Frederick Kowal is the chair of the National Wildlife Federation’s Board of Directors.
Kowal was appointed to the NWF Board in April 2016 and has been deeply committed to the NWF’s work, which dovetails with his love for wildlife, wilderness and recreational activities. His appreciation for wildlife conservation and environmental justice blossomed during his time at the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana in the 1980s.
While there, Kowal saw the importance the tribe placed on preserving wilderness areas in the Mission Mountains as it fought to maintain its sovereignty and cultural traditions. Those experiences left an indelible impression on Kowal, who returned East and began teaching at SUNY Cobleskill in 1986. A professor of political science and Native American Studies at Cobleskill, he worked with colleagues from the Salish Kootenai Tribal College in Montana to develop a Native American Studies minor.
Kowal’s devotion to wildlife conservation, environmental activism, economic justice and climate justice is manifest in his work as president of United University Professions (UUP), the nation’s largest higher education union. UUP represents more than 38,000 employees at campus and public teaching hospitals operated by the State University of New York (SUNY).
Under Kowal’s leadership, UUP has become a strong, politically influential organization in New York state. Always putting its members first, UUP has defended members from state budget cuts in the years after the Great Recession. During the worst days of the pandemic, UUP provided protective gear and other health-related support to frontline workers at SUNY hospitals. From creating infrastructure to grow UUP’s membership to working with community members and unions to stop the state from closing a vital public teaching hospital in Central Brooklyn, UUP, under Kowal’s direction, has taken a central role in offering innovative solutions to challenges faced by its members and the institutions and communities they serve.
During Kowal’s tenure, one of UUP’s main priorities has been to join with environmental groups in New York state to pursue climate change legislation and protect New York’s diverse ecosystems. Kowal serves on the Environmental Advocates NY (EANY) Board of Directors; this collaboration has allowed for close cooperation in the pursuit of major legislative conservation wins.
In 2017, Kowal directed UUP to join New York Renews, a coalition of nearly 400 labor, climate, youth and community groups that advocates for clean and renewable energy sources and fights for climate justice. New York Renews—and by extension, UUP—was instrumental in the passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, a historic step in addressing the climate crisis and related climate justice issues in New York and across the country.
More recently, UUP was the only public sector union to lobby for passage of New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act, which requires large polluters to pay for damage they’ve caused to the climate. In this effort, UUP once again forged strong coalitions of support for the legislative action and to convince the Governor to sign the bill into law.
Kowal lives in Warnerville, New York, in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains with his wife, Cheryl Hamilton, and their puppy, Rosalita – who also enjoys hiking and water sports.
