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Karin Krchnak

Director of Global Partnerships, Great Rivers Partnership

Contact Information

E-mail: kkrchnak@tnc.org

Brief Biography

“It is great to see more attention being paid to water issues. My hope is that we can truly come together as global-local communities to help minimize the water resource challenges for future generations so that they have the tools to succeed.”

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Karin Krchnak is a member of The Nature Conservancy’s external affairs team and acts as global partnerships director for its Great Rivers Partnership (GRP). She has advised on development of policy strategies with national governments, multilateral institutions, river basin organizations and others to advance freshwater conservation. On behalf the GRP, her efforts currently focus on building a global network of leaders to exchange knowledge on sustainable management of rivers to benefit people and nature. 

An environmental lawyer, Karin’s career has focused on improving policies and procedures related to environmental management and resource conservation. For the World Resource Institute she managed two global secretariats aimed at improving information disclosure, transparency and accountability in environmental decision-making. She also acted as population and environment program manager for the National Wildlife Federation’s international programs, and director for organizations including the Western Newly Independent States and the Environmental Law Program for the American Bar Association (Central and Eastern European Law Initiative). 

Karin received her B.A. in political science from Duke University and her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. She has published extensively in the area of international environmental policy and sustainable development—particularly on freshwater issues. Karin has served on the steering committees of the Global Water Partnership and the Gender & Water Alliance. Currently she acts as co-chair of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development’s Freshwater Caucus and the board of the Alliance for Water Stewardship. She also serves on the World Water Council’s Board of Governors as representative for the Conservancy. 

Karin used to volunteer as a wildlife rehabilitator and also worked on her Divemaster PADI certification. She hopes to return to that someday. For now, she enjoys her free time hiking with her family and taking trips to her other home of Slovakia.

Karin Krchnak

Director of Global Partnerships, Great Rivers Partnership

Read Karin Krchnak's Full Biography

Read Karin Krchnak's Full Biography

Read Karin Krchnak's Full Biography