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Academy Leadership

In order to fulfill its mission, the Academy relies upon a team of dedicated staff.

President & CEO

Nicholas Dirks

President & CEO

Nicholas B. Dirks is a widely respected and highly influential historian and anthropologist, and a prominent leader in higher education. In June 2020, Dirks assumed leadership of The New York Academy of Sciences as President and Chief Executive Officer.

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Academy Leadership

Douglas Braaten, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Editor-in-Chief, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Melanie Brickman Borchard, PhD, MSc
Director, Life Sciences

Jacqueline Chaplin-Kravetz
Director, Development

Michael Cowan
Vice President, Communications

Sonya Dougal, PhD
Senior Vice President, Scientific Programs and Awards

Ainsley Goulbourne
Chief Operating Officer

Brooke Grindlinger, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer

Meghan Groome, PhD
Senior Vice President, Education

Edison Huynh
Director of Research and Special Projects

Lalitaa Isahack, SPHR, CPSP
Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Chenelle Bonavito Martinez, MS
Vice President, Event Operations, Customer Engagement, & Special Projects

Clare Peeters
Chief Business and Financial Officer

Mila Rosenthal, PhD
Executive Director, International Science Reserve

Robin Stephenson
Senior Vice President, Advancement