Ryanne Pilgeram’s, PhD, career as a rural sociologist focuses on envisioning equitable and thriving rural communities. She was a Professor of Sociology at the University of Idaho, where she worked for nearly 15 years before transitioning to The Wilderness Society in 2023. At TWS, she focuses on federal policy at the intersection of public land conservation and transitioning fossil fuel communities. She is the author of numerous publications focused on women in agriculture, and she wrote Pushed Out: Contested Development and Rural Gentrification in the US West, a book that examines the structural causes of inequality in rural communities. She is proudly raising 3 wonderful children, dogs, chickens, a cat, and a garden with her husband Russ.