The leaves are changing, and so are we!
A message from our President…
This month I am excited to announce changes to the executive leadership roles at the Conservation Biology Institute and to announce our new strategic path forward.
The Main Story…
When Pam Frost (my wife) and I created the Conservation Biology Institute 26 years ago with the help of a handful of others, it was with a clear mission: use conservation science to create a healthier, more ecologically sustainable planet. We felt we needed to create a new organization (vs. working for an existing entity) to ensure we remain focused and committed on advancing conservation science solutions while maintaining the highest degree of scientific and personal integrity. If we were going to invest the energy to dream, we might as well dream big. Starting in our spare bedroom 26 years ago, CBI was built from the ground up. It has not always been an easy journey, but we are grateful to have had the opportunity to make a significant difference towards achieving our mission to this point with hopefully a much larger impact in the future.
CBI’s unique approach is to bring “all three legs of the stool” to the table to help clients and partners tackle complicated conservation problems, namely:
1. World-class conservation scientists, geospatial experts, and software engineers
2. Advanced software applications, including the flagship Data Basin mapping and analysis platform
3. A holistic, proactive, and collaborative engagement model
Our expanding board of directors and executive leadership team believe the time is now to scale the unique CBI skill sets to address the increasing environmental degradation posed by human activity, including climate change. We want to build on our successes, transfer more knowledge outside the U.S., expand our in-house science expertise, engage more people in our work and set CBI up for success over the next 26 years and beyond.
To expand our impact, I am excited to announce changes to the executive team. Effective September 1, 2023, CBI board member Robin Jones has stepped into the Executive Director role at CBI. I will remain as the Chief Science Officer for the organization as well as continue to serve on the board of directors. Pam Frost will continue in her role as Chief Operations Officer and current role on the board. Gladwin Joseph will also remain as Chief Projects Officer.
“I could not be more thrilled to be joining such a passionate and impactful group of conservation scientists, geospatial analysts, and software engineers in their efforts to preserve and heal our ecosystems at such a critical time in our planet’s history. I’m excited to apply my years of business experience toward helping this organization grow and thrive for years to come. I am very much looking forward to working alongside CBI’s esteemed team that drives the research, applied science, analytics, and technology they are using to address the world’s critical environmental issues.” – Robin Jones
Robin is the ideal complement to our existing expertise. She brings 25 years of experience including executive and/or founding roles at several entrepreneurial ventures, executive roles at multiple software companies including Esri, and a rich academic background in biological sciences and business at Stanford and UC Berkeley. Robin’s strategic priorities are to:
- Continue to build CBI as a world-class organization that continues to help create an ecologically sustainable planet via its top-notch ecological scientists, GIS and software experts, and collaborative engagements.
- Scale up the organization’s conservation global impact.
- Build a recurring funding model to ensure a rich, impactful software platform roadmap.
Everyone at CBI is thrilled and excited to have Robin as the new Executive Director while retaining the previous leadership as part of the executive team. CBI’s future is bright and that is more important than ever as there is an ever-increasing amount of work to be done to try to save our planet.