J0HN BUCHANAN
Director, Agriculture and Fisheries Program
Center for Environmental Leadership in Business

Education
Washington and Lee University, Political Science & French

John Buchanan is a Director of the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business Agriculture and Fisheries Program. In addition to supporting Center Agriculture work in Brazil, John is charged with developing new initiatives within the Agriculture and Fisheries Program. New areas which are currently being explored include engagement with shrimp fisheries in the Gulf of California and the cocoa and chocolate industry to minimize the impact of cocoa cultivation in tropical habitats.

Prior to his work with the Center, Buchanan managed CI's Conservation Cocoa" Program. With projects in Ghana and Brazil, the Conservation Cocoa Program established community-based enterprises with cocoa farmers in areas of high biological diversity. His work involved extensive collaboration with farmers' cooperatives, government organizations, research institutions, and other NGO's. He also played an important role in developing land-uses compatible with CI's conservation corridor strategies. Buchanan originally join CI as Manager of Tagua Button and Food Products program, serving as a liaison between buttons distributors and CIs partners in Latin America. He monitored royalty payments from CI licensed button distributors and worked to gain commitments from major garment companies for exclusive purchasing of buttons from the Tagua Initiative®. Buchanan also worked to develop new food products in Latin America and Africa.

Buchanan has substantial experience in working with sales and marketing. As area sales manager at Anchor Hocking Packaging Company, he created new sales and marketing strategies and worked with major food companies to develop new products. Buchanan has a strong background in dealing with on-site problems in Latin America from his two years as an international sales representative in Deerfield, IL. Buchanan earned a B.A. in political science and French from Washington and Lee University. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French.