WILLIAMSBURG — M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International and host of the PBS series “Changing Planet,” will address graduates at William & Mary’s 2025 Commencement ceremony and receive an honorary degree May 16.
The event, to be held at 6 p.m. in Zable Stadium, will celebrate the Class of 2025 and recognize the university’s Year of the Environment, launched at Charter Day in February, the university said.
William & Mary said the yearlong effort seeks to advance sustainability efforts on campus and expand William & Mary’s environmental impact around the world, building on the university’s Vision 2026 strategic plan, which includes Water among its core initiatives.
“We are delighted that renowned conservationist and journalist Dr. Sanjayan will address our Class of 2025,” said President Katherine A. Rowe. “William & Mary’s graduates are brilliantly creative and oriented toward leadership. Dr. Sanjayan will inspire our newest alumni to seek solutions to our world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Our community looks forward to welcoming Dr. Sanjayan and building on his innovative work during our Year of the Environment.”
Sanjayan’s campus visit comes at a time when William & Mary will be Virginia’s first public university to offer an undergraduate degree in coastal and marine sciences and after its Batten School & VIMS received two substantial gifts to sustain and grow its academic and research endeavors and provide full tuition support for students pursuing the new bachelor’s degree.
The CEO of Conservation International since 2017, Sanjayan leads the organization’s work to protect and restore nature, primarily in the Global South. Prior to his time with Conservation International, he served as lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from William & Mary, especially during the Year of the Environment,” said Sanjayan. “The challenges ahead are big — bigger than any one person or place — but so are the opportunities. It’s exciting to see William & Mary committing to the next generation of environmental leaders, equipping them with the skills, knowledge and ambition to tackle these issues head-on. The Class of 2025 will be at the forefront of this work — as policymakers, scientists, storytellers and advocates. I can’t wait to meet them and see how they shape the future.”
Born in Sri Lanka and raised in West Africa, Sanjayan holds a master’s degree from the University of Oregon and a doctorate in conservation biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His has been published in journals such as Science, Nature and Conservation Biology. In addition to previously being a visiting researcher at UCLA and a professor at Arizona State University, W&M notes he has served as a fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Sanjayan is a sought-after spokesperson, whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and Outside Magazine, and he has been a contributor to CBS Evening News, where his report about elephant poaching was nominated for an Emmy. He has also appeared on “Today,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “CBS This Morning.”
Sanjayan has also hosted more than a dozen award-winning documentaries with PBS, BBC and National Geographic, among others. His latest series — “Changing Planet” — debuted in 2022 and focused on how shifts in climate have affected six of the Earth’s biomes and how Indigenous and local communities are responding, the university noted. Subsequent episodes have aired every Earth Day following, with the next expected on PBS and BBC in April 2025.
Sanjayan also serves as a trustee for Prince William’s environmental nonprofit The Earthshot Prize and as a climate advisor for the Clinton Global Initiative.
