Mike Sweeney

Chief Resources and Strategy Officer

Mike Sweeney
Chief Resources and Strategy Officer
Mike Sweeney is Conservation International's Chief Resources and Strategy Officer, where he leads the organization’s integrated approach to fundraising, partnerships, and finance strategy.

Sweeney oversees Development, Brand and Communications, Nature Finance, Public and Corporate Partnerships, and Resource Mobilization.

Sweeney joined Conservation International in 2024 as a senior fellow and was named Chief Resources and Strategy Officer in 2025.  He previously spent more than two decades at The Nature Conservancy, including 17 years as Executive Director of its California chapter—TNC’s largest. He also oversaw operations in Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands and led global fisheries reform efforts. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

Sweeney holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard College. He is based in California and serves on the boards of The Wildlands Conservancy and Blue Evolution.

Sweeney oversees Development, Brand and Communications, Nature Finance, Public and Corporate Partnerships, and Resource Mobilization.

Sweeney joined Conservation International in 2024 as a senior fellow and was named Chief Resources and Strategy Officer in 2025.  He previously spent more than two decades at The Nature Conservancy, including 17 years as Executive Director of its California chapter—TNC’s largest. He also oversaw operations in Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands and led global fisheries reform efforts. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

Sweeney holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard College. He is based in California and serves on the boards of The Wildlands Conservancy and Blue Evolution.