Rose Niu

Rose Niu works for the World Wildlife Fund’s US branch. A native of China’s Yunnan Province, Rose draws on both her deep roots in the local community and skills she has developed overseas to tackle the environmental challenges while also working to improve the livelihoods of local people. From 2001 to 2010, she has directed TNC’s China Country Program, leading and managing a team of 72 staff in five offices, and representing TNC before government agencies, local and international conservation organizations and funding agencies. Prior to the directorship, Rose served as Chief Representative of TNC’s Yunnan Office in China, playing a leadership role in establishing the organization’s presence in China through the launch of the Yunnan Great Rivers Project in northwest Yunnan Province in 1998.

Before joining the World Wildlife Fund, Rose worked in a managerial capacity for companies in New Zealand and Thailand and for nine years as a Quarantine Officer and Deputy Section Chief of Animal Quarantine for the Kunming Animal and Plant Quarantine Service of the Chinese government. Rose has a master’s degree in Natural Resource Planning and Management from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand, and a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science from the Southwest University for Ethnic Minorities in Chengdu, China. Rose is a native of Yunnan and a member of the Naxi ethnic minority, one of 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China. She has won numerous awards and honors, including, in 2002, being selected as one of the “25 Stars of Asia” by Business Week and a “Global Conservation Award” from Global Heritage Fund in 2004.