President, Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Thomas E. Lovejoy is the president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment in Washington, D.C. A graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, he has previously served as the World Bank's chief biodiversity advisor and Lead Specialist for Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean, senior advisor to the president of the United Nations Foundation, assistant secretary and counselor to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, science advisor to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and executive vice president of the U.S. branch of the World Wildlife Fund.
An avid conservationist (and, incidentally, the person to coin the term biological diversity), Lovejoy has helped to define the minimum dimensions for national parks and reserves, as well as provided pioneering estimates for global extinction rates. He originated the concept of debt-for-nature swaps, in which foreign debts are purchased at a discount and converted to local currency at face value, with the proceeds being used to finance local conservation projects.
Lovejoy's work has made him the recipient of many prizes and awards, including the 2001 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. He has served on science and environmental councils or committees under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations and is also the founder of the acclaimed PBS television series Nature.
