DURHAM, N.C. – Robert F. Bonnie, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will speak to graduates of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment at the school’s annual Recognition Ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10.

Bonnie will address Master of Environmental Management, Master of Forestry and doctoral degree candidates and their families in a private ceremony on the Chemistry Parking Lot located at the corner of Towerview Drive and Circuit Drive, just up the street from Duke Environment Hall on Duke’s West Campus.  

A reception at Duke Environment Hall will immediately follow the ceremony.

Bonnie graduated from the Nicholas School in 1994 with a Master of Environmental Management in Resource Economics and a Master of Forestry.

After leaving Duke, he worked at the Environmental Defense Fund where he was vice president for land conservation and spearheaded efforts to develop new incentives to reward farmers, ranchers and forest owners for stewardship activities on private lands.

In his current position at the USDA, Bonnie supervises the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service and works closely with the Farm Service Agency. He also has served as senior advisor to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for environment and climate change.

Bonnie served on the Nicholas School’s Board of Visitors from 2004 to 2010.  In 2007, he received the school’s Rising Star Award for outstanding young alumni.

“Robert is emblematic of what it means to be a Nicholas School alum. He is an agent of change and innovation who has helped develop groundbreaking market-based programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions through conservation of grasslands and forests, and landmark initiatives, such as the Safe Harbor Agreement, that are protecting dozens of endangered species on more than three million acres of land nationwide,” says Dean William L. Chameides. “He is a true champion of the environment and a strong supporter of the Nicholas School. We are honored to have him address and inspire our graduates.”

A reception and diploma distribution ceremony for graduating students in the Nicholas School’s undergraduate programs will be held at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 11, on the front courtyard of the Levine Science Research Center.

For more information about both ceremonies, including inclement weather policies, go to http://nicholas.duke.edu/upcoming-events/2014-recognition-ceremony.