Robert Bonnie is a Rubenstein Fellow at Duke University, working on conservation and environmental issues in rural America. Prior to joining Duke, during the second term of the Obama Administration Robert was the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the US Department of Agriculture. In this role, he oversaw the US Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on a variety of natural resource issues, including management of the 193 million-acre National Forest and Grassland System, implementation of Farm Bill conservation programs on America's farms, ranches and forests, and climate change. During President Obama's first term, Robert served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for environment and climate change. Prior to joining USDA, Robert was vice president for land conservation for the Environmental Defense Fund where he focused on developing incentives to reward farmers, ranchers and forest owners for stewardship activities on private lands. Robert has master degrees in forestry and environmental management from Duke University. He grew up on a farm in Kentucky and now lives in Virginia.