Our Story

Our need to protect and sustain nature has never been greater.

A broad coalition of experts agree that perhaps a million species could disappear within the next few decades, and this could completely unravel the natural systems on earth that provide our food, water, air, and solace. At the same time, economic and decision-making gaps continue to widen – with impoverished peoples more likely to experience the consequences of climate change and declining ecosystems first, and most intensely.

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We are at a turning point where we must align human consumption and economic growth with the workings of nature. And, we need to do this in a way that guarantees the delivery of equitable benefits for both nature and people. The path forward to achieve this balance will require much closer collaboration between the business world, financial investors, scientists, policymakers, and rural communities to create meaningful value for nature, make collaborative decisions, and share revenue. But, these groups must first learn to speak a common language, build deeper communications, and discover shared needs and visions for the future. And, the more than 250,000 public and private parks and protected natural areas distributed throughout the world’s urban, rural, and oceanic areas provide a key arena in which to achieve this balance.

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This is the workplace of i4cNature – we are committed to sustaining the world’s public and private protected natural areas by creating a common ground between groups that do not commonly talk to each other. The outcome from our work is a strengthened understanding of needs and opportunities, commitment to action, and collaboration on enduring solutions.

 
 

Our Team

 

Our globally experienced i4cNature team reflects the ethnic, gender, and age diversity that is essential for successful 21st Century nature conservation. We are conservation scientists, social workers, economists, financial planners, visual artists, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, organizational managers, and more, and we bring these diverse skill sets together to communicate a vision and practice that will keep nature intact beyond our lifetimes.  Our core team is comprised of:

 
 
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Executive Director

John Winter

Finance and Entrepreneurship Lead

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Managing Director

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Communications Lead

 
 

This core team is supported by a consortium of Associates including leading conservation scientists, filmmakers, visual artists, acoustic ecologists, facilitators, technical writers, business managers, and more.

 

The i4cNature Board of Directors

 

Dr. Kina Murphy

Science and Art Lead

Dr. Nejem Raheem

Innovative Markets Lead

 

Jim has designed and implemented natural resource and biodiversity conservation projects in more than 50 countries and been privileged to learn from indigenous communities in remote areas of northern Canada and the western U.S., Papua New Guinea, Central America, Ecuador, Congo, and northern Mexico. His work integrates sustainable finance, ecosystem and wildlife conservation, protected area management, and communications. From 2006-2012, Jim served as the Director of the Kinship Conservation Fellows, an environmental leadership program that provides training and guidance in conservation finance strategies, business management, and economic tools for mid-career professionals. Jim’s first book, Beginner’s Map: Cycling through the Nature of Loss in Shakespeare’s Italy, is a memoir recounting his odyssey by bicycle through the length of Italy in an exploration of nature, culture, and mortality. He is currently at work on Love Songs to the Salient Earth, a collection of essays reflecting on his lifetime of work with nature conservation. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Gallatin School of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Advisor to the Center for Sustainable Business at New York University.

Jeanne is a communications specialist who focuses on storytelling through web-design and photography. After graduating from New York University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Conservation Science and Photojournalism, she has worked with Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation Finance Alliance, and ICONS Group to create websites that showcase resources and create online spaces for users to engage with these organizations’ content and visions. Jeanne is passionate about sharing knowledge with those working in conservation about how to best engage the public with their projects and showcase their ventures in a way that is relevant, functional, and beautiful. Based out of Oakland, California, Jeanne continues her communications work while also being deeply involved with local food movements through access and equity work with small, locally based farmers.

For the past 20 years, Jeannette has directed and managed a private mental health care practice with a particular focus on working with a wide diversity of peoples and cultures. Her practice includes a deep concern for the connectivity between mental health and our experience of nature. She has also worked extensively in New York City hospitals expediting treatment and aftercare for patients through communication and problem solving with medical staff, internal and external organizations, patients and families. She holds a degree in psychology from Pitzer College, and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University.