Jamie Rappaport Clark

Jamie Rappaport Clark "joined Defenders of Wildlife as executive vice president in February 2004. Jamie oversees a staff of 145 in Washington, D.C. and in field offices across the country and in Mexico and Canada.

"Jamie came to Defenders after a 20-year career with the federal government, mostly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1997, she was appointed director of the Service by President Bill Clinton, a post she held until 2001. During her tenure as director, Jamie oversaw the addition of two million acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System, including the establishment of 27 new refuges, and presided over the recovery of key endangered species such as the bald eagle, gray wolf, and peregrine falcon.

"Jamie’s tenure as director of Fish and Wildlife Service was also marked by the adoption of innovative policies to encourage landowners to voluntarily conserve wildlife, including the safe harbor program and expanded habitat and candidate conservation programs. Also under her leadership, the Fish and Wildlife Service worked with Congress to pass the landmark National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, which established wildlife conservation as the primary purpose of all refuges within the system.

"Prior to her appointment as director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamie served the agency as chief of the division of endangered species, southwest deputy assistant regional director, and senior staff biologist.

"Jamie Clark holds a B.S. in wildlife biology from Towson State University in Towson, Maryland, where she also did post-graduate work in environmental planning. She holds an M.S. in wildlife ecology from the University of Maryland."

• Director, Natural Resources Council of America