A Visionary Investment in the Future of Conservation Leadership
$1.2M gift to William & Mary’s Institute for Integrative Conservation will expand opportunities for students and bring conservation leaders together
April 22, 2026
By
Staff
A $1.2 million gift from a William & Mary alumna will make a leadership course available to students through the university’s Institute for Integrative Conservation (IIC) and launch a Conservationist in Residence Program.
The alumna, who wishes to remain anonymous, also provided the landmark $19.3 million gift that established the IIC in 2020 with the goal of creating the nation’s premier cross-disciplinary institute. Since then, IIC students have made a global impact through projects including improved oyster aquaculture in Virginia, grassland restoration on the Upper Missouri River, watershed mapping and management in Nepal and development of sustainable businesses in Kenya, among many others.
This new investment strengthens the IIC’s commitment to building the next generation of leaders who are prepared to address critical conservation issues such as global biodiversity loss and promote lasting, integrative solutions.
“Lasting conservation is rooted in leadership. We warmly thank our anonymous alumna for her commitment to our planet and the human beings who tend it,” said President Katherine A. Rowe. “Her generosity cultivates the resilient change-leaders our environment depends on.”
The gift will support the addition of a new team member who will extend the IIC’s initiatives to the W&M student body through development of a conservation leadership course for undergraduates. It will also advance the IIC’s Conservation Catalyst program, a signature initiative that focuses on equipping conservation advocates with the skills, networks and reflective practice necessary for durable results.
The Conservation Catalyst program brings emerging leaders from around the world together, where they learn from and share knowledge with faculty, staff and other conservation partners while working on applied projects. The IIC has welcomed participants representing conservation organizations in Kenya, Botswana, Cambodia, Singapore, South Africa, Mongolia, The Philippines, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal and from around the United States.
In addition to expanding this program, the gift will launch the IIC Conservationist in Residence Program. This new initiative will bring senior conservation leaders to William & Mary’s campus for extended residencies. During their time in residence, visiting experts will engage deeply with IIC faculty, staff and students and deliver a public lecture as part of the Conservation Speaker Series. They will also participate in conservation courses and connect with the broader university community.
These efforts strengthen the IIC’s position as a global hub for preparing conservation leaders capable of advancing community-centered solutions for the planet.
“What makes these programs unique is their focus not just on skills but also on deepening self-awareness in order to cultivate authentic and embodied leadership and doing so within a supportive community of leaders,” said Alexandra “Alli” Sabo, IIC director of capacity engagement. “Each of these is important in itself, but when woven together and tailored to different levels of leadership, they are truly transformative.”