The Wildlife Society is the leading professional society of wildlife professionals in conservation with 11,000+ members plus 200+ state and student chapters. TWS provides professional, career, and leadership development that supports recruitment and retention in wildlife conservation science, management, and education. Wildlife thrives due to the existence of wildlife professionals and wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility. TWS' role is to ensure that we attract the next generation of employees and that they possess the right competencies to address future conservation challenges. The annual conference hosts 2,000+ wildlife professionals and students from across the nation and provides networking, professional development training, and stakeholder engagement to ensure professionals have the resources they need to be successful leaders in wildlife conservation. Each year, thanks to the generosity of sponsors, we can provide over $75,000 in funds for student attendance through travel grants. We focus on supporting students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, including Indigenous people, BIPOC individuals, women in STEM, and those from marginalized lower socio-economic communities.