Georgie Geraghty
Executive Director and Midwest Partner, Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
Georgie Geraghty Georgie Geraghty is The Nature Conservancy's Illinois Executive Director and Midwest Partner. © Georgie Geraghty
Areas of Expertise
Climate change, corporate engagement, forestry and partnership building
Biography
As Executive Director and Midwest Partner, Georgie Geraghty leads a dynamic team in Illinois focused on addressing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in the region and around the world. Georgie leverages her passion for nature, experience as an attorney and her work in conservation, community engagement and business to ensure the resilience of people and nature through the implementation of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) breakthrough ideas.
With Illinois’ goal to transition to 100% clean energy by 2050, Georgie’s vision bridges and amplifies the strengths of Midwestern communities, rural and urban, to position the state and region as climate leaders. She championed the development and implementation of its first-ever TNC Illinois climate change strategy, which established comprehensive corporate partnerships to support crucial investments for a sustainable future. Georgie also prioritizes collaboration across expertise and communities, including emphasizing the needs for growers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices that protect the Great Lakes and Illinois’ fresh water, and advocating for youth engagement.
Georgie adds 25 years of experience and deep expertise in strategy, fundraising and operations across nonprofit and private sectors. She began working with TNC in 1998, serving as TNC’s director of community-based conservation in Colorado. Georgie has been with TNC in Illinois since 2016 and spent most of that time as deputy director.
Outside of TNC, Georgie has also been a longtime lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, focusing on a variety of issues including climate change, and served as an adjunct faculty member at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. She is active in her community and chairs a regional selection committee for a global graduate scholarship.
Georgie was born and raised in Bloomington, Illinois, and spent her childhood in central Illinois before ultimately landing in Chicago where she and her family have resided for nearly 25 years.
More About TNC Illinois
Tackling Climate Change in Illinois
Climate change is a serious threat facing our planet today. In Illinois, The Nature Conservancy is finding solutions that help both people and nature thrive.
Protect Lands and Waters
The Nature Conservancy in Illinois is working to protect the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Urban Conservation
Discover how The Nature Conservancy in Illinois is focused on urban conservation efforts that will protect nature in cities like Chicago.