Conservation Nation is honored and thrilled to announce that our CEO, Tricia Reilly Koch, has been chosen to join The Explorers Club 50 — Class of 2026.
Each year, the EC50 recognizes fifty extraordinary people who are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration, and reflects the great diversity of individuals on the cutting edge of exploration around the world.
For Conservation Nation, this honor is a reminder that exploration is expanding. Fieldwork happens not only in wildlife habitats, but in classrooms, where students are deciding who they are and who they might become. To restore the health of our planet—and to combat the paralyzing effect of eco-anxiety—everyone must feel they belong in this work so there is the knowledge, confidence, hope and optimism to build a more sustainable world.
“I co-founded Conservation Nation because I wanted to address the root of the problem—not just treat the symptoms. I wanted to be part of something groundbreaking that could create community change and individual transformation at the same time”, said Tricia. “We developed our mission to do just that: to diversify and strengthen the conservation workforce and to make sure students, especially those from under-resourced communities, feel they have a place in protecting the planet. When a young person discovers that conservation isn’t reserved for someone who looks different or has more, but is something they can be part of right now, it’s so powerful. That sense of agency can change the trajectory of a life, and, taken together, of our planet.”
Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. Headquartered in New York City with a community of chapters around the world, The Explorers Club has been supporting scientific expeditions of all disciplines, uniting our members in the bonds of good fellowship. Its members have traversed the earth, seas, skies, and even the moon, on expeditions. Members of The Explorers Club have been the first humans to the North Pole, South Pole, the summit of Mount Everest, the deepest point in the ocean, and the surface of the moon. Notable members include Teddy Roosevelt, Kathryn Sullivan, Jeff Bezos, Walter Cronkite, James Cameron, Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, Edmund Hillary, John Glenn, Sally Ride and Bob Ballard.
Check out Tricia’s profile on the EC50 page.
