One of the world’s leading conservation scientists will address graduates at William & Mary’s 2025 Commencement ceremony.
M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International and host of the PBS series “Changing Planet,” will also receive an honorary degree at the May 16 ceremony.
The event, to be held at 6 p.m. in Zable Stadium, will celebrate the Class of 2025 and recognize the university’s Year of the Environment. Launched at Charter Day in February, the yearlong effort seeks to advance sustainability efforts on campus and expand William & Mary’s environmental impact around the world. The signature year builds on the university’s Vision 2026 strategic plan, which includes Water among its core initiatives.
Named one of TIME magazine’s 100 top leaders for environmental protection and restoration, Sanjayan is a sought-after voice across national and international media for his conservation science expertise.
“We are delighted that renowned conservationist and journalist Dr. Sanjayan will address our Class of 2025,” said President Katherine A. Rowe. “William & Mary’s graduates are brilliantly creative and oriented toward leadership. Dr. Sanjayan will inspire our newest alumni to seek solutions to our world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Our community looks forward to welcoming Dr. Sanjayan and building on his innovative work during our Year of the Environment.”
Sanjayan’s campus visit comes during an exciting time in environmental science at the university.
William & Mary will be Virginia’s first public university to offer an undergraduate degree in coastal and marine sciences, launching this fall. Recently, the university and its Batten School & VIMS announced two transformational gifts. In July 2024, William & Mary received a record $100 million gift from philanthropist Jane Batten HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19 naming the Batten School and establishing an endowment designed to sustain and grow its academic and research endeavors. In February, William & Mary announced a $50 million gift from Dr. R. Todd Stravitz ’82 and the Brunckhorst Foundations to provide full tuition support for students pursuing the new bachelor’s degree. It was William & Mary’s largest scholarship gift ever and the biggest of its kind nationally for a school of coastal and marine sciences.
As CEO of Conservation International since 2017, Sanjayan leads the organization’s work to protect and restore nature, primarily in the Global South. At the helm of the organization, he has developed critical scientific tools, built public-private coalitions for forest restoration, launched pioneering blue carbon projects and led two capital campaigns. Prior to his time with Conservation International, he served as lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy, which works on creating lasting conservation in more than 80 countries and territories worldwide.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from William & Mary, especially during the Year of the Environment,” said Sanjayan. “The challenges ahead are big — bigger than any one person or place — but so are the opportunities. It’s exciting to see William & Mary committing to the next generation of environmental leaders, equipping them with the skills, knowledge and ambition to tackle these issues head-on. The Class of 2025 will be at the forefront of this work — as policymakers, scientists, storytellers and advocates. I can’t wait to meet them and see how they shape the future.”
Born in Sri Lanka and raised in West Africa, Sanjayan holds a master’s degree from the University of Oregon and a doctorate in conservation biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His scholarship has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Science, Nature and Conservation Biology. In addition to previously being a visiting researcher at UCLA and a professor at Arizona State University, he has served as a fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Because of his expertise, Sanjayan has become a sought-after spokesperson, educating for impact by bringing information about conservation science and global change to a worldwide audience. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and Outside Magazine, and he has been a contributor to CBS Evening News, where his report about elephant poaching was nominated for an Emmy. He has also appeared on such programs as Today, The Late Show with David Letterman and CBS This Morning.
Sanjayan has also hosted more than a dozen award-winning documentaries with PBS, BBC and National Geographic, among others. His latest series – “Changing Planet” – debuted in 2022 and focused on how shifts in climate have affected six of the Earth’s biomes and how Indigenous and local communities are responding. Subsequent episodes have aired every Earth Day following, with the next expected on PBS and BBC in April 2025.
In addition to his work with Conservation International, Sanjayan serves as a trustee for Prince William’s environmental non-profit The Earthshot Prize and as a climate advisor for the Clinton Global Initiative.
Erin Jay, Senior Associate Director of University News