Michael Doane
Global Managing Director, Food & Freshwater Systems
Kansas
Areas of Expertise
Row crop, livestock farming operations, economic analysis on productivity and resource conservation
Biography
Michael Doane is the Global Managing Director for Food & Freshwater Systems for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Michael leads a team of the organization’s foremost experts to scale up conservation outcomes across productively managed farming, ranching and agroforestry landscapes.
Providing food and water sustainably is a top global priority for TNC with a focus on minimizing the conversion of natural landscapes to agriculture, restoring degraded croplands and grasslands with advanced soil health, grazing and nutrient management techniques, and securing freshwater in basins threatened by pollution or overuse. TNC has significant food, water and climate programs across the America’s and emerging programs in Africa, India and China. Michael and his team are developing creative strategies to build new business models designed to accelerate conservation gains through catalytic finance, innovation, public policy and agri-food supply chain programs.
Michael brings 20 years of relevant business and leadership experience to the role and holds a B.S. in Agribusiness and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics, both from Kansas State University. He has led high performing teams in the agribusiness and non-profit sectors across corporate strategy, business development, commercial sales and marketing, public policy and sustainability. In addition, he has played a catalytic leadership role in the development of multi-stakeholder sustainability programs such as the No-Till on the Plains, Soil Health Partnership, Collaboration for Forests and Agriculture, Field to Market Alliance and The Sustainability Consortium.
Michael started farming at a young age and is a partner in his family’s cattle and row crop farming operation located in Kansas. He combines his passion for agriculture with his love for nature as an avid angler and sportsman. He makes his home in Parkville, Missouri, with his wife, Julie, and their two children.
Blog
Investing in a Sustainable Food System
Michael Doane and Jennifer Molnar detail four ways to unlock the value of nature in agriculture.