Vera joined Defenders of Wildlife in 2019. She works to defend, strengthen and expand federal law, policy and practice to improve wildlife conservation and recovery on federal lands, with a focus on the National System of Public Lands (aka lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management) and the Department of Interior.

Before joining Defenders of Wildlife, Vera served as the National Forest Planning and Policy Director at The Wilderness Society. Prior to that she directed The Wilderness Society’s Recreation Planning Program and the Colorado Mountain Club’s Conservation Department. She began her public lands career as a ranger and geologist with the National Park Service where she specialized in land and water restoration.

Vera earned a B.A. in geology and environmental studies at the University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.