By Dave Fluharty and Leah Gerber

Purpose of this Feature: SMEA likes to recognize the contributions our graduates are making.  We’d like to feature everyone but with nearly 900 alumni that is not realistic.  Let us know when you are ready to contribute your accomplishments and failures so we can learn.

Leah Gerber graduated from SMEA in 1993.  Her Master’s Thesis was titled, Endangered Species Act Decision Making in the Face of Scientific Uncertainty: A Case Study of the Steller Sea Lion with Professor Warren Wooster as her committee supervisor.  Dr. Gerber credits Wooster for encouraging her to think about continuing her education toward the PhD.  Gerber completed her PhD in Wildlife Science at the University of Washington in 1998 while working at NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle.  She is presently a professor at Arizona State University (ASU), in the School of Life Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Life Sciences.  Among the many roles as a faculty member, Dr. Gerber is best known as the Founding Director (in 2014) of the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes (CBO) fulfilling her goal of training a new generation of conservation leaders.  The CBO is a center of interdisciplinary academic excellence where the students, partners and faculty create solutions to mitigate loss of biodiversity and to promote scientifically informed conservation action.

Professor Gerber’s pathway to her current position has involved a succession of diverse research, teaching, and leadership advancing the integration of science in decision processes to achieve sustainable biodiversity outcomes.  She was hired as an Assistant Professor at ASU in 2002 and worked her way up to appointment as a full professor in 2013.  Before that she a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, CA.  In 2007, She was recognized by ASU as an Exemplar Associate Professor. Most recently (2017-18), she was a Fulbright fellow at the Universidad San Francisco in Quito and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Gerber is a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. Gerber became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2020 and received the Spirit of Defenders Award for Science in 2022.

Over time Prof. Gerber has become recognized as one of the world’s leading conservation scientists, frequently serving on globally significant bodies charting the future course of conservation. She served as lead author of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, an initiative of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. She regularly provides guidance to international agencies and corporate bodies, including the International Whaling Commission, the UN World Conservation and Monitoring Center, and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development. Gerber has served on the Board of Governors for the Ecological Society of America, the Society for Conservation Biology, the Society for Marine Mammalogy. She currently serves on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Committee and the Scientific Advisory Boards for Defenders of Wildlife and the Charles Darwin Foundation.

While serving in these key capacities, Prof. Gerber still finds time to teach and lead a vibrant empirically-based research program that connects science to policies for sustaining global biodiversity. She has published more than 150 publications in leading scientific journals and is a preeminent voice in international discourse about biodiversity policy and sustainable development.  Gerber enjoys collaborating with non-academic sectors and is fascinated by understanding pathways to coproduce impactful science and has a prolific and diverse record of editorials, commentary and position pieces.

Besides her work, Dr. Gerber enjoys hiking, yoga, traveling, gardening and spending time with her family.  When asked to reflect on how her experience at SMEA influenced her career and what advice she had for SMEA students and alumni, Prof. Gerber responded as follows.

1. How has your MMA degree and time at SMA (now SMEA) influenced your career?  

I came into SMA with a lot of passion for environmental protection, but with the (mis)conception that I would have to choose between research, education or policy to maximize my impact. The interdisciplinary focus of the program provided an environment that was conducive to exploring and developing ideas.  I quickly dove into a research project relating to managing marine mammals and fisheries and discovered my passion for research.  At one point, my advisor, Dr. Warren Wooster, suggested that I consider pursuing a PhD to continue this work, an idea that had not occurred to me.  Because of my training at SMA and Warren’s encouragement, I decided to continue with a PhD, which I completed in Wildlife Science at UW a few years after graduating from SMA. Discovering my passion for research at SMA led to my PhD, which led to my postdoc, which led to my faculty position at ASU.  I would absolutely not be where I am today if it weren’t for my time at SMA. And I have recently come to the conclusion that the combination of research, education and policy engagement represents a powerful trifecta for achieving impact in my work. 

2. What advice do you have for current SMEA students about how to gain the most value from the MMA degree? 

SMEA provides a wonderful learning environment to provide students with a broad base of disciplinary knowledge, which is an important foundation for any career path. One piece of advice is to build upon this foundation to dive deeper into a particular realm of your field of study that provides depth as well as breadth.  In addition, as the challenges to our planet become more pressing, career paths related to the environment also have become very broad, ranging from academic, government, nonprofit and corporate opportunities. Be open to unconventional career paths and seek hands-on experience alongside rigorous academic study. It is also important to build relationships with professionals in the field, collaborate with peers, and don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek mentorship. SMEA is about making a tangible difference in the world, so seize every opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects and initiatives. And finally, stay adaptable and open-minded, as the field is constantly evolving, and embracing new ideas and methods is essential for success.

Those interested to learn about Prof. Gerber can find more details on her ASU website or her Linkedin page.