Dana Ripper is a wildlife ecologist who focuses on conservation through ecosystem health. She holds an MS from Arkansas State University and has worked on wildlife research projects across the United States and, once long ago, in Ontario. In 2010, Dana co-founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation through science, education, and advocacy. After more than 15 years in nonprofit leadership, Dana now works independently as an ecology-focused policy analyst and project coordinator. Her energies focus on building collaborative relationships to address the conservation connections between wildlife, environmental health, public policy, and community action. A main focus is reducing plastic pollution at its source via systemic change. Dana is a certified presenter with the Beyond Plastics Speakers Bureau.