Jonathan Proctor is director of the Great Plains Wildlife Initiative, part of World Wildlife Fund’s Northern Great Plains program. His team works in support of Native Nations and locally-led efforts to conserve and restore keystone and endangered wildlife of the Great Plains – primarily bison and black-footed ferrets – in ways that contribute to ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability. Jonathan joined WWF in 2023, previously working for Defenders of Wildlife (2005-2023), Predator Conservation Alliance (1997-2005), and the U.S. Forest Service (1990-1997). His career has centered on restoration and conservation of imperiled and keystone species of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains including wolves, bison, grizzly bears, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, wolverines, lynx, swift fox, and beaver. This work has included policy change, human-wildlife conflict prevention, and collaboration with Tribal and state wildlife agencies, ranchers, rural homeowners, land trusts, and NGOs. Jonathan is co-founder of the Great Plains Conservation Network – a coalition working to restore the region’s natural heritage – and co-founder of the Prairie Dog Coalition. He is co-author of Ocean of Grass, an ecoregion assessment of the Northern Great Plains, and publications on wildlife conservation and collaboration. Jonathan received his B.A. in Geography from Wittenberg University and his M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.
