Republic. He has a BS in Biology from Yale and a MS in Environmental Management/Environmental Education from Duke.Ray’s passion for photography is exceeded only by his passion for teaching – and for sharing his photography to make a difference.

See Ray’s work at RayPfortner.com and flickr.com/photos/raypfortner/

Learn more about Ray Pfortner

Jennifer Warner

Candidate: Jennifer Warner

Jennifer Leigh Warner is an award winning wildlife, landscape and conservation photographer living in Central Texas and specializes in creating meaningful images that conveys a message of hope for the natural world.

Her passion for wildlife photography began at a very young age and with a degree in Communications and Photography from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University she began pursuing a full time career in nature photography directly out of college.

Jennifer was elected to the North America Nature Photography Association Board of Directors in 2023 and has been serving as the Chair of the Ethics Committee since 2018. She is also a certified Texas Master Naturalist, an Ambassador for Nature First and a mentor for the non-profit Girls Who Click, which encourages young girls to consider a career in conservation photography.

She is a Nikon Professional and her fine art images have been on display in art festivals, galleries and museums throughout the United States. Her images have also appeared in the Namibia Expo 2020 Dubai and at the Climate Change Summit in Morocco in 2016.

Jennifer’s images and writing have been published in the Journal of Wildlife Photography Magazine, Outdoor California Magazine, Gizmodo, the NANPA Expressions Magazine, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, WIRED, The New Yorker, National Geographic Online and Wild Planet Photo Magazine among others.

In addition to Jennifer’s photography she is a public speaker, who has presented for Professional Photographers of America, North American Nature Photography Association, Cornell Universities Bird Academy and was the 2022 Keynote speaker for the Winter Wings Festival.

Jennifer is deeply passionate about sharing the natural world with others and thoroughly enjoys teaching photographers how to create images that they can be proud to hang on their wall.

You can learn more about Jennifer and the conservation work that she does by visiting her website at www.experiencewildlife.com.

Learn more about Jennifer Warner
Click Here to Cast Your Vote!

Voting is open through 11:59pm EDT May 15, 2026. You must be logged in to cast your ballot, and will be asked to login on the next page.