Professional Affiliation

Vice President of International Policy, Wildlife Conservation Society

Expert Bio

Dr. Susan Lieberman has worked in international biodiversity conservation, at the intersection of science and policy, for almost 30 years, including extensive experience with international wildlife trade, wildlife trafficking, and intergovernmental policy. She is now Vice President, International Policy with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Previously, she was Senior Director, International Environmental Policy with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Director of the Global Species Programme of WWF-International. She worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service) for 11 years, including several years as Chief of the U.S. CITES Scientific Authority. She has attended all CITES meetings of the Conference of the Parties since 1989, and is a recognized expert on wildlife trade (legal and illegal). She obtained her Ph.D. in tropical ecology (focused on amphibians and reptiles) from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, where she also did postdoctoral research (on desert tortoises and prosimians). Sue is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Steering Committee, co-chair of the SSC Policy Subcommittee, a member of the IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, and an appointed member of both the U.S. Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking and the United for Wildlife/Royal Foundation Transport Taskforce.