Korte, Lisa

Education

• Ph.D., Michigan State University

About

Lisa Korte is a conservation biologist with expertise in African mammals. After a BS at Cornell University, she pursued an Africa experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Living in a remote village for two years, Lisa learned to speak the Kikongo language and provided technical assistance to subsistence level fish farmers. After Peace Corps, Lisa returned to the United States to work with the Africa Program of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Colleagues at WCS encouraged Lisa to pursue graduate studies. She began a master’s program at the University of Florida and was invited to study forest buffalo in Gabon. Her master’s thesis laid the foundation for her dissertation research on the spatial and social organization of buffalo at Lopé National Park, Gabon. After completing her Ph.D. at Michigan State University, Lisa was the Desk Officer for Gabon, Republic of Congo, and Sao Tomé and Príncipe at the U.S. Department of State, with a portfolio focused on policy, including conservation of the Congo Basin Forest. From 2010-2016, she was based in Gabon as the Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Gabon Biodiversity Program, overseeing and implementing conservation, research, and education projects. Lisa is currently a Natural Resources Specialist working for USAID in Liberia. When not observing wildlife, Lisa enjoys walking her dog, biking, reading, and hiking in the forest and on the beach.