Steve McCormick's challenge when he assumed leadership of The Nature Conservancy in February 2001 was to take an already successful and renown organization and accelerate its progress in becoming an even more effective and global presence, capable of leveraging its resources to promote conservation in precious places around the world.

It is a position for which he is well qualified. He knows the organization intimately, having arrived soon after graduating from law school in 1976 and risen through the ranks to spend 16 years as executive director of the California state program. During his tenure, the program raised more than $300 million in private contributions and became the largest conservation organization in the state. He also chaired the committee that created Conservation by Design, the scientific framework for setting priorities and taking action that now guides the Conservancy's work in 29 countries.

Moreover, Steve believes in the importance of continuous improvement. He champions innovation and experimentation, and does not shy away from the sort of bold land transactions that come with big price tags-and the potential for big results. To cite just one example, the Conservancy recently committed $31.28 million to purchase Colorado's extraordinary Baca Ranch, which creates a 330,000-acre matrix of protected areas and will lead to the designation of a new national park.

Steve recognizes that lasting conservation success will ultimately depend on vibrant partnerships among all sectors of society. Under his leadership, the Conservancy has launched joint ventures with other conservation groups, including Conservation International, World Resources Institute, the World Wildlife Fund and many local partners. It has aggressively pursued public-private partnerships, leading to such successes as a collaborative effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve the management of dams across the country. At the international level, The Nature Conservancy has helped to broker complex and pioneering transactions such as a "debt-swap" with Peru, in which the U.S. government agreed to forgive a portion of that country's debt in exchange for a Peruvian commitment to invest $10.6 million in conservation projects over the next 12 years.

Steve has a B.S. Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Berkeley (1973), where he graduated with honors, and a J.D. Degree from the University of California Hastings College of Law (1976). He also attended the Stanford Executive Program in 1993.

Steve sits on several boards, including the Harvard Dialogue Group Advisory Panel and the Advisory Board of the U.C. Berkeley College of Natural Resources. He is also the recipient of numerous conservation awards, such as the Department of Interior Silver Award (1986) and the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Award (1999).

Steve and his wife Kathryn have two daughters, Kelly and Hannah.