Alex Wegmann

Board Member

Alex Wegmann, Ph.D.: A 20-year veteran of managing and advising conservation projects in the Pacific, Alex Wegmann became The Nature Conservancy’s Palmyra Program Director in 2016 and then the Director of Science for the Palmyra Program in 2019. Prior to joining the Conservancy, Alex worked for Island Conservation for more than 10 years. Alex’s tenure with IC started as an advisor to the Palmyra Atoll rat eradication project and ended as the organization’s U.S. Pacific Islands and Micronesia Program Manager. Alex holds a B.A. in anthropology from Linfield College and a Ph.D. in botany from the University of Hawai‘i where his graduate research focused on terrestrial ecosystem response to invasive rats. Alex has experience in conservation projects across the pacific, including the Northwestern Hawai‘ian Islands, the Line Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, and Japan. His experience with Pacific Island ecosystems made him a valuable resource to many governments and non-governmental conservation organizations, including The US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US Department of Defense, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, Coastal Conservation, Pacific Rim Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation. In his current role, Alex leads a compelling, $5M conservation science initiative leveraging Palmyra Atoll’s unique ecological characteristics to address global conservation challenges.