Jaci Braund

Conservation Director
Mechanicsburg, PA

Conservation first clicked for me in a college Plant Taxonomy class, when I began seeing the natural world differently, and couldn’t stop identifying plants wherever I went. I followed that curiosity across the U.S., working in botany and ecology before joining the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. There, I contributed to the direct link between biodiversity observations and real-world conservation by applying scientific ranking methods to species data. As I deepened my work, I encountered the concept of “orphaned taxa”, or entire groups that fall through conservation cracks without legal protection. Fungi are among the most overlooked. Today, I’m thrilled to work alongside mycologists of all levels to advance fungal conservation. Through my role with FUNDIS, I’m focused on shaping biodiversity data into credible conservation rankings; ensuring fungal species are formally recognized, prioritized, and protected within broader conservation frameworks