CEO,  Kito Impact Foundation

Jamie Bechtel was the Co-Founder and CEO of New Course and is a highly regarded leader in international conservation. Her work has led to strategic advances in the fields of conservation, sustainable finance, and biology.

Before founding New Course, Jamie worked at Conservation International. Her work took her to over 30 countries including such diverse places as Ecuador, Madagascar, Indonesia, South Africa, Rwanda and Papua New Guinea among many others.

Through her research and field experience, Jamie realized the importance of including women in conservation and development strategies.  This realization led Jamie to step down from her role at CI and reengage in conservation and poverty alleviation through the development of an exciting new not-for-profit organization called New Course.

She is an advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative and was recently honored in Fast Company Magazine as 1 of 60 women heroes. She is represented by the prestigious National Geographic Speakers Bureau and is a lecturer at University of Washington's School of Law. Jamie has a Ph.D. from Boston University and a law degree from Boston College. She lives in Seattle with her husband, two children, two dogs and eight chickens (not necessarily listed in order of importance).