Born and raised in Minnesota (USA), I am a conservation biologist with + 20 years of experience practicing the science and art of conservation around the world.  I have a special interest in integrating interdisciplinary conservation science with rural development initiatives that achieve conservation at scale.  I apply my theoretical and practical experience and expertise by (1) designing and delivering multi-stakeholder initiatives through an evidence-based, collaborative process that seeks to find common ground solutions for complex conservation challenges, (2) providing demand-driven technical outputs designed to improve decision-making and (3) sharing knowledge and skills through various modes of field-based teaching and training.  Fundamental to my approach is applying a servant leadership perspective to help other aspiring conservationists and conservation teams achieve greater success and impact.

More specifically, my early interests in large carnivore conservation and coexistence work with wolves in Minnesota, grizzly bear in Alaska and tigers in China, led me to Namibia in 1999 where I conducted research on cheetah habitat and feeding ecology with the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Round River Conservation Studies.  From there my interests evolved into a passion for the desert-adapted black rhinos which roam the remote and rugged wilderness of northwest Namibia, and Save the Rhino Trust (SRT), a well-established field-based organization in Namibia operating for over 40 years.  In 2003 I accepted an invitation to serve as their Science Adviser which I continue to hold under part-time employment with the Minnesota Zoo Foundation.

My applied research with SRT has helped inform a variety of innovative conservation and management policies including community-based monitoring programs, rhino re-introduction strategies, behavior change campaigns and science-based eco-tourism protocols.  In addition to research, I have designed and delivered SRT’s training curriculum to hundreds of rangers and co-founded and currently continue to advise the award-winning Conservancy Rhino Ranger Programme and the Rhino Pride Campaign (see Project links below).

Recently, much of my focus has targeted scaling up our community-led rhino conservation and tourism model across Namibia as well as sharing the Namibian experience in other countries and contexts including China and Nepal.  I hold an adjunct professorship at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, am an invited guest lecturer at the Beijing Forestry University, serve as a member of three IUCN Specialist Groups and the Namibia EAGL team member for IUCN Green List as well as a Conservation and Namibia Ambassador with the Transformational Travel Council and science adviser to Round River Conservation Studies.  I first visited and was inspired by the pioneering conservation work by WildCRU during my formative years in 2001 and am thrilled to return as a research associate 20 years later.