Akane Nishimura, Ph.D., is an ecologist who serves as Program Associate, Impact Assessment for the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force at the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA. Akane conducted her dissertation research in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) on succession, fire cycles, and climate change in highly degraded tropical forests dominated by invasive grasses and ferns. She is passionate about tropical forest conservation and working with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) and other marginalized groups. Prior to joining the GCF Task Force, Akane has been a biology consultant, small business owner, university lecturer, and environmental chemist/scientist. She has volunteered for many nonprofits, including as a GIS Project Coordinator for the Orangutan Foundation International and as a Tutor Coordinator for School on Wheels. She is currently serving as Board President of Friends of the Silverado Children’s Center. Akane received a B.A. in Environmental Chemistry from UCSD and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UCLA.