Percy Summers, Ph.D.
Dr. Percy Summers is a tropical forest ecologist and social scientist with over 20 years of experience advancing conservation science, sustainable development and landscape-scale initiatives across the Amazon and globally.
As senior director of Conservation International’s partnership with Arizona State University’s (ASU) School of Conservation Futures, he leads the development of experiential learning programs — integrating scientific, Indigenous and practitioner knowledge to train the next generation of conservation leaders.
Since joining Conservation International in 2009, Percy has held key leadership positions, including Senior Director of Science and Development for Conservation International-Peru and director of major initiatives like the Amazon Business Alliance and the Sustainable Landscapes Partnership. His career spans extensive fieldwork with Indigenous communities on resource governance, protected areas and the development of early REDD+ and conservation finance initiatives. He has been a Professor of Practice with ASU since 2017 and holds a doctorate from Virginia Tech, a master’s from Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), and a bachelor’s from North Carolina State University.
Areas of Expertise: Sustainable landscapes, Amazon biome, conservation social science, Indigenous Peoples and local community livelihoods, bio-business, and tropical forest management.