I find working with members of the TNC team to support communities, inspiring donors to dig deep and support the work, listening to communities and trying to find alignment and build support deeply rewarding.
Biography
Eric began working for The Nature Conservancy in 2003, working on restoring the grasslands of western Washington alongside tribes on the Washington coast, which led to the establishment of the Emerald Edge program in 2010. In his work on the Emerald Edge, he works to promote local leadership, sustainable economic development, and access to resources in the Emerald Edge—a 100-million-acre coastal temperate rainforest stretching from the Olympic Coast of Washington state, along the coast of British Columbia up to Southeast Alaska.
Eric is currently serving in an interim role as TNC's Alaska state director. Before starting at The Nature Conservancy, Eric served in the Peace Corps in Nepal, spending several years working in different countries in Asia.
He completed a PhD in restoration ecology from The University of Washington in 2013. He completed a masters degree in environmental studies, exploring the effect of tourism on an Indigenous community adjacent to a giant panda reserve in western China.
Eric is the father of twins, Hawthorn and Florence. His family enjoys skiing in the winters, and boating in Puget Sound in the summer.
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