Rodger Schlickeisen

President and CEO


Areas of Expertise: Conservation economics and policy; Endangered species and the Endangered Species Act, biodiversity, environmental advocacy

Rodger has been President of Defenders of Wildlife since 1991. Under his leadership, Defenders has grown from 62,000 members to more than 500,000 and is recognized as one of the nation’s prominent conservation advocacy organizations.

Prior to joining Defenders, Rodger was CEO of Craver, Mathews, Smith & Company, a leading consulting firm for progressive advocacy organizations.  He also served in the Carter White House as Associate Director of the U.S. Office of Management & Budget, and as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Max Baucus.

Rodger is also President of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, a political non-profit that works to elect a pro-conservation Congress and White House, and to advance conservation programs and policies.  In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of the national League of Conservation Voters and the LCV Education Fund. He was the founding chair of the nonprofit Partnership Project, established to help build a more unified and potent national environmental movement. He is also on the Board of the Keystone Center and serves on the advisory committees of the Earth Communications Organization and the Environmental Media Association.

Rodger Schlickeisen holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a doctorate in economics from George Washington University. He is the author of numerous published opinion pieces and articles, including an influential law review article on the need for a constitutional amendment to protect the natural environment for future generations.