Luther College Announces Alum David Hecht as Young Alumni Award recipient and 2026 Commencement Speaker

Without your donation, some stories vanish. Support Decorah News. DECORAH — Luther College has announced alumnus David Hecht as the recipient of its 2026 Young Alumni Award and as the 2026 commencement speaker. Hecht, a conservation social scientist and environmental anthropologist, will receive the award and deliver the commencement address at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 24, at Carlson Stadium. The Young Alumni Award, established in 2003, recognizes outstanding achievements of Luther alumni in their vocation or avocation who have graduated within the past 15 years. The award is presented annually at commencement. "We are excited to honor David with the Young Alumni Award and welcome him back to campus to address the graduating class as they begin a new chapter as Luther alumni," said Brad Chamberlain, president of Luther College. "Hearing from our Young Alumni Award recipient provides our newest graduates with a tangible example of how a Luther education inspires and equips students to courageously serve the common good, and how together we may catalyze the creation of a more just and sustainable world." A native of La Crosse, Hecht graduated from Luther in 2011. He currently works with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant at the University of Georgia and lives in Athens with his wife, Abby Sterling, Ph.D., and their son, Orren. Before joining the University of Georgia, Hecht worked as a social scientist with the National Park Service's Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. He also has worked with other government agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. His experience also includes work with nongovernmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and the International Crane Foundation. Beginning in 2014, Hecht partnered with the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature in Bhutan as a researcher and project coordinator on community-based conservation initiatives for threatened and endangered bird species. His research and experiences have been featured in Langscape Magazine, Current Conservation and Himalaya. Since 2016, Hecht has been a National Geographic Explorer, with a focus on integrative and creative inquiry that weaves together knowledge systems and methods from the arts and sciences to address conservation challenges. He has served as a board member of the International Society of Ethnobiology and as an associate editor of the Journal of Ethnobiology and Journal of Human Ecology. He is a member of the Social Science Working Group with the Society for Conservation Biology and the Conservation Social Science Partnership. Hecht graduated magna cum laude from Luther in 2011 with bachelor's degrees in anthropology and biology. While at Luther, he was involved both on and off campus as a member of the student-led Environmental Concerns Organization and as a student worker with the Center for Sustainable Communities. He also worked with the Decorah-based nonprofit Raptor Resource Project, helping manage the Decorah eagle camera in 2011 and assisting with peregrine falcon nest site maintenance and banding in the Driftless Area. Hecht earned a doctorate in integrative conservation and anthropology from the University of Georgia in 2022. He also holds graduate certificates in nonprofit management and leadership, and conservation ecology and sustainable development. "Get the inside scoop! Subscribe to the free DecorahNews.com newsletter and receive local news, expert analysis, and stories that matter most—straight to your inbox.