My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity exchange. I researched mother-young interactions in gorillas and chimpanzees, in captivity and the wild. After that, I worked for three years in Indonesia, where I developed and implemented youth ambassador and community engagement programmes on local and regional scales. I co-founded WildHub, a community of nature conservation professionals, in 2020 and work as their Community Lead. I am furthermore on the Advisory Board of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent where I obtained my PhD on capacity development for conservation in 2022.
Indoor or outdoor, as long as I'm working for nature I'm happy! I currently work as a Programs Coordinator with The Thin Green Line Foundation, drawing on my past experiences working in the field to help Rangers globally. Our work focusses on providing Training, Equipment, Emergency Aid and Networking Opportunities for the people working on the frontlines of conservation. As a former Ranger myself, I adore being outside and connecting others with nature. Personally, I have interests in community development and capacity building, the interface between conservation science and environmental policy, and rewilding! I'm a keen birder and hill-walker, currently exploring Victoria, Australia.
Katie Heffner
Senior Director, Partnerships and Engagement, Center for Behavior & the Environment, Rare
I work for Conservation Nation we are a new non-profit that relaunched in late 2021 after a long, prior history of being Friends of the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
I head up the marketing and communications along with running the grants program. Our focus is helping to make the conservation field accessible to a broader group of people and amplify those voices through our grants, education and outreach programs. My background is in program management, marketing and communications but my passion has always been in conservation and I've had the opportunity to volunteer for several conservation organizations. My two parallel paths have intersected with my role at Conservation Nation.
I help run a UK charity that builds the capacity of conservationists to plan, implement, monitor, and report on their work. I also have a fair bit of experience in tiger and sea turtle conservation.