I contribute to biodiversity conservation through my roles as a researcher, an educator, and a non-profit board member. I work to boost and secure the biodiversity of wild and working landscapes through my involvement with three organizations:1) James Madison University, where I serve as an Assistant Professor.2) Lukango Tree Conservancy (https://lutreeco.com/), where I serve as a lead scientist. LuTreeCo is headquartered in the Great Lakes region of Uganda and conducts flora conservation and environmental education throughout Uganda. 3) Green Moluccas (https://greenmoluccas.id/), where I serve as a board member. Green Moluccas is a biological conservation and sustainable development organization based in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. The group focuses on mangrove forest restoration and the design of youth education programs that create lifelong environmental champions in Maluku.In my teaching and research, I emphasize approaches from plant ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology to test and implement ecological restoration practices on degraded land.With Lukango Tree Conservancy, I build research into business operations to optimize the use and conservation of native trees and shrubs in Uganda. We partner with universities, primary and secondary schools, nonprofit wildlife conservation groups, and athletic organizations to implement biodiversity conservation and related education programs in Uganda. We are the only member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International in Uganda, and our group operates a seedling nursery, a seed bank, and seed orchards where we develop new ways of producing and propagating threatened and endangered plant species and the plant communities in which they're found.With Green Moluccas, I co-develop social programs designed to empower communities in and near Ambon City (Maluku Province) to restore and preserve local ecosystems, especially mangrove forests. With local communities and secondary schools, we co-design and facilitate the delivery of science-based educational programs that promote understanding of local ecosystems to enhance the capacity of communities to protect their vital natural resources.