Michael Wironen

Michael Wironen is the Director of Corporate Engagement for Food & Water at The Nature Conservancy. In this role he provides strategic leadership and technical advice to maximize the value of TNC’s collaborations with leading companies in the food and water sectors. Previously, as Senior Scientist for Agriculture & Food Systems at TNC, he led technical collaborations with companies such as Syngenta, Walmart, McDonald’s and AB InBev, including place-based projects in Africa, Asia and the Americas. In this capacity, Mr. Wironen helped secure and structure Syngenta’s $2 billion commitment to invest in innovation to support sustainable agriculture. During this time, he was also a lead author on TNC’s Foodscapes: Toward Food System Transition report as well as multiple other scientific papers.

Prior to joining TNC, Mr. Wironen completed his Ph.D. at the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, where he was a Graduate Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment. Michael's doctoral research explored how ecological economics can inform decision-making and governance in a context of competing objectives, uncertainty, and multi-level governance. This research centered on a study of how phosphorus flows in Vermont's agricultural system changed over 90+ years, impacting legacy phosphorus accumulation, resource efficiency, and water quality. Prior to his PhD, Michael worked as a sustainability consultant for a private firm based in New York City, advising public- and private-sector clients on climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainability strategy and large-scale infrastructure investments. He holds a PhD in natural resource sciences from the University of Vermont, an MS in sustainability science from Lunds Universitet and a BS in physical geography from McGill University.