Jonathan Wiesner is currently the CEO at the Garrison Institute. Founded in 2003, the Garrison Institute is a non-profit organization which applies the transformative power of contemplation to today’s pressing social and environmental concerns, helping build a more compassionate, resilient future. Working collaboratively with experts in diverse fields, the Institute develops and hosts both in person and virtual programs, produces research and publications, and provides a hub for ongoing learning networks. It has established key initiatives in the fields of ecology, caregiving, education, and organizational leadership.

Jonathan has served an active role on the Board of the International Rescue Committee since 1995, and currently serves as Chairman Emeritus. International Rescue Committee is a nonprofit that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Jonathan has also served as the Chairman of the Board for Westchester Land Trust, a nonprofit founded in 1988 that works to protect environmentally important open space and the character of communities. He has been active with the Westchester Land Trust since 2007. A graduate of Dartmouth, Jonathan lives in Rhinebeck, New York.

Some of his fondest memories of growing up were the summers spent on the shores of Lake Chocorua in New Hampshire. Jonathan’s grandmother would wake him up at 5 am and they would walk along the bogs and marshes at the edge of the lake and watch the moose venture to the shore to drink. The majestic beauty of these animals, the serenity of the lake with the mist rising had a profound and lifelong impact on him. Jonathan’s family donated 247 acres to the Nature Conservancy in honor of his great grandfather, Frank Bolles.