A passion for plants drives alumni award recipient’s career

Self-proclaimed “plant nerd,” Auburn and Alabama Extension Specialist Nancy Loewenstein has always loved being outdoors and working with plants.

That passion recently paid off, as she was named the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment’s 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient. 

Loewenstein earned her bachelor’s degree in forest management at Auburn in 1982. And although her educational and professional career took her to different locales where she earned several more degrees, she eventually landed back on campus in 2002. Luckily for colleagues, students, industry professionals and community members, she never left. 

This recent award puts a nice cap on a fruitful career that will soon close when Loewenstein retires from the university in August. 

Outstanding in many ways

President of the Alabama Invasive Plant Council (ALIPC ) Michelle Isenberg nominated Loewenstein for this recognition, noting how she is engaged both professionally and personally in her industry and community. 

“Nancy volunteers her time with invasive species projects in the Auburn and Opelika area, as well as serving as a church elder and participating in church choirs,” said Isenberg, who pointed to Loewenstein’s leadership and career achievements as a testimony to her strength as an alumni award candidate. 

A charter member and executive director of the ALIPC, Loewenstein has been recognized for excellence in extension, teaching and outreach, including being named the Forest Conservationist of the Year by the Alabama Wildlife Federation and a National Project Learning Tree (PLT) Outstanding Educator Honoree. Loewenstein also received the National PLT’s Leadership in Education Award. 

Lastly, Loewenstein has produced numerous Extension and academic publications. She was also a co-author of the popular Forest Service book Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.

Supporting her community

The ALIPC started in 2003, with Loewenstein as a charter member. 

“From that first meeting, I wanted to be involved. It just clicked,” said Loewenstein.

When the council’s leader, Jim Miller, contemplated retirement, he encouraged creation of an executive director position with Loewenstein in mind. This leadership role became part of Loewenstein’s Extension job description because so many important stakeholders are involved with the ALIPC, and her participation is a solid outreach tool. 

“Nancy goes above and beyond to ensure ALIPC’s growth and outreach for its grants and programs,” said Isenberg. “She travels extensively, delivering informative invasive species talks to landowners, teachers and professionals for both ALIPC and Extension.”

Loewenstein noted her work with the Chewacla Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) as a charter member and secretary since 2021 has also been “fruitful and meaningful” for her. 

She sits on the board of this all-volunteer organization, which aims to improve the overall ecology of Chewacla State Park in Auburn through control of invasive plants. Working with Alabama State Parks, the group secures grants and schedules work days to remove invasive plant species from the park and has made a “decent dent” with its efforts.