Alan Rabinowitz is the executive director of the Science and Exploration Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society,  author of six books and many articles on preservation of big cats, and CEO of Panthera, whose “mission is to ensure the future of wild cats through scientific leadership and global conservation action.”

Born in 1953 in New York City, Dr. Rabinowitz graduated from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) and went on to study at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  As a research fellow with the Wildlife Conservation Society he went to Belize to survey jaguars.  This research led to him establishing the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve, the world's first jaguar preserve.  His work and research elevated Thailand’s Huai Kha Khaeng Wild Life Sanctuary to a UNESCO site, help establish Taiwan's Tawu Mountain Nature Reserve and Myanmar’s Hkakabo Razi National Park, the largest of Southeast Asia’s protected areas.