MESM 2021
Bio
Jordan Isken graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2014 with a combined Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Biology. As an undergrad, Jordan realized his passion for conservation by working in environmental stewardship and ecological restoration with local nature reserves and land trusts. Post graduation, he expanded on this work by implementing restoration and ecological monitoring programs for Audubon California. These programs included enhancing habitat for federally threatened Coastal California Gnatcatcher and applying climate change projections to restoration design. Distinguished for his skills in botany and horticulture, Jordan went on to manage nursery production at the Theodore Payne Foundation. In that position he taught plant propagation and grew over 70,000 California native plants annually for the urban landscape. Jordan has been employed in environmentally focused work at six different organizations and almost all of them had programs supported by funding from corporate philanthropy. From his experience Jordan recognized the immediate impact from corporate social responsibility initiatives. Specializing in Corporate Environmental Management at Bren, Jordan hopes to steer the private sector to support meaningful environmental work globally, as well as focusing their business strategy on sustainability.