Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2024: JENNIFER MORRIS

Morris has spent nearly 30 years in organizations dedicated to protecting the environment, a passion she developed while teaching in Namibia. She saw how the health of the community she was working with in southwest Africa was impacted by the unhealthy environment. Morris heads a global staff of 4,000 in more than 70 countries and all U.S. states, where it works to combat climate change, protect lands and oceans, and find sustainable food system solutions that will allow the world to feed the growing population. Locally, The Nature Conservancy helps support nature-based economic and community development projects in Southwest Virginia through the Cumberland Forest Community Fund.

Morris earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, then spent 23 years with Conservation International. She joined The Nature Conservancy, which calls itself the world’s largest conservation nonprofit, in 2020. She also is board chair of Enduring Earth, a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund and ZomaLab to accelerate conservation worldwide by securing long-term investment in large-scale conservation projects.