Vanessa Handley

Vanessa Handley is a highly accomplished conservation scientist with extensive experience in botanical research and education. Currently serving as the Director of Conservation Science at The Red List Project since November 2019, Handley also holds the position of Chair for the Global Conservation Consortium for Cycads at Montgomery Botanical Center and is an Academy Fellow and Research Associate in Botany at the California Academy of Sciences. As a Project Scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, until June 2024, Handley previously directed collections and research at the University of California Botanical Garden. Additionally, Handley was an Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Math and Science at Holy Names University from 2006 to 2016. Handley's academic credentials include a PhD in Plant Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, completed in 2002.