Manikka Bowman is the executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, overseeing the organization’s work in the state to tackle climate change, restore biodiversity, support communities and ensure a healthy planet for future generations. She was most recently executive director of Project REAP (Real Estate Associate Program), a talent incubator for diverse commercial real estate candidates. Prior to that, she had a range of roles, from the Director of Policy for the Urban Land Institute Boston/New England District Council, and vice chairman of the Cambridge School Committee.

In 2018, Bowman was selected as a Boston Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree. She is a proud alumnus of a Historically Black College and University, Bethune-Cookman University, in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She holds two master’s degrees in divinity and urban policy from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, and Georgia State University. She lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband and two daughters.