Dwayne Estes, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director

Email: dwayne.estes@segrasslands.org
Admin: melissa.horn@segrasslands.org

Dwayne Estes serves as executive director at SGI. He is a Full Professor of Biology, Director of the APSU Herbarium, and Principal Investigator for the Center of Excellence for Field Biology. In 2018, he co-founded SGI with Theo Witsell. Under his leadership, they have raised $45 million. He has been active in building diverse support for Southeastern US grasslands conservation, from national to local levels and across the Southeast he is often called the “Prairie Preacher.” PBS Appalachia Virginia won an Emmy for Best Documentary titled “The Prairie Preacher” highlighting SGI’s work. He works with the Volgenau Climate Initiative as chair of the America’s Grasslands Coalition. Dwayne’s research interests include the biodiversity, ecology, history, and biogeography of the Southeastern U.S. with emphasis on grasslands and open woodlands.