Jake Li

On October 21, 2024, Jake Li joined the Service as the new Assistant Director for Ecological Services.

Li previously served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs at the Environmental Protection Agency, where he focused on protecting endangered species from pesticides, implementing the policy priorities of the current administration, and overseeing a nearly 600-person office.

As Assistant Director for Ecological Services, Li will lead our efforts to list and recover threatened and endangered species, conserve coastal barrier islands, restore natural resources impacted by hazardous substances, provide environmental reviews of federal projects, and manage decision support and mapping tools.

Before joining EPA in 2021, Li worked for over a decade in the nonprofit sector focusing on conserving endangered and at-risk species. From 2018-2021, he worked at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center to increase the speed and scale of conservation, particularly with private landowners and businesses. From 2010-2018, Li served in various positions at Defenders of Wildlife. There, he led the organization’s work to improve how the Endangered Species Act is implemented, especially in collaboration with federal agencies, industry, and congressional offices. Before Defenders, Li represented the regulated community as an environmental lawyer.

He will be well served in the Assistant Director for Ecological Services role, given his commitment to conservation, passion for leadership, and experience working with industry and environmental advocates to find practical, fair, efficient, and durable solutions to wildlife conservation.

Li holds a J.D. from Cornell University, where he also completed graduate courses in conservation biology and herpetology, and a B.S. from Drexel University. He is the co-editor of Endangered Species Act: Law, Policy, and Perspectives (3rd ed, 2021).

Outside of work, Li enjoys surveying for reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, and home renovations.