San Francisco Bay Area
Nikola (he/they) is Vice-President for Nature Fund Advisory at Conservation International, where he is leading a global team dedicated to increasing the flow of financing to high-quality nature-based solution (NbS) projects around the world. He is also the co-founder, Stewardship Lead, and Board Treasurer of the Shelterwood Collective, a land justice and forest restoration nonprofit focused on demonstrating community centered approaches to land stewardship. Nikola was nominated for the 2020 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award for his work, and is a 2024 Out100 awardee. Previously, Nikola founded and lead Conservation International's Restoration Program, where he facilitated a 20-country wide organizational effort to scale-up the restoration of the world's degraded ecosystems. Nikola holds a joint Master of Forestry and Master of Business Administration from the Yale School of Environment and the Yale School of Management. He worked as an assistant forest manager for the Yale School Forests, developed inclusive economic development policy tools for city governments, and was the lead author on the 2016 Environmental Performance Index agriculture section. Nikola obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Vassar College and has lived in France, Panama, Brazil, and the US. He currently resides at Shelterwood, on unceded Kashia territories in California, USA.
Dogwood Alliance (May 2018-August 2018) Sun Mountain International* (January 2018 - May 2018) Soul Fire Farms (September 2017 - May 2018) Connecticut private land owners* (September 2017 - May 2018) City of Pittsburgh* (January 2016 - May 2016) City of New Haven* (January 2016 - May 2016) * indicates pro bono projects conducted through the Yale School of Forestry, the Yale Law School, or the Yale School of Management.
Manage all aspects of multi-use forest conservation and timber production for the Yale School Forests in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont under the supervision of the forest manager. Total forest area exceeds 10,000 acres and various in growth stages, species composition, and management goals.
• Developed forest inventory sampling designs to assess tree and understory species, as well as their growth stage, timber quality, and ecological roles. • Statistically analysed inventory data to develop prescriptions that met multiple land use goals, including quality timber production, preservation and enrichment of ecosystem services, wildlife habitat preservation, invasive species control, and overall forest resilience. • Marked trees consistent with the prescription based on forest goals and forest inventory.