Jake Kheel - How a Generalist Found His Calling in the Dominican Republic

Jake Kheel is VP of Sustainability at Grupo Puntacana, one of the Caribbean's most recognized leaders in sustainable tourism. He's also a conservationist, author, and co-director of the award-winning documentary Death By a Thousand Cuts.It started with a boarding school study abroad program Jake applied to on a whim. He had no idea his great-uncle Ted Kheel was one of the founders of Grupo Puntacana. But a phone call from his grandfather before the trip changed everything, and what began as a detour became the foundation of a two-decade career. Jake talks about falling in love with the Dominican Republic's people first, the warmth and gregariousness of its culture, then its staggering ecological diversity: 13 mountain ranges, two of the Caribbean's highest peaks, coral reefs, mangrove swamps, and desert dunes all on one island.Jake's background is anything but conventional for a sustainability leader. He studied Spanish literature, then went on to Columbia and Cornell to study conservation and soil science. He's a self-described generalist, and he makes a compelling case for why that's exactly what the field needs. The ability to adapt, learn new things quickly, and think creatively across disciplines has kept him sharp through 20 years of constantly evolving challenges. He also gets into what finally pulled him toward documentary filmmaking as a conservation tool, and how a research trip to the DR/Haiti border led him into a story far more layered than he ever expected.Episode in a glance01:28 Jake’s Accidental Connection to Puntacana03:11 What's Actually in a Name: The Story Behind "Puntacana"05:58 Why the Dominican Republic Is Unlike Any Other Caribbean Island11:24 No Two Days Are the Same: Hawks, Coral Reefs, and Seaweed at 7 AM15:45 Educating guests about sustainability without overshadowing their vacation19:40 Why Jake Made a Documentary About Charcoal, Murder, and the BorderAbout Jake KheelJake Kheel is the Vice President of Sustainability at Grupo Puntacana, a privately held resort and real estate company in the Dominican Republic that has become a benchmark for sustainable tourism in the Caribbean. With degrees from Columbia and Cornell and over 20 years on the ground in Puntacana, Jake leads a wide-ranging portfolio of environmental programs spanning coral reef restoration, composting, wildlife conservation, and sargassum management. He co-directed the award-winning documentary Death By a Thousand Cuts, which explores deforestation and cross-border conflict on the Haitian-Dominican border, and is the author of Waking the Sleeping Giant, a book about mobilizing the private sector for environmental action. His work has been recognized by National Geographic and Condé Nast Traveler.Connect with Jake Kheel and his workInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/jakekheel/?hl=enGrupo Puntacana → puntacana.comWaking the Sleeping Giant → https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Sleeping-Giant-Unlocking-Business/dp/1544520123Death By a Thousand Cuts documentary → https://deathbyathousandcutsfilm.com/Send us a message!