Niyanta Spelman

Niyanta Spelman: Founder and CEO of Rainforest Partnership

Niyanta Spelman is the founder and CEO of Rainforest Partnership, an impact-driven international nonprofit that uses community-centered collaboration to protect rainforests in critical biodiversity hotspots.123 Founded in 2007, Rainforest Partnership works to solve deforestation by centering the needs of Indigenous peoples and local communities.3

Key Facts about Niyanta Spelman

• Native of Tanzania, attended boarding school in India1
• Received a BS in Biology from The University of Texas at Dallas and a MPAff in Environmental Policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin1
• Prior to founding Rainforest Partnership, worked at the first lobbying firm in London, led a management consultancy, and worked with Texas environmental agencies as part of a legislative agency13
• Currently serves as the Speaker of the newly formed Rainforest Collective, a collaborative effort to convene organizations, communities, leaders, and industries around the world for rainforest protection1
• Has received numerous honors including The Women Of Change® Award at the United Nations in 2019 and the Profiles in Power award from the Austin Business Journal in 20201
• Served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs for the 2021-22 academic year1

Under Niyanta's leadership, Rainforest Partnership has achieved significant impact, including the durable protection and restoration of 1.16 million acres of rainforest in Peru, Ecuador and along the Peru-Brazil border in 2021 alone.1 The organization continues to drive global action for forests through initiatives like World Rainforest Day.34