Brett Jenks | Rare

Rare’s CEO Brett Jenks leads Rare’s distinctly human approach to advancing conservation and curbing climate change. Under Brett’s leadership, Rare has expanded to more than 200 staff working to unlock people-powered, community-led solutions grounded in a deep understanding of human needs and motivations.

Jenks’s professional career began as a 22-year-old political correspondent for the Hudson Reporter, when he published a series of articles detailing horrific conditions in the Hudson County Jail. His coverage was eventually picked up by the New York Times and credited with eventually closing the infamous facility.

After his time in journalism, Jenks worked in film production, creating television commercials for Fortune 100 companies including Dunkin’ Donuts and American Express, and some of the early music videos on MTV. He ultimately quit the film business and traveled to Costa Rica, where he built an award-winning eco-tourism program, training local people as guides.

During his tenure, Rare has created large-scale, global partnerships with Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Oceana, Environmental Defense Fund, UNESCO, AVEDA, Encourage Capital, National Geographic and the ministries of environment and fisheries of many nations. Jenks is a Catto Fellow, Braddock Scholar and McNulty Prize laureate with the Aspen Institute, a member of the Closed Loop Fund’s investment committee, a trustee to the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Trust, and a recipient of the Rose-Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism.