Kenya’s renowned Conservationist Paula Kahumbu has been appointed to the National Geographic Society board of trustees.

She becomes the first NatGeo Explorer to join the Society’s Board of Trustees. The role of Explorer Trustee is a new position created by the organization that will be held by a National Geographic Explorer.

“Paula is an extraordinary ambassador for our Explorer community, and her insights add a critical new voice to our board to ensure we remain at the forefront of exploration and discovery,” National Geographic board chair Jean Case, said in a statement Wednesday.

Paula Kahumba, who Kahumbu is the chief executive officer of WildlifeDirect and a National Geographic Explorer, was among five other individuals appointed in the board namely; Ash Carter, Claudia Madrazo, Deborah Lehr, and Dina Powell McCormick.

“On behalf of the entire board, I am delighted to welcome these five distinguished leaders to the National Geographic Society’s board of trustees. Collectively, their global expertise and knowledge will prove invaluable as we continue our ambitious mission to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world by using the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling,” Jean said.

The  National Geographic board has with the recent appointments achieved gender parity for the first time since in the history of the 134 years organization.

In 2016, Case became the Society’s first woman to serve as chair, and in August 2020, the organization appointed Jill Tiefenthaler as the first woman to serve as its CEO.

According to the organization, the milestone on gender parity is an illustration of its continued commitment to advance its work around diversity, equity, and inclusion, including improving the representation of women in leadership positions.