The people who make SavingSpecies possible include the Scientific Board and the Management Board. The Scientific Board advises on the potential for projects to succeed. That way, we ensure our projects will be successful. The Management Board helps to implement the projects and manages SavingSpecies’ operations. Our people work entirely on a voluntary basis, enabling us to stretch your donation further than other conservation organizations.

Scientific Board

SavingSpecies is endorsed and supported by some of the world’s most eminent and accomplished conservation biologists. Their support testifies to the sound, smart approach SavingSpecies is taking to biodiversity conservation and carbon offsets.

Our Scientific Board includes the following scientists and researchers. Please contact SavingSpecies directly if you wish to communicate with any of the committee members, and we’ll be happy to pass along your message.

Stuart L. Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology Environmental Sciences & Policy Marine Science & Conservation

Stuart Pimm

Stuart L. Pimm chairs SavingSpecies and is the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University.

Stuart received his Ph.D. from New Mexico State University in 1974. He is the author on many scientific papers about the loss of species and how to prevent them. 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 (The Netherlands), and the winner of the Tyler Environmental Prize in 2010.

Thomas Lovejoy, president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment

Thomas Lovejoy

Tom received his Ph.D from Yale. Before coming to The Heinz Center, he was the World Bank’s Chief Biodiversity Advisor and Lead Specialist for Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean and Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations Foundation. Tom has been Assistant Secretary and Counselor to the Secretary at the Smithsonian Institution, Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior, and Executive Vice President of the World Wildlife Fund–U.S. He conceived the idea for the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystems project (a joint project between the Smithsonian and Brazil’s INPA), originated the concept of debt-for-nature swaps, and is the founder of the public television series Nature. He was awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2001. Tom served on science and environmental councils or committees under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations.

Dr. Edward O. Wilson, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Curator in Entomology, Harvard University

Edward O. Wilson

A passion for the wildlife of his native Alabama—especially its bugs—compelled Ed Wilson into a lifetime commitment to science and nature. Ed received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1955 and began the field research that led to the development of his theory of island biogeography, a bedrock of ecology. With his research into the principles of conservation biology, Ed became a dedicated defender of biodiversity. In addition to his voluminous contribution to the scientific literature, he has written many books for a popular audience explaining the importance of protecting biodiversity around the world. Some of these seminal works include The Diversity of Life, Biophilia, The Future of Life and The Creation. Ed Wilson is the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and numerous international scientific achievement awards, including the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (1984) and the National Medal of Science (1976).

Peter Raven, President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden.

Peter Raven

Besides being President Emeritus at Missouri Botanical Garden, Peter is also the George Engelmann Professor of Botany, Washington University in St. Louis. His Ph.D is from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1960. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, as well as a foreign member of academies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, China, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, India, and several other countries, of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Royal Society (UK). He has more than twenty honorary degrees. His major international awards include the International Prize for Biology (Japan), the International Environmental Leadership medal (United Nations), the Volvo Environment Prize, and the Tyler Prize. His publications on biodiversity and plant biology are many and influential.

Dr. Patricia Wright, Professor of Anthropology at State University of New York, Stony Brook.

Patricia Wright

Pat Wright received her Ph.D. from the City University of New York in 1985. She is a leading expert on lemurs, having discovered a new species, the golden bamboo lemur. That discovery led to her establishing a world-renowned center at Ranomafana, Madagascar for studying that country’s biodiversity and the issues involved in protecting it. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius award” and, in 1995, Madagascar’s National Medal of Honor. Her life and research are featured in Michael Apted’s “Me and Isaac Newton” an award winning documentary that features scientists and their creativity.

Management Board

SavingSpecies’ management board is responsible for the day-to-day running of SavingSpecies operations. The board serves entirely on a voluntary basis.

Stuart Pimm – President
Julie Schroer – Treasurer
Roger Harris – Secretary
David Blinken – Officer
Cathy Botti – Officer
Carol Dahm – Officer