Susan B. Eirich, PhD, founder of Earthfire Institute Wildlife Sanctuary, joins the Gold Mercury International Board.
A pioneering conservationist and creator of ‘Reconnection Ecology®’, her framework for reawakening humanity's relationship with the natural world. Appointment signals the think tank's expanding focus on planetary ecosystems as a cornerstone of global governance.
Dr. Eirich with Stardance the Wolf
London, UK / Tetonia, Idaho – 21 April 2026 — Gold Mercury International, the global governance and visionary leadership think tank founded in 1961, today announced the appointment of Dr. Susan B. Eirich, founder and executive director of Earthfire Institute, to its board of advisors.
Dr. Eirich brings to Gold Mercury a distinctive convergence of ecological science, psychology, and cross-cultural insight — disciplines she has spent a lifetime integrating in the field. With degrees in both biology and psychology, she founded Earthfire Institute, a 165-acre wildlife sanctuary and educational nonprofit situated adjacent to Grand Teton National Park in the American West. Over more than two decades living alongside rescued wildlife native to the Yellowstone to Yukon Wildlife Corridor — including bears, wolves, cougars, and bison — Dr. Eirich developed Reconnection Ecology®, a framework for reawakening humanity's relationship with the natural world and expanding our sense of community to include all living beings.
Her work reaches well beyond the sanctuary. Dr Eirich has served as a psychologist in maximum security and supermax prison facilities, directed a Nature Conservancy preserve, established a university counselling centre, and taught at institutions across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including with the US military in Japan. Her search for cross-cultural perspectives on humanity's relationship with nature has taken her to Waorani communities in the Amazon, Sherpa villages on the Tibetan border, and Inuit peoples in Canada's Arctic. She is the author of Whispers from the Wild: an Invitation, which distills those experiences into a compelling case for a fundamental shift in how human societies relate to the planet they inhabit. The book is now available as an audiobook on Audible. Susan has also recently completed Stories from the Sanctuary: an Earthfire Institute Journal. Both books are available on her website.
Her appointment signals Gold Mercury International's recognition that the challenges of planetary sustainability cannot be addressed through governance frameworks alone. As institutions worldwide grapple with accelerating ecological breakdown, Dr. Eirich's Reconnection Ecology® offers a complementary lens — one that situates sound governance within the broader living systems on which all human progress ultimately depends.
Dr. Eirich joins a distinguished international board at a moment of renewed ambition for Gold Mercury, whose GLOGO® Global Governance Monitoring System and Visionary Governance® frameworks are increasingly shaping conversations at the intersection of leadership, foresight, and planetary stewardship.
Susan exploring the northern portion of the Yellowstone to Yukon Wildlife Corridor on horseback
“I am honoured to join Gold Mercury at this critical moment in our planet’s story. If we consider all Life in our decisions, we will naturally evaluate what we need versus what we want, and act accordingly, for all our sakes. Leaving water, food and space for other living beings results in a sustainable, healthy Earth. By supporting one another we can open ourselves to creative thinking about how to make these changes, unleashed from the inner fears and outer forces that encourage those fears. Brilliant creativity and courage are part of our inheritance. What draws me to Gold Mercury is the conviction that governance, at its best, is an act of care — for people, for communities, and for the extraordinary web of life we are part of. I look forward to bringing the wisdom I have received from the natural world into conversations about our shared future, and to working with visionary leaders who understand that a truly sustainable planet must be a home for all its beings — not just us.”
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Susan Eirich to the Gold Mercury International board. For over six decades, Gold Mercury has championed the idea that visionary governance must transcend politics and borders — but it must also transcend species. Susan’s work through Reconnection Ecology® and Earthfire Institute represents precisely the kind of anticipatory, systems-based thinking our planet urgently needs. She reminds us that sustainable governance is not only about redesigning human institutions — it is about remembering our place within the living systems that make civilisation possible. Her voice will be essential as we advance our mission to build a more peaceful, ethical, and truly planetary future.”
About Gold Mercury International Founded in 1961, Gold Mercury International is an independent global governance and visionary leadership think tank headquartered in London. For over six decades, it has advanced anticipatory foresight and Visionary Governance® to promote international cooperation, peace, and planetary sustainability. Its Gold Mercury Awards — past recipients include US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, President Anwar Sadat, and organisations including UNICEF and the Red Cross — are among the world's most historic recognitions for ethical and visionary leadership. www.goldmercury.org
About Earthfire Institute Earthfire Institute is a wildlife sanctuary, rehabilitation center, and educational nonprofit located on 165 acres west of Grand Teton National Park in Idaho. Home to rescued wildlife native to the Yellowstone to Yukon Wildlife Corridor, Earthfire exists to reawaken humanity's deep connection with the natural world through direct experience, storytelling, and its framework of Reconnection Ecology®. Earthfire is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation. www.earthfireinstitute.org