Anna Rathmann

Anna Rathmann is the Director of the Great Plains Conservation Foundation where she uses her experience in philanthropy and conservation to ensure natural habitats in Africa thrive while the communities who rely on them are supported. Anna began her career in conservation as a United States National Park Ranger in Yellowstone National Park, later spent more than a decade with the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC, and is an MBA candidate at Georgetown University

The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are broad, affecting communities around the world. In many rural areas in Africa where tourism is a major economic driver, COVID-19 has had a devastating affect on personal and community incomes. By working with community leadership to develop new non-consumptive sources of income that are not reliant upon tourism, such as clean energy technology and wildlife monitoring, individual and community livelihoods are being bolstered against future pandemics and economic variability.  ​