President – Conservation Allies
Board Director – Rassmussen Family Foundation
Paul is a leading expert in global biodiversity conservation with more than 35 years of research and field experience across the tropics. He has dedicated his career to bridging academic research with on-the-ground action, spearheading urgent interventions to save Critically Endangered species and shaping international conservation priorities through his active work with IUCN.
Paul earned his D.Phil. in Tropical Ecology from the University of Oxford and completed postdoctoral research at The Natural History Museum, London. His career began as Biodiversity Science Coordinator at Conservation International, followed by more than a decade as CEO of Rainforest Trust, where he mobilized over US $100 million to establish 40 million acres of new protected areas across 60 countries.
He currently serves as Chair of IUCN US Fund, is a Henry Arnhold Fellow of the Mulago Foundation, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and President of Conservation Allies.
Paul currently serves the USNC as Co-Chair of the Membership & Communication Subcommittee. He was instrumental in founding the US National Committee, which was approved by the IUCN Members during the 2016 World Conservation Congress in Hawaiʻi.
He is deeply committed to supporting the USNC as an inclusive and vibrant forum where all US Members can connect, collaborate, and amplify their influence within IUCN—driving meaningful impact for the future of nature conservation.