As the Conservation Policy Analyst, Heather works on wildlife conservation policy issues focusing on policy implementation and emerging policy issues and works with other Defender members to develop holistic approaches towards improving protections for threatened and endangered species and their habitat.

Heather has a background in wildlife conservation, prior to her time with Defenders, she worked at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park. Heather was involved in animal husbandry and care with a specialty in primate husbandry. She was also actively involved in community engagement, primate behavioral research and was a member of the Gibbon Species Survival Plan working group. Heather holds a Master of Arts in Global Environmental Policy from American University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University.