Conservation Firsthand
Travel
WWF Experts
Jason Patlis
Vice President and Managing Director Government Relations
Education
- JD - Cornell Law School
- BA - English, Haverford College
Areas of Expertise
- Congressional/governmental relations
- Natural resource law and governance
- U.S. and international environmental laws
- Regulations and international treaties concerning endangered species
- Coastal management and natural resource regulations in Indonesia
"Government is neither the problem nor the panacea, but it can be a powerful partner for conservation - one requiring both support and vigilance."
About Jason Patlis:
Jason wasn't really looking for a sign of the way his career should go. 20 years ago he was just a young man traveling the world by bicycle for two years between Wall Street and law school. Still, as Jason remembers, the signs were everywhere. "In so many places throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, I saw the WWF panda. I was struck by the reach of WWF even then, long before the advent of globalization. Now, here I am 20 years later, proud to be working for the same organization."
Jason took an indirect but productive route to WWF. During law school, he spent time with the United Nations Environment Programme in Kenya. After graduation, he worked in the General Counsel's Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He served in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Science.
What then began as a sabbatical - with a Fulbright Senior Scholarship to study natural resource law and governance in Indonesia - became a third career during which Jason spent almost six years consulting on projects for US AID, the World Bank, foundations and universities. Today, his mission is to draw on WWF's strengths in the field to further develop a lean, efficient, effective policy operation working closely with the U.S. government.
