LIGHTNING ROUND PRESENTER TITLE: NRF’s Diversity in Conservation Internship Program: Connecting students to careers in the environment ABSTRACT: The Diversity in Conservation Internship Program (DICI) of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin (NRF) provides meaningful experiences for undergraduates interested in careers in natural resource conservation, focusing on students with identities that are underrepresented in the environmental field. The goals of this cohort-based program are to introduce students to the field of conservation and its career pathways and to help strengthen the knowledge and skills of program participants to meet the need for diverse professionals in Wisconsin’s conservation sector. Learn about this impactful program, which is heading into its fourth year in 2024 and to date has worked with 20 students across three universities as well as dozens of partner organizations. I will share examples of wetland-related projects that DICI interns have been a part of through this program and will dive into lessons learned about how to create meaningful experiences for interns with identities that have historically been excluded from the conservation field. I will also offer actions that participants can take away to engage with this program or to support similar efforts within their own organizations. BIO: Cait Williamson is the director of conservation programs for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, where she leads the organization’s initiatives for conservation and environmental education. She earned a master’s degree in environmental conservation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s in biology and environmental studies from Lawrence University.