Heather Lahr

Bio

Heather is the People & Poverty Program Manager for emLab and a Project Manager for the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).  In her role, she oversees a portfolio of environmental and resource economics projects aimed at promoting sustainable development across Sub-Saharan Africa. With a strong track record in managing large-scale, multi-partner initiatives, Heather excels at bridging rigorous academic research with real-world policy applications. Heather is particularly passionate about the intersection of research and business innovation, where data-driven insights can catalyze transformative, scalable solutions to pressing environmental challenges. She spent four years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia in the Rural Aquaculture Promotion program and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Graceland University and Master’s degree in coastal marine resource management from UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Management. While in school, she was honored to receive the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship and the Switzer Fellowship.