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Jennifer Morris

Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy

Arlington, VA

Jennifer Morris headshot.

Areas of Expertise

Global conservation leadership, Conservation finance, Econ. development, Enterprise entrepreneurship

Board Term

Effective May 18, 2020

Contact

Email:

Biography

Jennifer Morris is Chief Executive Officer of The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization that partners with communities across the globe to overcome the barriers to climate and biodiversity solutions. Jennifer leads over 4,000 global staff working together to develop breakthrough tools and ideas, amplify local knowledge, influence decision-making, and forge  new paths to funding in pursuit of a world where people and nature thrive.  

For more than 25 years, Jennifer has dedicated her life to protecting the environment for people and nature. She brings decades of global leadership, proven management skills, and a passion for conservation to the organization and its ambitious mission—conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Almost 30 years ago, Jennifer was teaching in Namibia, with an eye on a career in public health.

Years of working and living in a small community showed her that the health of each individual and each family was inextricably linked to the health of the environment. This realization propelled her to serve by working in economic development, and she went on to receive a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University with a focus on business development and micro-finance. After a short stint at Women’s World Banking, she joined Conservation International.

Jennifer was previously president at Conservation International (CI), where she developed some of CI’s most enduring programs, partnerships, and innovative strategies using business development as a tool to protect nature for the well-being of humanity. Prior to her role as president, she was CI’s chief operating officer and oversaw significant growth in budget and staff. Jennifer is a passionate storyteller, avid outdoors enthusiast, and mentor to the future generations of conservation leaders. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and daughter.

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Recent Articles

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Meetings on ocean health, climate and biodiversity offer opportunities for action.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/marine-conservation-lisbon-jen-morris/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"center-middle","mobileImageCrop":"center-middle","pageImageAlt":"Black and white underwater photo of an adult female whale swimming with calf.","readTimeMinutes":"5","articleDate":"Jun 27, 2022","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":["Global"],"topicTag":["ocean conservation","conservation work","biodiversity","climate change"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/TNC_PC2021_whale-calf-Akira-Nanjo.jpg"}},{"title":"Our Blue Marble: Why This June Matters for Earth—and All Life on It","description":"50 years since NASA astronauts took an iconic photograph of the Earth, the planet's vulnerability now faces a daunting reckoning for the climate, biodiversity and sustainable development.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/jen-morris-blue-marble-climate-biodiversity/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"center-middle","mobileImageCrop":"center-middle","pageImageAlt":"Photo of the Earth taken from space.","articleDate":"May 31, 2022","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":["Global"],"topicTag":["climate change","conservation work","biodiversity","sustainable development","habitat restoration"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/e/a/earth.jpg"}},{"title":"Protecting Nature Through Authentic Partnerships","description":"Conservation for the coming decades must be based in authentic partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/protecting-nature-authentic-partnership-jennifer-morris/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"left-top","mobileImageCrop":"left-top","pageImageAlt":"a woman crouches on the ground and looks at a bunch of bananas near a banana tree","articleDate":"Sep 08, 2021","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":["Global"],"topicTag":["indigenous peoples","community conservation","conservation work","biodiversity","local communities"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/brazil/agroflorestabanana.JPG"}},{"title":"Investing in Nature for a Resilient Future","description":"We are witnessing one of the fastest economic transitions ever known—but there is still time to incorporate nature-positive recovery plans that support a more resilient future.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/jennifer-morris-investing-in-nature-resilient-future/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"center-middle","mobileImageCrop":"center-middle","pageImageAlt":"Close up detail of a fern leaf","articleDate":"Apr 23, 2021","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":["Global"],"topicTag":["climate resilience","climate change","conservation work","conservation finance","natural climate solutions"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/WOPA150114_D205.jpg"}},{"title":"Public Finance for a Nature-Positive Recovery","description":"TNC has joined efforts with other leading conservation organizations to identify three key opportunities for Public Development Banks to drive systemic change that addresses the biodiversity challenge","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/public-finance-nature-positive-recovery/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"center-middle","mobileImageCrop":"center-middle","pageImageAlt":"a long exposure shot of four monarch butterflies blurred against a black background","articleDate":"Nov 16, 2020","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":["Global"],"topicTag":["conservation finance","conservation work"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/i/a/ian-parker-UnoXP7nxwiI-unsplash.jpg"}},{"title":"The Global Food System is Ripe for Change","description":"How today’s biggest threat to nature could become its best ally.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/grow-positive-regenerative-global-food-system/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"center-middle","mobileImageCrop":"center-middle","pageImageAlt":"A colorful composition of sliced-open colorful citrus, pomegranates, mangoes and pineapples.","articleDate":"Oct 27, 2020","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":["Global"],"topicTag":["soil health","agriculture","conservation work","aquaculture","sustainable fisheries","fisheries","sustainable agriculture"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/luke-michael-1cWZgnBhZRs-unsplash.jpg"}},{"title":"Environmentalists Cannot Remain Silent on Racism","description":"CEO Jennifer Morris makes a public statement on the recent acts of racism in the United States and ongoing protests spreading around the world.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/jennifer-morris/cannot-remain-silent-racism/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"left-top","mobileImageCrop":"left-top","pageImageAlt":"Impala in a clearing at sunset","articleDate":"Jun 01, 2020","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":[],"topicTag":["activism","individual actions","activities"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Office of the CEO"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/office-of-the-president"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/3/a/3a2c4595e3d9d44d922c6a2c8d180619_original_Full.jpg"}},{"title":"Nature's Future Is Our Future","description":"The Nature Conservancy’s CEO Jennifer Morris shares her vision for why conservation matters, now more than ever.","link":"https://stage.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/jennifer-morris/time-to-act-climate-change/","target":"_self","desktopImageCrop":"left-top","mobileImageCrop":"left-top","pageImageAlt":"Sunrise over daisies in Indiana.","articleDate":"May 17, 2020","articleAuthor":["Jennifer Morris"],"contentTypeTag":"Blog","geoLocationTag":[],"topicTag":["ocean conservation","conservation work","community conservation","forest conservation","water conservation","conservation finance","conservation education","coastal resilience","wildlife conservation","land conservation","indigenous stewardship"],"placesWeProtectTag":[],"businesstags":["Global Insights"],"businesstags_ids":["tnc:business-group/global-insights"],"pageImage":{"small":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg","default":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg","medium2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg","large":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg","small2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg","medium":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg","large2x":"https://natureconservancystage-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/t/n/tnc_52987642_Full.jpg"}}]
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