FHI 360 is pleased to announce that Dr. Heather Tallis has joined its Board of Directors. Dr. Tallis currently leads an independent consulting practice, providing services across a wide range of areas, including climate change, environment and health, food system transformation and sustainable development. She also holds visiting faculty positions with the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment.
Prior to establishing her own business, Dr. Tallis served as the Global Managing Director and Lead Scientist for Strategy Innovation for The Nature Conservancy, helping advance their science-based global conservation agenda in more than 70 countries. She has founded powerful partnerships, including the Bridge Collaborative and Wicked Econ, which changed natural resource management policy, directed major funds to sustainable investments and produced high-impact scientific publications. Through the Bridge Collaborative, she facilitated the development of an evidence-grading standard for evaluating impact across health, development and environment.
With experience advising governments, private-sector actors, nonprofit leaders and foundations in 20 countries, Dr. Tallis is adept at finding creative, viable paths through complex challenges, including climate change, food system transformation, human displacement, inclusive and sustainable development, water and watershed management, and biodiversity conservation. She has been appointed as an expert in diverse fora, including the World Economic Forum and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
“Intense storms, fires and the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize the reality that the environment determines so much about our lives. While many development organizations turn away from this reality, I applaud FHI 360 for embracing it. I am honored to join them in their efforts to bring the full force of environmental knowledge and tools to their work of improving lives around the globe,” said Dr. Tallis.
FHI 360’s Board Chair, Philip Lochner stated, “We are delighted to have Dr. Tallis join FHI 360’s Board of Directors. The impacts of climate change threaten to reverse many of the gains made in sustainable development. We cannot address health, economic development, inequality and other vital issues without recognizing the deep connections between human development and the environment. The expertise Dr. Tallis brings will help advance our work as a human development organization and achieve meaningful impact in people’s lives.” Patrick Fine, FHI 360’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We feel so fortunate to have such a distinguished scientist on our board who will bring a cross-cutting perspective with climate and environment at its heart.”
Dr. Tallis joins the board as Vivian Lowery Derryck steps down after two four-year terms. A treasured member of the FHI Board of Directors for her outstanding contributions over many years, Ms. Derryck served as Vice Chair of the Board.
“We are deeply grateful for Ms. Derryck’s insights, commitment and compassion as she helped lead our Board of Directors through complex challenges and essential initiatives. Her leadership has contributed to growing a vibrant board, which has directly contributed to FHI 360’s ability to create impact. We are honored to have had her partnership over these past eight years,” concluded Mr. Fine.
