MESM 2026
Bio
Jimmy Benjamin strives to support land and biodiversity stewardship through public policy. At Duke University he studied Political Science, English and Environmental Science. Through his coursework he gained an interest in the damaging impacts energy and agriculture industries have had on land conservation. While there, he interned at the non-profit Appalachian Voices who work to address the impacts coal mining and oil extraction have on southern Appalachia ecosystems.
After graduating, Jimmy sought to continue deepening his understanding of the intersection between energy and conservation. This led him to move to San Francisco to work for PearlX Infrastructure, a company expanding the adoption of renewable distributed energy resources at multifamily apartment complexes. In this role, he engaged with dual land use solutions that seek to reduce development on natural lands while building upon existing urban environments.
These roles nurtured his love for conservation, and prompted him to pursue further education in the science and politics of environmental preservation at Bren. He plans to specialize in Conservation Planning and Environmental Policy. While here, his primary focus areas are initiatives and strategies to curb deforestation and protect wild areas against encroachment from industrial activity.