Peter A. Seligmann (born September 30, 1950) is an American conservationist and nonprofit founder. Seligmann is chairman of

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...

, an Arlington, Virginia-based environmental nonprofit organization, and from 1987 to 2017 served as its founding chief executive officer. He is also the founding CEO of Nia Tero, a global collaborative whose name translates in

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

to "our Earth." Seligmann is a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

; the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

; a director at First Eagle Holdings, formerly

Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder was a New York-based investment bank that remained as a fund management company under the control of the Kellen and Arnhold families until December 2015, when majority ownership was sold to the Blackstone Group LP and Cor ...

Holdings Inc.; and the

Mulago Foundation The Mulago Foundation is a private foundation focused on high impact philanthropy: investing in charities and philanthropic opportunities that have the highest impact. The foundation was originally envisioned by Rainer Arnhold, a San Francisco pe ...

. He has served as a member of The Coca-Cola Company's International Public Policy Advisory Board. On July 20, 2000, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

appointed Seligmann to the Enterprise for the Americas Board.

Early life and education

Seligmann was born Sept. 30,1950, in New York City to Esther Arnhold Seligmann, a dance teacher and sister of Henry H. Arnhold, and Otto Seligmann, an accountant and treasurer of Arnhold Ceramics. He grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. Seligmann graduated from high school at the Wardlaw Country Day School in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

, in 1968. He holds a bachelor of science in wildlife ecology from Rutgers University (1972), a master's degree in forestry and environmental science from Yale University (1974), and honorary doctorates in science from Michigan State University in 1994 and Rutgers University in 2003.

Personal life

Seligmann is married to glassybaby founder Lee Rhodes, and the two reside in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. Peter has three daughters from his marriage to Susan Monaghan Seligmann: Melissa Kathryn Seligmann Gokhvat, Jennifer Seligmann, and Leah Seligmann. He also has three stepchildren from his marriage to Lee Rhodes: Mericos Hector Rhodes, Evelyn Sale Rhodes, and Cedric Saunders Rhodes. Seligmann is an avid world traveler, fisherman, and diver

Career

After graduating from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, Seligmann took a job with

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, stewarding the organization's preserves in 13 states in the Western United States. Later, he helmed the California Nature Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy’s International program. In 1987, Seligmann became the co-founder and CEO of Conservation International. Seligmann has said his vision is to support an environmentally healthy world that provides economic opportunities and security, and he fulfills it by bringing together everyone from business and religious leaders to bureaucrats and scientists to local and indigenous people. He served as CEO until July 1, 2017, when he was succeeded by the conservation scientist

M. Sanjayan M. Sanjayan is an American conservation scientist, writer and television news contributor, specializing in the role of nature in preserving and enhancing human life. He is referred to as Sanjayan, using one name as is sometimes Tamil custom. He is ...

. Now he is CEO of Nia Tero. Seligmann remains chairman of Conservation International alongside board members including former Walmart Chairman

S. Robson Walton Samuel Robson “Rob” Walton (born October 28, 1944) is an American billionaire heir to the fortune of Walmart, the world's largest retailer. He is the eldest son of Helen Walton and Sam Walton, and was chairman of Walmart from 1992 to 2015. ...

, chairman of the executive committee; actor

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

, vice chairman of the board;

Laurene Powell Jobs Laurene Powell Jobs ( Powell; born November 6, 1963)United States birth records is an American billionaire businesswoman and executive. She is the founder and chair of Emerson Collective and XQ Institute. Powell Jobs resides in Palo Alto, Califo ...

, founder of

Emerson Collective Emerson Collective is a for-profit corporation focused on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health. Founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, this limited liability company (LLC) uses philanthropy, impact investing, ...

; President

Ian Khama Seretse Khama Ian Khama (born 27 February 1953) is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

; Northrop Grumman Corp. CEO

Wesley G. Bush Wesley G. Bush is an American systems engineer and business executive. He is the former CEO and chairman of Northrop Grumman, and he is currently a director of General Motors and Cisco. Bush was raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. He has both B ...

; Ann Friedman, and others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seligmann, Peter Conservationists 1950 births Living people American Jews American conservationists