International Conservation & Development

Cynthia Robinson is a strategic senior leader with more than 25 years of experience directing U.S. and international social impact programs across academic, government, nonprofit, and philanthropy sectors. She has particular expertise in public service engagement and initiatives at the intersection of science, technology, and policy. Cynthia launched Boundary Spanning Strategies in June 2025 to support purpose-driven organizations to expand capacity, scale, scope, and results.

I am a wildlife ecologist with broad interests in conservation, population biology and animal behaviour. I graduated in Biology from Duke University (2002), and completed a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Dartmouth College (2011). I have conducted research in East Africa for 20+ years.

Tracey Osborne is Associate Professor and Presidential Chair in the Management of Complex Systems Department at the University of California, Merced. She is also the founding director of the University of California Center for Climate Justice. Tracey’s research focuses on the social and political economic dimensions of climate change mitigation in tropical forests and the role of Indigenous Peoples, the politics of climate finance, global environmental governance, and climate equity and justice. She has worked on these issues globally with extensive field experience in Mexico and the Amazon. Tracey is a member of the Global Climate Leadership Council, a body that advises UC President Michael Drake on successful implementation of the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative’s mission. She received her PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley.

Ariane de Bremond is Executive Director of the Global Land Programme (www.glp.earth), and Research Associate Professor in Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. Motivated by her time as a development practitioner...

Cathy Ross is an independent consultant with extensive experience leading programs and operations in organizations dedicated to human rights, community development, environmental sustainability, and democratic governance. She previously...

Nicole Ardoin holds a joint appointment with the Graduate School of Education and the Woods Institute for the Environment. Professor Ardoin's research focuses on motivations for environmental behavior, with an emphasis on the links among...

David's research focuses on institutional environmental transformation and governance. While much of his work has focused on East Asia, he is interested in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, as well. His Switzer-supported...

Andrea is a consultant to foundations, non-profits, and businesses on issues related to tropical forests: their governance, their destruction, their restoration. She currently supports grantmaking at the Climate and Land Use Alliance, with...