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CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE:
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Vice President for Conservation Initiatives, Woodland Park Zoo: 2018 – 2022.
Strategically focused the zoo's core conservation programs and partnerships internationally and regionally while advancing conservation solutions in globally significant conservation areas in partnership with other conservation and AZA organizations and academic institutions. Coordinated all wildlife conservation efforts toward the creation of a social movement for conservation that included over 35 field projects around the world, influencing the zoo visitor experience, and coordinating with education and interpretation programs that advanced personal engagement in conservation by zoo visitors.
Served as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and worked closely with the President and CEO, Board of Directors, and zoo staff to further the mission of the organization by leading and coordinating all institutional wildlife conservation efforts. These include managing an international network of field programs, projects and partnerships to save wildlife globally. Advocated for a focus on climate, including drafting a strategy for the organization and writing the policy position paper for the 240+ zoos and aquariums in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
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Director, WCS Training and Capacity Building Program: 2015 – 2018.
Manage the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship Program, the WCS Research Fellowship Program, and support the Conservation Leadership Program, including designing new initiatives, raising funds, managing a budget of approximately $5 million, managing the review process, overseeing the grant decisions, partnering with universities, and providing direct support to scholars and grantees.
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Work with other members of WCS senior management on ensuring that training and capacity building is fully integrated into the WCS 2020 Strategic Plan. Directly responsible for working with other departments and programs in WCS, including Living Institutions, Global Health, Species, Solutions (including Climate Change, Business and Biodiversity, and Livelihoods), Policy, and Education.
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Senior Advisor for Conservation Strategy, WCS Health Program: 2017 – 2018.
Responsible for providing guidance on program strategy and field project design and alignment with clear conservation outputs and outcomes; writing proposals and outreach materials; and supporting global field health initiatives while helping to identify new opportunities and mainstream all activities into the overall WCS global conservation approach.
Coordinator, WCS Snow Leopard Program: 2013 – 2018.
Responsible for all projects and activities related to snow leopards (currently in China, Afghanistan, Pakistan), including outreach and field initiatives related to the species, national and international policy initiatives, and managing relations with donors and international/multilateral organizations (e.g., IUCN, CMS, CITES, World Bank, GSLEP) related to snow leopard conservation.
Secretariat, WCS Science Council: 2015 – 2018.
Responsible for assisting in the development and roll-out of the WCS Science Council and management of activities and outputs of the Council; responsible for helping the council to identify key science strategies and ways to fully incorporate science into the WCS 2020 Strategic Plan.
WCS Regional Director/Deputy Director/Assistant Director, WCS Asia Program: 2005 – 2017.
Provided supervision and support to country programs and projects in Russia (including Arctic Beringia and the Russian Far East), China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea; responsible for supervising roughly 100 staff in the region. Identified new landscapes and species conservation opportunities, design new programs and projects, establish conservation priorities, and provide guidance to project development and implementation. Subjects ranged from strategic design and logistical structuring of new country programs to providing technical advice on field research, protected area management, wildlife trafficking mitigation, community based conservation initiatives, and conservation education efforts aimed at both community outreach and school-based curriculum.
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Raised funds and coordinating financial and administrative support including budget, legal, and HR management for regional programs and projects with budgets totaling approximately $6 million/year. Promoted wildlife, forest, and grasslands conservation in Asia among national governments, international agencies, and other non-governmental organizations; directed international attention to important sites for conservation; and influenced policies that promote the long-term persistence of wildlife and wild places throughout Asia. Responsible for facilitating communication and coordination among projects and between WCS projects and other institutions including governments and their agencies as well as NGO and multilateral partners.
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2006 – WCS – Kabul, Afghanistan: Afghanistan Country Program Director and Chief of Party for the $10.8 million USAID-funded project “Biodiversity Conservation in Afghanistan.” Designed and wrote the project proposal, hired staff, developed budgets and work plans and assisted in the implementation of the 14 project components, including wildlife and rangeland surveys, community based conservation, developing the country’s first environmental laws and regulations, training and capacity building, creating the country’s first suite of protected areas, and designing and initiating transboundary projects in the Pamirs between Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and Tajikistan. Arranged follow-on agreements totaling $14 million from USAID and a GEF grant for $7 million.
2003-2004 – WCS – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Mongolia Country Program Director and Chief of Party for the $1 million USAID-funded GCP II project “Eastern Steppe Living Landscape: Sustaining Wildlife and Traditional Livelihoods.” Opened office, hired and managed staff, developed budgets and work plans, and assisted in design, training, and implementation of all aspects of project, including scientific research, protected area and buffer zone management planning, sustainable development projects, international and national conferences and workshops, community outreach, conservation education, and liaising with ministries, government agencies, NGOs, and private enterprises.
2002-2004 – WCS – Bronx, New York: Central Asia Projects Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Identified, reviewed, and designed potential new projects, wrote funding proposals, liaised with donors and potential partners throughout the Central Asian states.
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1996-2004 – WCS – Gilgit, Pakistan: Pakistan Program Director for Wildlife Conservation Society. Developed, implemented, and managing a community-based program on sustainable resource use, conservation education, and biodiversity preservation in the Diamer and southern Gilgit Districts of Northern Pakistan. Program included community and school-based conservation education and curriculum design, resource mapping, development of resource committees and community management plans, and village wildlife rangers. Also developed and managed field surveys on the status, distribution, and conservation of the endangered flare-horned markhor (Capra falconeri falconeri) and other threatened species such as snow leopard and Ladakh urial covering approximately 60 valleys of Gilgit, Diamer and Kohistan Districts of northern Pakistan; designed survey methodologies and questionnaires, trained field personnel, assisted in fund raising, and managed research.
2002 – United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Kabul, Afghanistan: UNEP Post-Conflict Assessment Unit’s Afghanistan Task Force Project Coordinator. Designed, managed, and implemented country-wide environmental assessment program including remote sensing analyses; five field missions on protected areas, forests and deforested areas, wetlands, and contaminated sites covering over 70 sites; administrative capacity; and international conventions and funding mechanisms.
2002-2003 – WCS – Tehran, Iran: Technical Advisor on the UNDP-GEF project for conservation of the Asiatic cheetah. Reviewed data collection and management procedures, coordinated project development and publications, and performed surveys for cheetahs, other large carnivores, and ungulate prey species in the Dasht-e-Kavir desert of Iran.
2001 – WCS – Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Conservation Consultant for the World Bank/FAO Central Asia Transboundary Biodiversity Program. Designed and developed a workshop for biologists and managers in the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Workshop was on assessing and choosing conservation targets, determining data needs and protocols, creating long-term tri-country working groups for suites of conservation targets, and developing conservation target action plans in both protected and non-protected areas.
1999-2000 – National Geographic – Cusco, Peru: Project Co-Leader and Science Director for National Geographic Expeditions. Helped design the project, wrote the proposal, and co-led a 19-member research expedition to the unexplored Cordillera Carabaya in the Andean highlands. Performed a pilot survey of the area, hired specialists, handled on-site logistics, managed staff for biodiversity and archaeological surveys, and trapped for rare and endangered mammals of the puna region of southeastern Peru. Helped to relocate a lost Inca city, discovered new species, and worked with National Geographic Explorer Television and National Public Radio (NPR) Expeditions personnel to create shows on the expedition and its findings.