Conservation Forward: How to Turn Passion into Practice: Becoming a Conservation Practitioner

Conservation Forward brings together leading conservation experts, practitioners and professors to speak directly with students about forging a career in conservation. Rooted in the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures' mission to prepare workforce-ready professionals for careers that drive action, the series focuses on how the next generation can step into conservation work with clarity and purpose.

This panel places that question at the center. Panelists bring experience spanning scientific research, marine and freshwater systems, community engagement and global conservation leadership, offering students an honest and inspiring look at how passion becomes practice - and why that matters now more than ever.

Panelists include Jack Kittinger, director of the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures; Karla Vargas, professor at the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures; Jesse Senko, assistant professor at the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures; and Percy Summers, senior director of science and development for Conservation International.