Dr. Richard Jeo directs Conservation International’s work in the Asia-Pacific region, overseeing strategies and outcomes in 14 countries. He guides the organization’s role in international and regional networks, as well as partnerships with both the private and public sectors to achieve the best outcomes for people and nature. Richard brings more than 20 years of experience working in conservation and conservation science across the globe to the role. Prior to joining Conservation International, he served as the Montana state director for The Nature Conservancy, where he led programs that permanently protected more than 250,000 acres of critically important private lands. During his tenure at The Nature Conservancy, Richard played a leadership role in some of the largest successful conservation deals ever completed, including the 2009 Great Bear Rainforest agreements with Coastal First Nations in Canada that encompassed more than 21 million acres, as well as the $500 million Montana Legacy project that transferred more than 310,000 acres of forest to public ownership. Richard received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the California Institute of Technology in 1998 and continues to conduct conservation research. He is based in Singapore.