Amanda Sturgeon Appointed as CEO of The Biomimicry Institute

MISSOULA, Mont., October 4, 2023 /3BL/ - The Biomimicry Institute, a global non-profit dedicated to promoting nature-inspired innovation, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Amanda Sturgeon as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Beth Rattner, the outgoing Executive Director.

Amanda brings a wealth of experience in scaling high-impact non-profits, as well as a deep passion for biomimicry and the connection between people and nature. As an architect and non-profit leader with a proven track record of global leadership in regenerative and biophilic design, Amanda is excited to bring to The Institute her vision for enabling a future where people and nature thrive together.

Prior to joining The Biomimicry Institute, Amanda served as the founding CEO of Built by Nature where she launched the Built by Nature network and grant fund across Europe. Before that, Amanda was the CEO of the International Living Future Institute, where she grew the organization, established new programs and built a global partner network. As an architect she has been a longtime proponent of biomimicry and regenerative design, authoring 'Creating Biophilic Buildings', published in 2017.

“Amanda and I have crossed paths in the biomimicry community repeatedly over the last decade,” said The Biomimicry Institute co-founder and author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine Benyus. “She has the rare combination of strategically scaling organizations and an authentic passion for biomimicry. I’m thrilled to be officially working with her.”

"We are incredibly excited to welcome Amanda Sturgeon as our new CEO," said Angela Nahikian, The Biomimicry Institute Board Chair. "Amanda's extensive experience and dedication to advancing Biomimicry align perfectly with our mission. We are also very grateful to Beth for her leadership over the last ten years. Her tripling of TBI's organizational scale and dramatic expansion of its programs provide a unique platform for Amanda to accelerate the impact The Institute is having on the world."

Amanda Sturgeon expressed her enthusiasm for the new role, stating, "I am honored to join The Biomimicry Institute and lead an organization that has been at the forefront of innovative solutions inspired by nature. I look forward to working with the talented team and our global community to drive positive change and create a more sustainable future."

Amanda will assume her role full time on November 1, 2023. She will work with Beth Rattner to transition organizational leadership as Beth turns her full attention to leading Design for Transformation (D4T), a strategic effort she launched for the Institute in 2019.

About the Biomimicry Institute

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2006 that empowers people to seek nature-inspired solutions for a healthy planet. To advance the solution process, the Institute offers AskNature.org, a free online tool that contains strategies found in nature and examples of ways they are used in design. It also offers biomimicry curriculum, hosts a Youth Design Challenge to support project-based education; a Biomimicry Launchpad to help scientists, inventors, and innovators bring their nature-inspired ideas into reality; and the Ray of Hope Prize® which identifies the top nature-inspired startups in the world and fosters their growth by providing a 10-week program focused on sustainable business training, communications support, and opportunities for non-dilutive funding. The Institute’s collaborative initiative, Design for Transformation, pilots technologies that convert discarded clothes and textiles into biocompatible raw materials. For more information, visit biomimicry.org.

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