Nicholas Institute Board of Advisors
Patrick
F. Noonan
Patrick F. Noonan is founder and chairman emeritus of The
Conservation Fund; a non-profit organization dedicated to
conserving America’s natural and historic heritage. Working
with public and private partners, the Fund has protected more
that 5.5 million acres of America’s special places since its
founding in 1985. A former president of The Nature Conservancy
(1973-1980), he is a founder of the American Farmland Trust
(1980), and currently serves on its President’s Council.
He is a trustee of the National Geographic Society and Vice
Chairman of the National Geographic Education Foundation.
In addition to his conservation activities, Mr. Noonan served
on the Board of International Paper and presently serves on
the boards of Ashland and Saul Centers. He is a trustee emeritus
of Gettysburg college and currently a member of the Board
of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
at Duke University.
The Conservation Fund has been a leader in land conservation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed conserving over 250,000 acres in the past two decades.
Mr. Noonan, who holds an MBA and a Masters in City and Regional Planning, has received numerous awards, including receiving a five-year “genius” fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1985 for his pioneering work in fostering partnerships between business and the environmental community.
He has served on three Presidential Commissions – the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors (1985-1987), the President’s Commission on Environmental Quality (1991-1993) and the presently serves as a member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows.
Recently, the National Audubon Society recognized him as 1 of 100 conservation leaders whose lives and work shaped the growth of the American conservation movement in the 20th century.
