Heath Nero has 20 years of experience in the U.S. and international conservation nonprofit sector. He currently serves as Vice President of Philanthropy for Rivian, an electric adventure vehicle company, and as Executive Director of the Rivian Foundation, which focuses on conservation and the clean energy transition.

Heath previously served as Senior Program Officer for Global Conservation at the Wyss Foundation. There, he led a team for a global initiative focused on protecting 30 percent of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030 and directly oversaw the Foundation’s grantmaking in Canada, Mexico, and the Southern Cone. His work contributed to the permanent protection of over 100 million acres of land and more than 1.5 million square miles of ocean.

Before joining the Wyss Foundation, Heath served as the BLM Action Center Outreach Coordinator for The Wilderness Society, where he helped local coalitions advocate for protection of wild public lands.

Prior to entering the conservation sector, Heath served as a Combat Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army, including a combat tour in Iraq where he earned a Bronze Star.

Heath grew up in Wisconsin, but Colorado has been his home for most of the past 25 years, including the last 17 years in Durango.

Heath holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy and a M.S. in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment.