Primary Job Title Executive Director Primary Organization 
Project Drawdown
Location Owatonna, Minnesota, United States Regions Great Lakes, Midwestern US Gender Male
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Dr. Jonathan Foley is the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Foley oversees the institution’s programs of scientific research, education, and public engagement. A world-renowned scientist, his work focuses on the sustainability of our planet and the ecosystems and natural resources we depend on. Throughout
his career, he has made major contributions to our understanding of worldwide changes in ecosystems, land use and climate, and global food security. Foley has won numerous awards and honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (awarded by President Bill Clinton); the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Award; the J.S. McDonnell Foundation's 21st Century Science Award; an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship; and the Sustainability Science Award from the Ecological Society of America. In 2014, he was named winner of the prestigious Heinz Award for the Environment. A noted science communicator, Foley has written many popular articles, op-eds, and essays in publications like National Geographic, Scientific American, the New York Times, The Guardian, Ensia, Yale's Environment 360, and bioGraphic, among others. His presentations on global environmental issues have been featured at hundreds of venues, including the Aspen Environmental Forum, the Chautauqua Institution, and TED.
