Areas of Expertise

• Policy Analysis
• Natural Resource Management
• International Consulting

Biography

Doug has spent the last two decades working in conservation, sustainable development and global policy across a wide variety of issues areas. Prior to joining Ocean Conservancy, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the global partnership that is headquartered in Barcelona and includes institutions in 55 countries. Under Doug’s leadership, WAZA adopted policies that commit to certified forest products, the elimination of single-use plastic and the conversion to certified sustainable palm oil. Prior to that, Doug worked for six years as a Programme Coordinator at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, focusing on illegal wildlife trade, endangered species, and the sustainable development goals, and earlier spent nine years as Executive Director of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), the partnership of chimpanzee and gorilla rehabilitation centers across Africa. Doug began his professional career as a journalist at the Washington Post and later worked for the Los Angeles Daily News, Atlanta Constitution, Sports Illustrated and Time. A Washington DC-area native, Doug enjoys jazz music and museums in his spare time.

Education

Bachelor’s degree from Montana State University

My Favorite Thing About the Ocean

I have been lucky to snorkel and dive in wonderful places like Thailand, Kenya, Mexico, Tanzania, Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands, and the infinite sense of calm underwater is exhilarating.