Dr. Vanessa Handley
Board Member
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Dr. Handley is a conservation biologist with active field and research projects around the globe. Her overarching objective is to advance regional conservation efforts via collaborative, community-based approaches. To this end, Vanessa deploys tools that range from practical horticulture to next generation sequencing.
In addition to her role as Director of Conservation Science at The Red List Project (a plant conservation nonprofit), Vanessa is Coordinator of the Global Conservation Consortium for Cycads at Montgomery Botanical Center, and a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences and UC Berkeley.
Vanessa holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from UC Berkeley and previously served as Director of Collections & Research at the University of California Botanic Garden and Associate Professor of Biology at Holy Names University. Vanessa’s conservation activities extend to voluntary service as a Specialist within the IUCN Species Survival Commission, participation in various scientific advisory boards and conservation consortia, and mentorship of underrepresented and non-traditional students in the conservation field.
