Robert Dreher, a conservation policy professional, will serve as the inaugural Visiting Senior Conservation Fellow in the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources.

The fellowship connects the academic community of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and UW with an individual who has a strong background in conservation policy. Dreher has in-depth policy experience related to wildlife, water, federal land management and other natural resource fields.

Dreher will guest lecture in classes, meet with students, give a public talk and engage with select faculty research projects during the academic year. Additionally, he will help researchers develop and communicate their scholarship to be more relevant in decision-making, policy and practice.

“The Ruckelshaus Institute and the Haub School are at the cutting edge of conservation thinking, and I’m excited to learn from and share my perspectives and experience with the teachers and students in this community,” Dreher says.

Dreher has extensive experience and knowledge in conservation policymaking and environmental law, and he has served in various senior leadership positions. He worked with several federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGO), including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; and Defenders of Wildlife.

“The addition of someone with Bob’s diverse experiences in government agencies and NGOs through the Visiting Senior Conservation Fellow is exciting,” says John Koprowski, dean of UW’s Haub School and Wyoming Excellence Chair. “His career of experiences will share wonderful real-world expertise with our students and provide policy insights to our faculty and staff.”

His early career focused on policy and the use of courts to assist with decision-making regarding natural resources. Dreher’s later career, as a senior conservation leader and within the federal government, focused on developing lasting solutions to conservation issues through broad engagement with stakeholders.

Dreher earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, his master’s degree from Brown University and his juris doctor from Yale University.

The Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources is committed to collaborative problem-solving of natural resource challenges and supporting stakeholder-driven decisions. The goal is to develop long-lasting, inclusive decisions regarding environmental issues that also can avoid future litigation.

For more information about the fellowship, email Drew Bennett, MacMillan Professor of Practice in Private Lands Stewardship at the Haub School, at drew.bennett@uwyo.edu.