Name: Adam Miller

Home Town and University: St. Louis, Missouri. I studied Conservation Biology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Fulbright ETA placement location and year: I was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan for the 2013-2014 grant period.

Current city and job:  I am currently the Executive Director and Founder of Planet Indonesia, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit based in St. Louis, Missouri. I spend about 4 months a year in St. Louis working with international partners, stakeholders, and donors. The rest of the time I spend in West Kalimantan working with our Indonesian branch, Yayasan Planet Indonesia.

Life After Fulbright:

After the completion of my Fulbright I cofounded Planet Indonesia with four Indonesian friends from West Kalimantan. Planet Indonesia focuses on providing market-based incentives that balance ecological and human livelihoods with cultural preservation. Central to our model and approach is the integration of economics, human rights, and culture into solutions that benefit both people and the environment.

In the months immediately following my Fulbright, while Planet Indonesia was still in the legal certification process, I worked at Alam Sehat Lestari. For this organization I helped with data analysis, grant writing, and managed two reforestation sites in Gunung Palung National Park.

Currently, I act as the Executive Director for the U.S. branch of Planet Indonesia. I am also a fellow at the American Institute for Indonesian Studies and Center for American Overseas Research Centers. I also work as a consultant for two other Indonesian-based organizations.

Indonesia is a country that is very near and dear to my heart, and I am extremely excited about the work that Planet Indonesia is doing. I believe our approach is not only flexible but also scalable and replicable. Our programs and initiatives are designed in a way that help low-income communities find new livelihoods and alternatives that positively impact the world around them. From economically empowering indigenous Dayak women through the revitalization of traditional weaving products to providing new livelihoods for low-income animal trappers, our market-based approach can be applied to a variety of issues we face in the world today.

Our long-term vision is for our U.S. branch to transition into Planet Initiatives. At this time we will expand the impact and reach of our programs by applying and testing our model in other parts of Indonesia and the world.

Take a look at our website or Facebook page