Richard Reading, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Coalition for International Conservation.  He is also the Director for Research and Conservation at Butterfly Pavilion.  Dr. Reading serves as an Adjunct Professor within the Department of Biology at the University of Denver; Affiliate Faculty with the Department of Agricultural Science and Pest Management at Colorado State University; and a Fellow with the University of Nebraska’s Center for Great Plains Studies. He received a Ph.D. and three Master’s degrees from Yale University in Wildlife Ecology and Human Dimensions of Wildlife and an Honorary Doctorate from the National Education University of Mongolia. Rich has conducted or overseen projects in dozens of countries, working primarily on grassland and arid ecosystems on six continents, with a focus on the Great Plains of N. America, the steppes and deserts of Mongolia, the savannahs and deserts of Botswana, and the Altiplano of Peru. Dr. Reading has experience studying and conserving a wide variety of wildlife from butterflies to wild camels; from frogs to hedgehogs; from snakes to wild dogs; and many more species. His work focuses on developing pragmatic, effective, and interdisciplinary approaches to the conservation of wildlife and protected areas through research, capacity development, and working with local people and governments. Dr. Reading serves on the boards of directors or advisors for several non-profit organizations in the U.S. and overseas; serves as an associate editor for 5 scientific journals; has published over 230 scientific papers and book chapters; written dozens of popular articles; and written or edited 9 books.