Conservation & Livelihoods Advisor

Helen focuses on wildlife health and conservation, and furthering the impact of One Health and Planetary Health approaches. Helen joined Cornell University to help launch the Cornell Yang Center for Wildlife Health and manage programmatic activities and operations. Her fieldwork involves identifying solutions that benefit both the livelihoods of local communities and the sustainability of the surrounding wildlife and environment. Helen is also interested in developing innovative, scalable ventures at the intersection of business, economic development, and conservation.

Prior to joining Cornell University, Helen spent ten years at the Wildlife Conservation Society helping to oversee wildlife health field activities and operations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. She managed the USAID-funded Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT project, as well as other government and privately-funded projects involving conservation, wildlife health monitoring, wildlife health policy, and other One Health efforts focused on the interface between wildlife, domestic animals, people, and the environment. Earlier in her career, Helen worked as a business executive and volunteered with community environmental organizations to help educate the public on wildlife issues. Helen has a BS in Applied Economics & Management from Cornell University, a Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability from Columbia University, and a dual MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Smith School of Business at Queen's University.