Melissa Ryan believes in the power of photography to engage, inform, and inspire. And to change the world. She is passionate about creative collaboration and joyfully works with a global
network of photographers to create photographic stories that awaken curiosity and compassion for the natural world.

For nearly 20 years, Melissa has been a leading advocate of photography at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the world’s leading environmental conservation organization. TNC works in over 70 countries and envisions a world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.
http://nature.org

She has held a variety of positions at TNC, including director of photography for Nature Conservancy, TNC’s award-winning magazine, and currently serves as the deputy director of photography for the Global Marketing Division.
http://nature.org/magazine

Melissa began her career as a social documentary photographer and newspaper photo editor. She then had a most fortunate opportunity to merge her love of photography with natural history storytelling as a photo editor for National Geographic Books.