Staff Spotlight: Audrey Knight
Audrey Knight grew up on a cattle ranch in central Oregon, where the rhythms of the land shaped her understanding of what it means to live and work in the rural West. After earning a degree in rangeland ecology from Oregon State University, she spent several years working with ranchers and land managers on grazing management and habitat restoration projects before joining Sustainable Northwest as a Regenerative Ranching Program Coordinator.
In her role, Audrey works directly with ranchers across Oregon and Washington who are adopting regenerative grazing practices. She helps producers develop grazing plans, install virtual fencing systems, and monitor outcomes like soil health, forage production, and riparian condition. She also coordinates Sustainable Northwest’s participation in the Western Sustainability Exchange, connecting ranchers with premium markets for sustainably raised beef.
Audrey is particularly passionate about bridging the gap between conservation organizations and the ranching community. “Ranchers are some of the best land stewards I know,” she says. “They live on the land every day, they see the changes, and most of them want to leave it better than they found it. Our job is to give them the tools and support to do that, not to lecture them about what they should be doing differently.”
When she is not in the field, Audrey enjoys horseback riding, fly fishing, and volunteering with 4-H programs that introduce rural youth to careers in natural resource management. She lives in Bend with her two border collies, who she describes as her most demanding but effective coworkers.