For more than twenty years, Debra Moskovits has worked in ecology and conservation: first as a scientist studying the behavioral ecology of birds, primates, and tortoises—primarily in the tropics, then as developer of public exhibitions on ecology, evolution, and conservation. Today, Debby directs The Field Museum’s Environmental and Conservation Programs (ECP), which she helped launch in 1994.

Debby’s vision for ECP—the Museum’s team dedicated fully to conservation—is to channel The Field’s scientific, collection, and educational resources into the immediate needs for conservation action, in Chicago and worldwide. Debby has devoted much of her efforts into accelerating the flow of information from scientists to policymakers. This immediate link between science and action has generated fast results, including the creation of national parks in South America, the development of ecological management programs with indigenous communities in Amazonia, and the formation of broad partnerships for conservation. In Chicago, Debby is among the leading organizers of Chicago Wilderness, a coalition of diverse and determined institutions devoted to the restoration of the globally important remnants of tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, and prairie wetlands that survive in the metropolis.

Debby received her B.A. from Princeton University and her Ph.D. in Biology from The University of Chicago. Her thesis work was on the ecology and behavior of tortoises in Amazonian Brazil.