New York, Feb. 18, 2025 – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has named Adam F. Falk as its next President and CEO. He will begin in the role at WCS on July 1. 

Falk has served since 2018 as President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which makes grants to support research in the sciences and social sciences, the health of the higher education ecosystem, and the public understanding of science and technology. He served previously as President of Williams College and before that as the James B. Knapp Dean of the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University, where he was a professor of physics prior to moving into administrative leadership roles. 

At WCS, Falk will be responsible for the five zoological parks in New York City, including the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium, as well as WCS Global, working across 56 countries worldwide. The zoos and aquarium work to save wildlife and educate and engage more than 3.5 million visitors annually in caring about nature, while WCS Global implements the single largest field-based conservation program in the world, protecting wildlife and wild places.

“Adam’s scientific background, breadth of experience managing large, complex organizations, and success as a fundraiser will make him an excellent President and CEO for WCS,” said WCS Chair of the Board Alejandro Santo Domingo. “Our board is confident that Adam is the right leader to ensure that WCS can mount effective solutions to the interconnected crises of biodiversity collapse, climate change, and systemic health decline.

“As Adam comes on board, we want to thank Robb Menzi, who has served as an outstanding Interim President and CEO for WCS and ensured that WCS has not missed a beat during our leadership transition. Robb will continue in his previous role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.”

Falk expressed his gratitude to the WCS Board of Trustees and search committee for what he said was an extraordinarily meaningful opportunity. “I am inspired to work with WCS’s outstanding teams in New York and around the world,” he said. “I know that together with our supporters and partners, we will advance unwaveringly toward WCS’s vision of a world in which wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on Earth.”

Falk is an elected Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the boards of trustees of Mount Holyoke College, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and Scholars at Risk, an international network of institutions and individuals that offers safety to scholars facing grave threats and promotes academic freedom worldwide.

A theoretical physicist, Falk earned a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

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