WWF’s Pandas and Prose is a virtual series in which we host conversations with writers who use nature and the written word to inspire and educate readers around the world. In April 2024, WWF hosted a Pandas and Prose webinar with ecologist (and WWF-US National Council Member) Rae Wynn-Grant and WWF’s Director of Talent Acquisition Deirdre Jennings-Holton. We invited audience members to join our WWF community in reading Dr. Wynn-Grant’s book, Wild Life. Learn more about Pandas and Prose and future live webinars here: wwf.earth/pandasandprose
About the Speakers:
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a wildlife ecologist with an expertise in uncovering how human activity influences carnivore behavior and ecology. She received her BS in environmental studies from Emory University, her MS in environmental studies from Yale University, and her PhD in ecology and evolution from Columbia University. She is a Research Fellow with the National Geographic Society, with whom she has appeared on a variety of televised nature programs and for whom she’s currently on a 20-city speaking tour as part of Nat Geo Live. She serves on The North Face’s Explore Fund Council, co-hosts Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild on NBC, hosts the podcast “Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant,” produced by PBS, and has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, among many others. She lives in California.
Deirdre Jennings-Holton
Deirdre Jennings-Holton is director of talent acquisition for WWF, where she leads efforts to analyze the recruiting and hiring life cycle for entry points for bias while developing and seamlessly integrating tools and resources to mitigate its negative impacts. She served as inhouse expert on implicit bias at Education Development Center, codeveloping and co-facilitating in-house and online versions of their “Understanding and Mitigating Implicit Bias”© internal training program. She developed and led trainings centering equitable and inclusive best practices in performance management, team building, professional development, cross-cultural communication, and recruitment. She supported Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting Programs, networks of public school district early childcare providers, and technical assistance providers throughout Massachusetts supporting substance misuse prevention. Ms. Jennings-Holton holds a BSc from University of Maryland Smith School of Business.