Our Management Board
Saving Nature’s Management board is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, and policies of the organization. Our management board comprises individuals who are passionate about our mission and bring invaluable insights into ensuring Saving Nature executes effectively on our mission with transparency and integrity. The board serves entirely on a voluntary basis.
World leader in the study of extinctions
Dr. Stuart L. Pimm, President
Stuart L. Pimm is the Founder and President of Saving Nature and the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University. He is a world leader in the study of present day extinctions and what can be done to prevent them. His research covers the reasons why species become extinct, how fast they do so, the global patterns of habitat loss and species extinction and, importantly, the management consequences of this research. He is committed to science-driven conservation that empowers local communities.
Stuart received his Ph.D. from New Mexico State University in 1974. He is the author of many scientific papers about the loss of species and how to prevent extinctions. His books include The Balance of Nature? and, in 2001, the acclaimed World According to Pimm: a Scientist Audits the Earth.
He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the recipient of the 2006 Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences (from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), the winner of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2010, and the International Cosmos Prize in 2019.
Conservation innovator, scientist, strategic leader
Dr. Alex Dehgan, Director
Alex Dehgan is the CEO of Conservation X Labs, and Chief Strategic Officer of Thylacine Biosciences. He is also Professor of the Practice of Sustainability and Global Futures Fellow at Arizona State University. Alex previously served as the Chief Scientist of USAID, with rank of Assistant Administrator, and created the Agency’s “DARPA for Development”, and designed and launched the US Government’s Grand Challenge for Development program.
Dr. Dehgan also worked in multiple positions in the Office of the Secretary at the State Department, including on Iran, Afghanistan, Syria-Lebanon, and the broader Islamic world, focused on advancing science for diplomacy, planetary health, and national security. Dr. Dehgan served as the Special Adviser for Nonproliferation as part of the Coalition Provisional Authority, where he established and ran the redirection program for former nuclear, chemical, and bioweapon scientists.
Alex was also the founding country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Afghanistan Program and helped create Afghanistan’s first national park. Alex is the author of the book, The Snow Leopard Project, which describes the effort, which won the Gold 2020 Nautilus Book Prize.
Dr. Dehgan holds a Ph.D in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chicago, a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a B.S. with Distinction from Duke University. Alex has won multiple awards from the Departments of State and Defense, was selected by AAAS Science Policy Fellowship as one of 40@40 honorees, was named an Icon of Science by Seed Magazine, received the World Technology Award, and in 2020, was given the University of Chicago’s Medical and Biological Alumni Association’s highest honor.
Multifaceted tech philanthropist with a passion for nature
Cassidy Horn, Director
Tech Entrepreneur Cassidy Horn graduated from Stanford University in 2012. Since then she has worked as a voice-over artist, a writer, and has recently transitioned to the tech industry. She has been on the board of the LA Zoo since 2011. Her passion for animals and nature has taken her all over the world — including with Saving Nature Founder Stuart Pimm to Asia, Africa, and South America. She has long supported our activities and is a philanthropist committed to environmental conservation.
Spatial analysis and remote-sensing
Dr. Clinton Jenkins, Vice President
Dr. Jenkins is an Associate Professor at Florida International University in the Department of Earth and Environment & the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center. He studies the conservation of biological diversity and efforts to reduce the loss of tropical ecosystems. He received a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Tennessee in 2002, and has wide-ranging experience in conservation research.
He specializes in using spatial analysis and remote-sensing technologies to answer conservation questions and identify priorities for action. This research has taken him to the Brazilian Atlantic Forests, Florida Everglades, southwestern China, Central America, and the Amazon. In each of these places, development pressures threaten to drive species to extinction. Identifying the intersections between those threats and centers of biodiversity helps direct conservation efforts toward the places to save species most efficiently. Clinton has also trained hundreds of conservation professionals in conservation GIS, operates the BiodiversityMapping.org website, and currently serves as Vice-President of the conservation non-profit Saving Nature.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AlyEx-IAAAAJ&hl=en
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clinton_Jenkins
website: https://BiodiversityMapping.org
email: Clinton.Jenkins@fiu.edu
Tech-focused sustainability leader and scientist
Dr. Lucas Joppa, Director
Dr. Lucas Joppa is Senior Managing Director and Chief Sustainability Officer at Haveli, a technology focused. private equity firm. Previously, Dr. Joppa was Microsoft’s first Chief Environmental Scientist, and then first Chief Environmental Officer, leading the development and execution of the company’s sustainability strategy across its worldwide business including Microsoft’s historic carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste sustainability commitments, as well as the establishment of their AI for Earth initiative and development of their Planetary Computer platform. With a combined background in both environmental science and data science, Dr. Joppa is committed to using the power of technology to advance a growing movement to address the world’s sustainability needs.
Recognized by Fortune magazine in its “40 Under 40” list, Dr. Joppa is a uniquely accredited voice for sustainability in the tech industry. He has been recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers and serves on the boards of organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability around the world.
Dr. Joppa remains an active scientist, speaking frequently on issues related to artificial intelligence, environmental science, and sustainability. Along with his Ph.D., Dr. Joppa holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Malawi.
Veterinary oncologist, conservation advocate
Dr. Gerald Post, Director
Gerald Post, co-founder of The Veterinary Cancer Center in Norwalk, Connecticut, founder of the Animal Cancer Foundation, board member of Saving Nature, and trustee of the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence, is a board-certified veterinary oncologist.
He is currently evaluating effectiveness in the field of endangered species conservation with a particular interest in using interdisciplinary research– utilizing what we know about evidence and effectiveness in the medical field, amongst others–and applying it to conservation. Evaluating the evidence of what contributes to success and failure is key in all domains of study.
He has more than 30 years of clinical experience and has participated in clinical oncology research on the national and international levels. He champions the field of comparative oncology every chance he gets. He truly believes that the knowledge gained through comparative oncology can be used to more effectively diagnose and treat many cancers, not only in animals, but humans as well.
Real estate investor, environmental activist
Brian Rodgers, Secretary
Brian Rodgers is a commercial real estate investor/developer based in Austin, Texas. He’s devoted much of his life to political and environmental activism and has directed his energies to helping acquire critical habitat corridors in Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Sumatra.
Other projects include spay neutering campaigns in Zimbabwe to reduce dog populations and diseases spread among wildlife and supporting local wildlife NGOs and the rangers of Zim Parks in their struggle to save the white and black rhino populations.
Conservation-minded business leader
Erin Willigan, Executive Director
Erin has a Master’s Degree in Conservation Biology from Columbia University. Her Master’s Thesis on “Ecotourism in Mainland Southeast Asia” explored the challenges and opportunities for balancing conservation and commerce around protected areas. Erin also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In her role at Saving Nature, Erin provides oversight and overall management, planning, vision and leadership for all aspects of Saving Nature including programs and services, finance, resource development, human resources, donor relations, communications, and board development. She plays a leadership role in partnering with collaborating businesses, foundations, government officials, other nonprofits, and supporters.
