Carol Colfer graduated from Portland State University with a BA in Anthropology and went on to the University of Washington to complete her MA and PhD in Anthropology. She also earned a MPH in International Health from the University of Hawaii. She spent many years working with scientists and academics to conserve and manage natural resources in developing countries. She was an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, and she also held research positions at the University of Hawaii and the East-West Resource Systems Institute. She later worked and lived in Indonesia as a Principal Scientist with CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research), investigating sustainable forest management, governance issues in/near forests, and other issues. She was a Visiting Fellow at CIIFAD (Cornell Institute for International Food and Agricultural Development) at Cornell University.