Jamie Rappaport Clark


Jamie Rappaport Clark is president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. She joined the organization as executive vice president in 2004.

Early life

Born in New York city, Clark attended Towson State University, earning a B.S. in wildlife biology in 1979. She received an M.S. in wildlife ecology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Career history

Clark has been a lifelong participant in the conservation of wildlife. As a college student, she spent a summer at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where she released peregrine falcons back into the wild as part of a national recovery effort. Twenty years later, as the director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, she officially removed them from the federal list of endangered species due to the successful recovery efforts, in which she participated.
Clark has a long career in conservation, both inside the government, mostly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and with non-profit conservation organizations.
In recognition of her expertise and achievements in endangered species conservation, President Bill Clinton appointed her as Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1997, a post which she held until 2001. During her tenure as director, Clark established 27 new refuges and added two million acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System. While director, the Service worked with Congress to pass the , establishing wildlife conservation as the main purpose of all refuges. The Service was involved in many successful efforts to recover imperiled wildlife during her tenure, including the bald eagle, gray wolf and the Aleutian Canada goose.
As president and CEO of , Clark has been at the forefront of endangered species and habitat conservation in the non-profit community. She has been frequently called on to testify on , providing guidance to members of Congress on conservation issues. Under her tenure, Defenders has played a key role in the reintroduction of bison to tribal reservations, secured protections for right whales, sea turtles and piping plovers and many other species and habitats.

Honors and awards

In 2017 she was awarded the Rachel Carson Award by the Audubon Society for her life's work.

Works