Alan Townsend
Executive Director
Ecosystem Science and Management
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Dr. Alan Townsend is the Executive Director of the Andrew Sabin Family Center for Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University, where he is also on the faculty of the Biology Department. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Alan served as the Dean of the Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana. His previous leadership positions include Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, Provost of Colorado College, Director of CU-Boulder’s Environmental Studies Program and its Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Director of the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation, and Co-Director of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. He is a highly cited author of more than 140 peer reviewed articles, and received his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. He is an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, a Google Science Communication Fellow and was featured in the Let Science Speak documentary film series. A published author, Alan’s writing has appeared in multiple national venues, including The Washington Post and Scientific American. His memoir, This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist’s Path from Grief to Wonder, has received wide critical acclaim. Alan received his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College (1988) and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University (1994).
Miles R. Silman
Founding Director
Andrew Sabin Presidential Chair in Conservation Biology
Ecosystem Science and Management
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Dr. Miles Silman is the Founding Director of the Andrew Sabin Family Center for Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University, where he is also the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Presidential Chair in Conservation Biology at Wake Forest University and Board President of the Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA—the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation). He has spent over three decades working in the wilds of the Amazon Basin and Andes to understand the diversity of the natural world, how it works and came to be, and how to conserve it. His current work looks at the relationship between humans and the natural world, conserving large areas of managed and wild land and ocean so humans and nature can thrive. Dr. Silman’s conservation projects include work on tropical agriculture, soil remediation and reforestation after illegal and artisanal scale mining, monitoring and assessing deforestation, wildlife population biology and the mitigation of wildlife-human conflict, and the generation and application of conservation technology. A major effort has been to put what has been learned about Andean and Amazonian forests to use in private- and public-sector restoration and ecosystem service projects that change land use by generating revenue for conservation while creating economic and social value for people living in the region. Dr. Silman is the co-founder of the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group (ABERG), PI and Board President of the Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA—the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation) and co-designer of the Wake Forest Master of Arts in Sustainability Graduate Program and the Wake Forest Environment and Sustainability Major. Dr. Silman holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Missouri (1989) and a Ph.D. in Zoology from Duke University (1996).
Kate Hanley
Associate Director of Strategy
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Kate Hanley is the Associate Director of Strategy for the Sabin Center, which she joined after completing Wake Forest’s M.A. in Sustainability. Prior to that, Kate spent over a decade in the world of brand strategy, guiding innovation pipelines and communications strategies for brands in the health and wellness, durable goods, consumer packaged goods, and spirits categories. She previously practiced law for several years, which included both private practice and a clerkship on Colorado’s Supreme Court. Kate received her B.A. in History and English from the University of Notre Dame and her J.D. from the University of Denver.
Gillian Hagamen
Assistant Director of Operations
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Gillian Hagamen is the Operations Coordinator for the Sabin Center. She joined Wake Forest in 2021 as the Program Coordinator for the Program for Leadership and Character. Prior to Wake Forest, Gillian worked at the University of Texas at Austin as a Program Coordinator in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering where her work focused on recruiting and supporting undergraduate students, especially women and underrepresented minorities. Her nearly 20-year career also includes work with the Seattle Mariners, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, and NatureBridge. Gillian received her B.A. in American Studies from Colby College.
Stan Meiburg
Executive Director Emeritus
Environmental Law & Policy