Peter Seligmann

Peter A. Seligmann is one of today's most dynamic leaders in the global conservation movement, where he has brought innovation and action to the forefront of biodiversity protection for more than 25 years. In 1987, he co-founded Conservation International, and as Chairman and CEO he has positioned CI at the cutting edge of conservation, creating lasting solutions to biodiversity and sustainable development challenges.

Seligmann holds a masters degree from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Science and an honorary Doctorate in Science from Michigan State University. In 2001, he was awarded the Order of the Golden Ark from the Netherlands. Seligmann serves on the board of the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, Oregon, and the Mayor's Environmental Council in Washington, D.C. He also serves on several corporate boards, as well as on the advisory councils of the Jackson Hole Land Trust, Ecotrust and other not-for-profit organizations, including the Japanese Keidanren's Nature Conservation Fund. In 2000, President Clinton named him a member of the Enterprise for the Americas Board.

Seligmann's work has been featured by ABC's "Nightline," CNN and Fortune Magazine. A strong advocate of building partnerships, Seligmann has forged groundbreaking joint projects between the environmental community and other sectors, including government and industry. In 1998, CI established the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, and in 2001, the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. In 2000, CI launched the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund in collaboration with the World Bank and the MacArthur Foundation.

Under Seligmann's leadership, CI has pioneered conservation tools that are economically sound, scientifically based and culturally sensitive. He has guided CI to become a major international conservation leader, with field offices in more than 30 countries, and major influences in science and business.

An avid outdoorsman with a passion for fishing and diving, Seligmann lives in Washington, D.C. as well as at his farm in the Shenandoah Valley.