Something New is On the Horizon

Jonathan Blackmon (he/him) is an Assistant Professor at Florida A&M University, where he teaches courses in American government, international relations, and comparative politics. He brings nearly a decade of experience spanning federal land governance, international technical cooperation, and applied policy work in the Global South. His federal career includes two roles with the U.S. Forest Service. As a Resource & Development Manager, he worked on national land acquisition and conservation policy, including oversight of special-use authorizations covering economic activities such as hydropower and pipeline infrastructure on public lands. As a Brazil Operations Specialist, he coordinated technical field visits and executive-level exchanges across a broad network of governmental, NGO, indigenous, and private sector partners in the Amazon region, supporting initiatives related to environmental governance, land use, and sustainable value chains.

He was a Boren Fellow with intensive study in Brazil, an experience that deepened his focus on development, governance, and community-state relations in the Global South. His work centers on the intersection of energy systems and natural resource policy, with particular attention to how subaltern and historically marginalized communities are incorporated into development processes. He is a 2026 Y20 U.S. Delegate in the energy track, contributing to global policy conversations at the intersection of energy, environment, and development.