Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Andrew Bowman as New President and CEO

Marking a new chapter for the organization, Defenders of Wildlife today welcomed Andrew Bowman as president and CEO. Defenders announced Bowman’s selection in May of this year and noted that he is returning to Defenders after starting his conservation career with the organization more than two decades ago.

“I am thrilled to be re-joining Defenders of Wildlife, an organization that has been leading wildlife conservation for more than 75 years,” Andrew Bowman said. “We are at an inflection point in human history, standing at the crossroads of the climate and biodiversity crises. I am taking the helm at Defenders to raise a clarion call for wildlife as these crises bear down and to lead an exceptional team to make a difference today, tomorrow and for decades to come.”

Bowman brings more than 25 years of conservation and nonprofit management experience to Defenders, having previously served as president and CEO of the Land Trust Alliance, a network of nearly 1,000 community-based conservation organizations. During his tenure, Bowman guided the conservation community to major victories in Washington, D.C., including markedly increased federal conservation funding and legislation that ensures the integrity of the federal tax incentive for conservation easement donations.  

Bowman joins Defenders during a pivotal time when there are an unprecedented number of congressional attacks on the Endangered Species Act, the country’s preeminent conservation law. In the 118th Congress alone, there have been more than 87 anti-ESA bills and proposals.

“Andrew’s varied leadership experience combined with his conservation expertise in the political, legal and advocacy arenas, make him an exceptional president and CEO for Defenders of Wildlife,” said Mark Caylor, Chair of Defenders’ Board of Directors. “We are excited Andrew’s career has brought him full circle back to Defenders and look forward to the energy and savvy he will bring to advancing our conservation mission.”

“My career has been focused on advancing bedrock conservation laws and protecting places for wildlife to thrive, which makes Defenders of Wildlife a natural next step,” Bowman added. “Defenders is uniquely positioned within the conservation community to lead with scientific and legal prowess to ensure our future is teeming with wildlife. I’m so grateful to be diving in at this crucial time for our environment and planet.”

Before joining the Land Trust Alliance in 2016, Bowman served as the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s program director for the environment, overseeing all environmental grant-making. Prior to his time as a conservation funder, Bowman worked for Defenders in Oregon and at the law firm Perkins Coie LLP. He holds a J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, an LL.M. in environmental and natural resources law from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, and a M.A. in city and regional planning from the University of California at Berkeley.