Edward R. Stashko, Ph.D.
Organization for Tropical Studies
919/259-2575 (cell)
Email: estashko@duke.edu
Dr. Stashko has seventeen years of experience in managing staff in tropical countries in education and
training programs at the professional graduate, and undergraduate levels. He has created biological
education and research stations in seven tropical countries and has specialized in program and curriculum
design and assessment. He has managed budgets at the multi-million dollar level and directed fundraising efforts at similar levels. The programs he has created and managed have focused on communityled natural resource management ranging from tropical forests to African savannas and coral reef
ecosystems. Since 2003, he has been Academic Director and now Vice-President for Global Programs
and Partnerships (GPP) for the Organization for Tropical Studies. He has led the expansion of education
and raining programs in South America and South Africa. The Andean-Amazon Alliance comprised of
16 universities and NGO’s from five countries was formed by GPP as a training platform for the region
from an office based in Lima, Peru. He has also directed the efforts to recruit students and participants to
programs increasing gross revenues by over 300% in seven years. Previously he was Dean for Strategic
Initiatives for the Boston University accredited School for Field Studies. He has a Ph.D. from
Northwestern University in Ecology and is fluent in English and German with a basic proficiency in
Spanish.
CURRENT POSITION
The Organization for Tropical Studies, Durham, North Carolina
7/06 – Present
Vice-President for Global Programs and Partnerships
 Oversee OTS Global Programs and Partnership Division including operations in South America and
South Africa
 Define the shape and substance of Global Partnerships Program
 Provide overall strategic direction and leadership to the GPP
 Supervise employees engaged in the implementation of the program
 Analyze the marketplace in the tropics and identify opportunities for partnerships
 Negotiate agreements with host institutions for partnerships
 Develop training programs and materials for OTS model for export
 Raise monies for GPP by fundraising and writing grant proposals
 Develop standards for GPP across different sites
 Develop web site and other marketing tools for GPP
 Coordinate meetings/workshops and conferences for GPP
 Serve as senior member of the OTS executive team
 Develop program assessment standards
 Coordinate risk management standards and programs
 Direct GPP program recruiting initiatives
 Supervises Enrollment Manager: reviews recruiting strategies, reviews admission process
 Liaison with Duke Study Abroad and academic departments
7/03-6/05
Academic Director
 Provide academic leadership to the OTS Education portfolio.
 Oversee the administration of existing and future graduate, undergraduate and environmental science
& policy programs, including research fellowships.
 Take the initiative in drafting funding proposals for OTS Education
 Prepare annual budgets and supervise conformance with budgets
 Direct a regular program of evaluation, quality control and strategic planning for OTS Education.
 Provide leadership to identify new opportunities and initiatives for OTS Education.
 Oversee the recruitment process for all permanent and temporary Education staff in Costa Rica,
Mexico and South Africa
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
The School for Field Studies, Beverly, Massachusetts
9/00 – 6/03
Dean for Strategic Initiatives
 Responsible for the development, funding and implementation of new study-abroad programs in Latin
America, Africa, Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa.
 Created programs for university students, high school students, adult learners and faculty based on
experiential learning and research.
 Developed affiliations and partnerships with university, government and non-governmental agencies
to support new and ongoing study abroad programs.
 Led coordination of program development with marketing strategies and partnership programs
 Promoted outreach to natural resource-based communities
9/95 –9/00
Dean, Academic Affairs
 Responsible for program content and design for six study abroad Centers with 5.5 million dollar budgets.
 Directed staff hiring, training and institutional development.
 Oversaw research programs that were linked with host country partnerships.
 Developed grant proposals for new and existing programs.
7/93 - 8/94
Director of Tropical Programs and Conservation
 Responsible for administration of the Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia, the Center for
Sustainable Development Studies in Costa Rica, and the Center for Island Management in Palau
including curriculum development, research design, program design, risk management, planning and
budget development.
 Developed and implemented conservation research programs for all school programs including five
international study abroad centers.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. 1982
Northwestern University, Ecology and Evolution, Evanston, Ill.: Dry
Forest Dynamic in Costa Rica
M.S. 1975
Northwestern University, Ecology
B.A. 1974
Northwestern University, Biology
CONTINUING EDUCATION
1984-1986
Research Associate, World Wildlife Fund
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Boston University, Boston, MA
Radcliffe College Graduate Program in Management
The Theory and Practice of Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center
Environmental Leadership
Countries of Work Experience
Australia, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Kenya, Mexico, Palau, Peru, South
Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, United States
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Radcliffe College Graduate Program in Management
The Theory and Practice of Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center
Environmental Leadership
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1989 - 1994
Massachusetts Society of Municipal Conservation Professionals
1990 - 1994
Historic Massachusetts, Inc.
1994 - Present
Historic Massachusetts, Inc., Board of Advisors
SOCIETIES AND MEMBERSHIPS
Association of International Educators
Ecological Society of America
Society for Conservation Biology
Society for Ecological Restoration
The Wildlife Society
LANGUAGES: English (native), (German (native), Spanish ( FSI-1)