Chief Executive Officer, Center for Plant Conservation

Dr. Wesley Knapp is a leading voice in plant conservation with a career spanning over two decades. Born in Lawrence, MA and raised in Claremont, NH, Wes’s journey into the world of conservation began during his childhood in New England where time spent outdoors sparked a lifelong passion for nature. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Catawba College, an M.S. in Plant Science from Delaware State University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wes began his career as Eastern Region Ecologist & Botanist for the Maryland Natural Heritage Program (2001–2016), followed by five years in the role of Mountains Botanist & Ecologist for North Carolina’s Natural Heritage Program. In 2021, he became Chief Botanist at NatureServe, and in 2025, was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Plant Conservation, a conservation nonprofit working with over 80 partnering institutions on three continents on the front lines to prevent plant extinction. With extensive field experience across the U.S. and abroad, Wes has led efforts to describe new plant species, prevent extinction events, and assess conservation priorities. His work is singularly focused on advancing conservation strategies that combat biodiversity loss driven by the sixth mass extinction.