Jana Johnson, Ph.D. ’08

Jana Johnson Ph.D. ’08, was named one of 29 nominees for the prestigious Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award honoring the work of animal conservationists. The 2010 Indianapolis Prize given to Johnson's fellow nominee, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, for his work with elephants.

Michael Crowther, CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo, the organization responsible for initiating the conservation award, lauded Johnson and her fellow nominees. “We believe the nominees are exceptional,” he says. “These conservationists are all living an adventure that battles the odds, achieves great victories and builds a future worth living in.”

Johnson’s nomination acknowledges the work she has done as the founder of The Butterfly Project, a combined effort between Moorpark College and the Urban Wildlands Group. It focuses on caring for and increasing the populations of endangered types of butterflies.

The most notable accomplishment of The Butterfly Project has been the organization’s work with the Palos Verdes blue butterflies, which were once believed to be extinct. Through the work of Johnson and her students, the population of the rare blue butterflies grew from 200 to 10,000, allowing them to release thousands back into the wild.

Johnson is a native of Austin, Texas. She received her doctorate in 2008 from UCLA. She is currently a biology professor at Moorpark College in Ventura County, Calif.