Dr. Rena Borkhataria is the founder and Executive Director of Conservation Collaborative, an initiative dedicated to strengthening the conservation workforce through collaboration, shared learning, and collective action. Conservation Collaborative builds on the foundation of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) Collaborative, which Rena launched in 2013 with support from the Doris Duke Foundation.

Under her leadership, the DDCSP Collaborative supported over 200 scholars, the majority of whom have pursued impactful careers in conservation. In 2023, the DDCSP Collaborative received The Wildlife Society’s Group Achievement Award for its outstanding work in improving diversity within the wildlife profession.

Rena was honored with The Wildlife Society’s Diversity Award in 2019 for her leadership and commitment to broadening participation in conservation. She also contributed as the principal author of the chapter, “Women of Color in Wildlife: Stories of Support and Setbacks,” in the book “Women in Wildlife Science: Building Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Additionally, she was a founding member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Diversity Joint Venture for Careers in Conservation, serving on its original Advisory Board.

Before launching the DDCSP Collaborative, Rena was an Assistant Research Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, where her research focused on the population dynamics of the American Wood Stork and its role as an indicator species for Everglades restoration.

Rena holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Arizona (1998), an M.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University (2001), where she studied ecological and political factors influencing coffee plantation conversion in Puerto Rico, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida (2009). Her doctoral research used satellite telemetry and GIS to model population and habitat suitability for the endangered American Wood Stork.

In her down time, you can find Rena working on DIY projects around her old brick rowhome in York, PA, walking in the woods with her dog Snuffy, or spending time at the stables with her retired Thoroughbred, Dreamer.