Past Founders Fund Leadership Award Winners

Founders Fund Leadership Award Winners

While Founders Fund Scholarships have been awarded since 2006, the Founders Fund Leadership Award formally began in 2010. In 2013, at the Fiftieth Anniversary celebration, in lieu of an award, there was a panel discussion with three notable panelists.

2010 Donal O’Brien, Original TGF members and influential New York lawyer with
connections in state government

2011 Ted Rogowski, coauthor of the Clean Water Act, cofounder of TGF, and founding member of the Federation of Fly Fishers

2012 Stanley Bryer, pioneer of TGF’s efforts in conservation litigation

2013 John Adams, founder, Natural Resources Defense Council; Peter Kaminsky,
fly-fishing author and New York Times columnist; Whit Fosburgh, president,
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

2014 Al Butzel, lawyer and environmental advocate in the landmark Storm King Mountain power plant case and the successful litigation against the Westway megaproject

2015 Joe Martens, former Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation

2016 Sarah Chasis, longtime advocate for sustainable fisheries and healthy oceans

2017 Karl Coplan, professor of law at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and director of its Environmental Litigation Clinic

2018 Bert Darrow, president of TGF and longtime advocate for cold-water fisheries in the Northeast

2019 Larry Solomon, former president of TGF and author

2020 David Kramer, one of the founders and members of Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and longtime supporter

2021 Karen Kaplan, creator and administrator of the Founders Fund Society and longtime chair of the Education Committee

2022 Jennifer Grossman, for almost thirty years of strategic environmental legal work in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

2023  Tracy Brown, for her commitment to environmental conservation and restoration of New York waters.

2024  The Long Island Flyrodders, for their devoted conservation of Long Island’s cold-water fisheries and stewardship of the land.