National Museum of Women in the Arts
Great Hall

October 22, 2024   7:00 – 9:00pm

Thank you for joining us!

We are honored to have you as our guests this evening, and we’re grateful for your support of WWF’s vital mission. Tonight’s program touches the very heart of our work and our purpose — conservation storytelling and the future of conservation leadership. We’ll highlight the importance of creating equitable and meaningful opportunities for young people to learn about nature and connect to the natural world. We have seen firsthand how the next generation is stepping up—bringing fresh energy, innovative ideas, and an unshakable passion for change—and we will explore how we can ensure the legacy of conservation continues to flourish.

We are pleased to welcome members of WWF’s Board of Directors and National Council.

Welcome Remarks
Yolanda Kakabadse
Co-Chair, WWF-US Board of Directors
Sanjeev Mehra
Co-Chair, WWF-US Board of Directors
Carter Roberts
President & CEO, WWF-US

Fireside Chat
Wendy Paulson
Chair, Bobolink Foundation
and
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
Member, WWF-US National Council, Wildlife Ecologist,
and Co-Host, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild

Moderated by 
Carter Roberts
President & CEO, WWF-US

We want to extend a special thanks to our Board of Directors for their generous support of tonight’s Annual Dinner.

FIRST COURSE

Roasted Artichoke
 fig jam, golden beet, smoked olive oil, truffle honey, house made ricotta, baby arugula, fennel bread stick 

ENTRÉE

Braised Kohlrabi
wild mushroom fricassee, vegan gluten-free gnocchi, agave roasted baby carrots, vegan basil pesto  

DESSERT

Hazelnut Mocha Mousse
valrhona carmelina, espresso ice cream quenelle, lace cookie

WINE

Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand 2022 

The Icon Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
Mendoza, Argentina 2022

 DR. RAE WYNN-GRANT
MEMBER, WWF-US NATIONAL COUNCIL,
WILDLIFE ECOLOGIST, and CO-HOST, MUTUAL OF OMAHA’S WILD KINGDOM PROTECTING THE WILD

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is the co-host of NBC’s newest series Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild. She is a renowned wildlife ecologist focused on how human activity impacts the behavior and ecology of large carnivores. She has studied mountain lions on the California coast, grizzly bears in the Northern Great Plains, black bears in the Western Great Basin, African lions in rural Kenya and Tanzania, and lemurs in Madagascar.

Dr. Wynn-Grant attributes her interest in wildlife and conservation to the television shows she watched as a child and aims to use science media to inspire other future scientists. In addition to Rae’s role co-hosting Wild Kingdom, she is the creator and host of award-winning podcast Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant produced by PBS Nature, and author of the upcoming memoir Wild Life published by Zando and Get Lifted Film Company.

Dr. Wynn-Grant received her BS in Environmental Studies from Emory University, her MS in Environmental Studies from Yale University, and her PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Columbia University. She is currently a Research Faculty member at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. She is a National Geographic Explorer, and maintains a Visiting Scientist position at the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Wynn-Grant serves on the Board of Directors for numerous environmental non-profit organizations, where she largely guides equity, inclusion, and diversity strategies.

Rae is a scientist, storyteller, author, professor, and public speaker. She envisions a near-future where leadership in the environmental field and access to nature is safe and equitable for all. Rae lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband and two young daughters.

WENDY PAULSON
CHAIR, BOBOLINK FOUNDATION

Wendy Paulson’s career has been in education and conservation action. She chairs the Bobolink Foundation which focuses on biodiversity conservation. A graduate of Wellesley College, Wendy serves or has served as trustee or adviser for multiple conservation organizations, both domestic and international, including The Nature Conservancy (global and state boards), Rare, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdLife International. She has taught in both public and private schools (including The Potomac School) and helped start programs of classes about birds in New York City and Chicago public schools, still teaching in the latter. For many years she was known as the Nature Lady in Barrington, IL public schools. Every year she leads fourth graders in her school district in a prairie immersion program. Wendy has led bird walks for over 40 years – in Illinois, New York City, and Washington, DC – and is a longtime participant in native grassland restoration. She and her husband Hank have two children, four grandchildren, and are avid cyclists, kayakers, skiers, and hikers.

YOLANDA KAKABADSE
CO-CHAIR, WWF-US BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Yolanda Kakabadse’s work with the environmental conservation movement officially began in 1979, when she was appointed Executive Director of Fundación Natura in Quito, where she worked until 1990. In 1993, she created Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano, an organization dedicated to promoting the sustainable development of Latin America through conflict prevention and management. She was the Executive President until 2006 and remains as Chair of the Advisory Board. From 1990 until 1992, Yolanda Kakabadse coordinated the participation of civil society organizations for the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (Earth Summit). From 1996 to 2004, she was President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and Member of the Board of the World Resources Institute (WRI) during the same period. Yolanda was appointed Minister of Environment for the Republic of Ecuador, a position she held from 1998 until 2000. She is the Chair of the Board of the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galápagos.

SANJEEV MEHRA
CO-CHAIR, WWF-US BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sanjeev Mehra is cofounder and serves as managing partner of Periphas Capital LP, a private equity investing firm focused on making mid-market buyout and growth capital investments in industrial, technology, business services, and consumer industries. At Goldman Sachs, he served as vice chairman of the global private equity business, as co-head of US private equity, and as head of its operating committee, and he helped start the India private investing activity. He served on the investment committee and as a partner of the firm for 18 years. Mehra has served on the boards of over 25 companies, and currently serves on the board of KAR Auction Services, Inc. and ShipMonk, Inc. He also serves as a trustee of Oakham School Foundation and Friends of The Doon School. Mehra is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of The Economic Club of New York, and a member of the Committee of Undergraduate Resources of Harvard College. He is a past chairman of the Board of Trustees of Brunswick School and served as a trustee of Trout Unlimited. Mehra earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard College.

CARTER ROBERTS
PRESIDENT & CEO, WWF-US

Carter Roberts is president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund in the United States. WWF, the world’s largest network of international conservation organizations, works across 100 countries and enjoys the support of 5 million members worldwide.

Roberts leads WWF’s efforts to save the world’s great ecosystems and address climate change by linking science, field, and policy programs with an ambitious initiative to work with markets and businesses to lighten their impact on the planet. He has worked with communities and heads of state in North America, Africa, Latin America, and Asia; and has built partnerships with some of the world’s largest corporations, including Walmart, Cargill, and Mars to set new industry standards for resource efficiency.

Roberts earned his MBA from Harvard Business School following a BA from Princeton University, and subsequently held marketing management positions for Procter & Gamble and Gillette. He went on to lead international conservation and science programs for fifteen years at The Nature Conservancy before coming to WWF in 2004.

Roberts serves on the boards of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy at Duke University and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College and the London School of Economics. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and most recently served on the International Finance Corporation’s Advisory Panel on Sustainability and Business, as well as the Advisory Board of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative chaired by the Secretary-General of the UN.

Roberts lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Jackie Prince Roberts and their three children.