The Nature Conservancy Appoints Bill DeWalt to Board of Trustees

Harrisburg, PA—The Nature Conservancy recently appointed Billie (Bill) R. DeWalt, director of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, to the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy’s Pennsylvania Chapter.

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy, a global non-profit organization has been instrumental in protecting and preserving more than 117 million acres worldwide. Among its projects locally, the Pennsylvania Chapter is working in major landscapes across the state protecting forests, rivers, plants, animals, and natural communities.

“Bill DeWalt brings not only a passion for the environment but also a wide array of expertise in natural resource management and environmental policy. He will be valuable addition to our Board,” said Bill Kunze, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania.

In addition to his position at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, DeWalt also holds several appointments at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as distinguished service professor of public and international affairs and Latin American studies, professor at the University Center for International Studies, and holds a joint appointment as professor in the department of anthropology.

Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, DeWalt is a frequent lecturer, author, consultant, and media commentator on subjects including environmental conservation, the social and cultural impacts of economic development, and Latin American society and politics. He has consulted to a number of organizations including the World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank.

“My career as an academic and museum director has been devoted to research, teaching and policy work related to protecting our environment for future generations. Being elected to The Nature Conservancy Board is a great honor,” said DeWalt. “I look forward to working with The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania in the pursuit of its mission to preserve and protect natural areas both locally and around the world.”

DeWalt holds a bachelor’s in sociology and anthropology and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Connecticut.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its nearly one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States—including more than 40,000 acres in Pennsylvania —and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. For more information, visit nature.org/Pennsylvania.