Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: M. SANJAYAN

CEO, CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, ARLINGTON COUNTY

Published August 30, 2023 by Virginia Business

In his role as host of the PBS series “Changing Planet,” Sanjayan explores how communities from Australia to the Arctic are confronting climate change and creating innovative solutions.

And as CEO of Conservation International since 2017, Sanjayan has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission to safeguard nature for the well-being of humanity.

Since his arrival, he has helped facilitate the establishment of public-private coalitions for forest restoration efforts across the globe, launched a blue carbon project in Colombia and helped start the Blue Nature Alliance, which aims to protect 18 million square kilometers of ocean in five years.

As he notes on the “Changing Planet” series, “If we’re going to rebalance our planet’s carbon equation, we have to find ways to restore and protect our natural places.”

Born in Sri Lanka and raised in West Africa, Sanjayan holds a master’s degree from the University of Oregon and a doctorate in conservation biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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