ROCKVILLE, MD, November 20, 2023 - James D. Nations has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Leveraging more than three decades of excellence in anthropology research, Dr. Nations has earned distinction as the director and senior researcher for the Center for Human Ecology. Since 2014, he has focused his efforts on writing books and conducting field evaluations of conservation projects, primarily in Latin America. He is especially passionate about the importance of supporting Indigenous peoples, including writing on human interactions with biodiversity and protected areas in Latin America and the United States.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Nations served honorably in the United States Army Reserve for six years. Following his military service and graduate school, he was a Senior Fulbright Scholar, helping establish the Maya Biosphere Reserve in northern Guatemala. Beginning in 1990, he served as Vice President of Mexico and Central America and Vice President for Latin America at Conservation International until taking a role as Vice President for the Center for Park Research at the National Parks Conservation Association in 2003. Over the course of his career, he has contributed a wealth of written works to his field, including "The Maya Tropical Forest: People, Parks, and Ancient Cities" for the Austin: University of Texas Press in 2006 and "Lacandon Maya: The Language and Environment (Maya Lacandón: el Idioma y el Medio Ambiente)" in 2017. Most recently, he authored "Lacandón Maya in the Twenty-First Century: Indigenous Knowledge and Conservation in Mexico's Tropical Rainforest," which was published in 2023 with University Press of Florida.

Dr. Nations earned a Master of Science in sociology at the University of North Texas, 1972, and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in anthropology in 1979, both from Southern Methodist University. Following these achievements, he completed post-doctoral studies through the Center for Latin American Studies, University of California, Berkeley in 1981. While pursuing his doctoral degree, he carried out three years of fieldwork and research with the Lacandón Maya, a rainforest group in southeastern Mexico. He was so enamored with learning the language and the culture that he renewed his exchange program twice and began to focus his work on protecting Indigenous lands, cultures, and languages.

Dr. Nations is now completing a new book and enjoying his collections of photographs and antique postcards.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

Contact Information

Marquis Who's Who Ventures LLC
Uniondale, NY
USA
Voice: 844-394-6946