Dr. Ann M. Bartuska, a senior official at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), will join RFF as Vice President for the newly formed Land, Water, and Nature Program. She will be working in tandem with RFF Senior Fellow Dr. Raymond Kopp, who previously was named Vice President of a newly formed Energy and Climate Program.
Dr. Bartuska will join RFF October 1 after last serving as Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics as well as Chief Scientist at USDA.
Dr. Richard Newell, RFF President and CEO, said, “Ann Bartuska is one of the most highly respected leaders in natural resource management and research, with expertise ranging from forests and wetlands to the agricultural system. We are delighted that she is joining RFF as we build our capacity to address the key environmental and natural resource challenges that are intertwined with the public’s long-term economic well-being.”
RFF’s Land, Water, and Nature Program, to be managed by Dr. Bartuska, will deliver research and solutions for cost-effectively managing key land, water, and marine resources that support a thriving economy and society, while ensuring healthy and productive natural systems and building resilience in a changing climate.
Dr. Bartuska said, “Taking a leadership position at RFF is both a real honor and an exciting challenge. I look forward to working with the remarkably dedicated researchers here. It is getting back to my roots as an ecosystem ecologist by working with the talented economists at RFF.”
Dr. Newell added, “RFF is putting the pieces into place to continue and grow its influence in vital national, state, and global discussions around the environment, energy, natural resources, and the economy.”
Prior to her current position at USDA, Dr. Bartuska served in a host of leadership positions, including as Deputy Chief for Research and Development of the US Forest Service. She also has served in several appointments including the advisory board of the National Science Foundation, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Invasive Species Initiative, and President of the Ecological Society of America—a few of her many titles.
Read her full biography on the USDA website.
