Governor appoints PSU faculty member to KDWP Commission 

Gov. Laura Kelly has appointed PSU faculty member Delia Lister to the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission. 

The mission of the commission is to conserve and enhance Kansas’ wildlife and to provide the public with opportunities for use and appreciation of Kansas’ natural resources. The commission is represented by seven individuals from across the state. 

“I’m honored and humbled to represent Southeast Kansas,” Lister said. “I hope my knowledge and experience will be an asset to the commission.” 

Lister (BS ’04, MS ’06), has been an instructor in the Biology Department and director of Nature Reach, a wildlife education program that is part of the Biology Department, since 2007. 

She coordinates outreach programs, spearheads fundraising efforts, manages animal care, supervises, paid and volunteer staff, facilitates summer camps and teacher workshops, and manages a 78-acre university property that includes a lab and classroom, trails, garden, and raptors under the care of Nature Reach. 

She is a member of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators, the North American Association for Environmental Education, the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, and the National Association for Interpretation. 

Lister is the recipient of the John K. Strickler Award for Excellence in Conservation and Environmental Education, the Rising Star Award from the Kansas Association of Conservation and Environmental Education, and the NAI Nature Center & Directors Section Scholarship for National Conference. 

Active in numerous environmental groups, she has served in leadership roles in the Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society, the Kansas Native Plant Society, and the Kansas Ornithological Society and has been a frequent presenter at regional and statewide conferences.