Vanessa Villanueva
RAY Marine Conservation Diversity Fellow
Vanessa Villanueva works on the protection of coastal environments and communities. Prior to joining NRDC, Villanueva worked on the social and environmental impacts of Amazonian crude extraction and foreign exportation. As a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar, she focused on the interaction between traditional knowledge and Western science, and how this shapes indigenous land management. Villanueva has a background in education and teaching, as a previous instructor and tutor for formerly incarcerated men and immigrant high school and college students. She received her bachelor's degree in environmental economics and policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Villanueva is based in NRDC's San Francisco office.