Ganesan Balachander with Dean Holly Smith

Ganesan Balachander received his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers in 1995, under the direction of David Ehrenfeld. Dr. Balachander went on to a postdoctoral appointment as a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University. Having already earned an MBA in Finance from Carnegie-Mellon University and having served as a vice president at Citibank, he was well prepared to engage in practical conservation projects, beginning with a program working on tropical forests and coral reefs. These and other conservation projects have been based on the support and encouragement of small enterprises that provide rewards to participants. Dr. Balachander continued this work with the Nature Conservancy, developing green businesses, and then for the Mountain Institute, doing similar work in the Himalayas. In June 2003 Dr. Balachander was named Representative and Head of South Asia Programs for the Ford Foundation in New Delhi.