Founder and Executive Director

Dr. Rena Borkhataria created the Conservation Collaborative Scholars Program, formerly known as the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) Collaborative in 2013, with a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation.

Under her direction, more than 200 scholars have graduated from the program over the past decade, with most pursuing careers in conservation. In 2023, as the DDCSP Collaborative, the program was awarded The Wildlife Society’s Group Achievement Award, for outstanding work on improving diversity in wildlife scholarship. Due to her leadership, the Conservation Collaborative is now a partner in the Public Land Corps.

Dr. Borkhataria received the Diversity Award from The Wildlife Society in 2019, in recognition of her leadership and commitment to diversity in conservation. She was principal author of the chapter “Women of Color in Wildlife: Stories of Support and Setbacks,” in the recently published book - “Women in Wildlife Science: Building Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. ” She was also a founding member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Diversity Joint Venture, serving on the original Advisory Board for several years.

Dr. Borkhataria’s passion for integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into the field of conservation stems largely from personal experience. While working on her B.S. in Wildlife Management at University of Arizona, Dr. Borkhataria had the opportunity to participate in an undergraduate field training program focused on diversifying the field of conservation. She experienced first-hand how these programs’ support can transform lives and careers, offering students practical fieldwork experience alongside financial assistance. Now she has come full circle and helps provide access to opportunities, support, and life-transforming experiences to conservation-oriented students across the country.

Prior to launching the DDCSP Collaborative, Dr. Borkhataria was an assistant research professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. Her work centered on the population dynamics of the then-endangered American Wood Stork, and the use of the Wood Stork as an indicator species for Everglades restoration.

EDUCATION -

Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida, 2009

M.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University, 2001

B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Arizona, 1998.