Staff

Simon Takozekibi Nampindo

Country Director WCS Uganda

Simon Takozekibi Nampindo is WCS Uganda Program Country Director since 2015. Simon has 25 years of conservation work experience. Simon holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Conservation obtained from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA. Simon conducted his post-doctoral research at the Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina in collaboration with the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Colorado. Simon’s interests are climate change, ecosystem accounting and conservation financing, spatial conservation planning and connectivity. Simon collaborates with various academic and research institutions namely Makerere University, University of Oxford, University of Queensland, University of Virginia, IIASA, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Institute of Forestry Conservation (ITFC), Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC). Simon serves as an academic supervisor and external examiner for graduate students at these universities. Simon serves on various scientific committees, and a boarder member of conservation institutions, Chairs the National Coordination Group for Key Biodiversity Areas in Uganda. Simon is very passionate about wildlife conservation and advancing scientific knowledge.

Grace Nangendo

gnangendo@wcs.org

Director of Conservation Planning and Research

Dr. Grace Nangendo, Director Conservation Planning and Research at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Uganda. Dr. Nangendo brings in a wealth of applied conservation expertise, and spatial science and research knowledge. Dr. Grace Nangendo is a landscape ecologist with over 25 years of carrying out ecology assessments and experience in Geographic Information Systems & Remote Sensing assessment. She also has experience in Project/Environmental Impact Assessment, Land Use Planning, Conflict Analysis, project planning and management. In addition to carrying out work at WCS, she supports Government of Uganda’s natural resources assessment activities. She has worked with Government institutions to develop several Acts and Policies, and key documents to guide natural resource management and monitoring, especially in the oil and gas sector. She sits on various national committees that guide natural resource assessment and environment monitoring in Uganda. Dr Nangendo holds a PhD in Forest Ecology and Management and MSc in Geo-information Science in Forestry. In addition to currying out GIS and remote sensing work in Uganda, she has supported teams carrying out more technically demanding work in WCS Rwanda and DRC offices. Dr. Nangendo's work is published in research articles, reports, and she acted as Coordination Lead Author of the IPBES assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration.