Maia Tsignadze

Maia Tsignadze headshot

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, 2023-24

  • Home country: Georgia
  • Specialization: Ranger Promotion, International Relations, Ecosystem Restoration, Eco-Education and Research
  • Current role: Chairperson, Georgian Ranger Association
  • Education: International Hellenic University (Greece), Master’s in management; Ilia Chavchavadze Tbilisi State University, Bachelor’s in Pedagogics-English and German Languages
  • Connect: mt844 [at] cornell.edu (Email) | LinkedIn
  • Pronouns: She/Her

Maia Tsignadze has over nine years of experience working on environmental projects with governmental and donor organizations, most recently serving as the founder and chairperson of the Georgian Ranger Association (GRA). Recognizing the undervalued status of rangers, she founded the GRA to advocate for their crucial work. Her expertise lies in ranger promotion, ecosystem restoration, eco-education, and research. Maia holds a master's degree in management.

As a member of the International Ranger Federation, Maia organized study tours for rangers in Switzerland, Israel, Portugal, Albania, and Germany, making history by having Georgia represented at the 9th World Ranger Congress in Nepal. Through a Facebook group dedicated to promoting rangers, she has united over 3,000 members. Maia secured support from US and German donors, providing rucksacks for mountain rangers and establishing a field library for park rangers, who often work six consecutive days without communication. Maia's team conducted a successful technical monitoring research on operational effectiveness in eleven CNF-supported Protected Areas in Georgia. She fostered international collaborations by signing a memorandum with the Countryside Management Association (UK), organizing joint photo exhibitions and school projects involving British rangers and students. In the pilot project "Mitigating Natural Disasters in Didi Dighomi," Maia planted 300 trees and installed windscreens at landslide-prone zones. She authored the Colchic Pheasant restoration and awareness campaign and co-authored "Development of public green spaces in the city of Telavi" under the Drive Democracy program.