Scott Pankratz is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Missoula, Montana-based non-profit Ecology Project International (EPI). He is also an outdoor educator, a science teacher, an entrepreneur, and a father. At the heart of all these titles is a passion for building innovative partnerships that create environmentally responsible citizens.

Prior to EPI, Scott taught high school physics and biology and spent several seasons river guiding, ski patrolling, and leading wilderness trips for the National Outdoor Leadership School. In 2009, Scott led the creation of the Swift Center for Conservation Education, a shared space collaborative of like-minded non-profits. Scott was awarded the Blanche Hornbeck Award for outstanding work in nature education from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, and under his direction, EPI has been recognized in Outside Magazine’s “Top 100 Best Places to Work in the U.S.” three years in a row. Scott serves on the board of the Montana Nonprofit Association and the Montana Community Foundation, and spends his free time with his wife, son, and daughter, on the trails and rivers of the Western US.

• Location: Montana, USA