The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

For inquiries about booking speakers/experts, please contact Misty Edgecomb or James Miller at The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts.

Wayne Klockner
Vice President and State Director

Wayne Klockner is Vice President and Massachusetts State Director at The Nature Conservancy. He is responsible for supporting and improving the Conservancy’s priority strategies and projects and helping launch new ones in Massachusetts. Wayne also leads the conservation plan for Massachusetts which includes land and water conservation and public policy initiatives related to biodiversity conservation. With over 30 years at The Nature Conservancy, he has worked in Maryland, Delaware, New York, the Conservancy’s World Office, and Indonesia prior to moving to Massachusetts 13 years ago. Wayne, an avid birder and flyfisherman, spends much of his free time outdoors.
Education: B.S. Biology and Environmental Planning, Rutgers University

Areas of Expertise:
• Conservation planning
• Land protection
• Climate change adaptation
• Massachusetts conservation issues
• Birding

Tom Chase
Director of Conservation Strategies

Tom Chase directs the conservation strategies for the Massachusetts chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, Tom brings a deep understanding of land-use change to the conservation of Massachusetts’s coasts. Education: B S. Zooarchaeology, University of Florida; M.S. Quaternary paleoecology, University of Maine 

Areas of Expertise:
• Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island
• Ecological restoration
• Conservation entrepreneurship
• Conservation education and community engagement
• Island ecology
• Archaeology
• Sea level rise

Chris McGuire
Marine Program Director

As Marine Program Director, Chris McGuire works to conserve Massachusetts’ critical ocean coastal systems. He develops sustainable fisheries partnerships with local fishermen and advances ocean planning efforts. Chris also maintains a US Coast Guard Ocean Master’s License. When not pursuing marine conservation initiatives, Chris can be found out on the water with his young children.
Education: B.A. History, Connecticut College; M.M.A. Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island.

Areas of Expertise:
• Marine conservation
• Sustainable fishing practices
• Ocean planning and management
• Oceanographic research
• Meteorology

Jon Kachmar
Southeast Massachusetts Program Director

Jon Kachmar manages the Conservancy’s regional program for Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands as the Southeast Massachusetts Program Director. He works to identify the landscapes and species that should be protected and the best approaches to accomplish that. Much of his work includes the restoration of coastal resources shellfish and eelgrass. Jon enjoys a range of outdoor activities in his free time, which include sailing, fishing, backcountry skiing, and hiking.
Education: B.A. Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island; M.A. Public Policy/Coastal Policy, Muskie School of Public Policy.
Twitter: @JkachmarTNC

Areas of Expertise:
• Coastal and marine resource management
• Cape Cod
• Nearshore habitat restoration
• Regional coastal policy and planning
• Oyster issues

Leslie Luchonok
Western Massachusetts Program Director

Leslie Luchonok has worked in conservation, resource protection and management for over 25 years. Currently, he manages land protection and stewardship from the Connecticut River to the Berkshires as the Conservancy’s Western Massachusetts’ Program Director. Outside of conservation work, Leslie loves to garden, hike, travel, and read.
Education: B.A. Community and Regional Planning, Environmental and Resource Management, Rutgers University.

Areas of Expertise:
• The Berkshires
• Western Massachusetts
• Conservation and land management
 

Stephen Long
Director of Government Relations

Steve Long works closely with federal and state elected officials, governmental agencies, and conservation and business partners on conservation public policy and funding. Before joining The Nature Conservancy six years ago, Steve worked for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and a Massachusetts state senator. He is a passionate cyclist, kayaker, day hiker, and gardener.
Education: B.A. Political Science, Ithaca College; M.A. Political Science/Public Policy, Rutgers University.

Areas of Expertise:
• State and federal environmental policy
• Environmental law
• Massachusetts statehouse
• Climate planning
• Green living

Alison Bowden
Freshwater Program Director

Alison Bowden is a leader in The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to protect fresh water for people and nature. She works to preserve rivers’ natural flows and to restore the fish that migrate within their banks up and down the East Coast of the US. Alison is also a dedicated home gardener and sustainable foodie who lives green in the greater Boston area.
Education: B.A. Environmental Science, American University; M.S. Water Resources, University of New Hampshire.
Twitter: @alison_bowden

Areas of Expertise:
• Water sustainability
• Flooding
• Dams and river restoration
• Migratory fish
• Wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity
• Water withdrawals and scarcity
• Sustainable food
• Urban gardening

Andrew Finton
Director of Science and Conservation

As Director of Science and Conservation, Andy Finton works to define and implement science-based conservation of forests, rivers, wetlands, and coasts. He develops collaborative partnerships to protect large, intact, and resilient landscapes that provide clean water, clean air, and other benefits to nature and people. Having worked in and explored forests throughout the eastern US, Andy now enjoys watching his kids discover the wonders of nature.
Education: B.S. Plant Biology, Cornell University; M.S. Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Areas of Expertise:
• Climate change and risk reduction
• Forest ecology
• Landscape ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Green infrastructure
• Botany
• Native plant landscaping

Laura Marx
Forest Ecologist

Raised in the Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania, Laura Marx works to protect the forests of Massachusetts as a Forest Ecologist. Her projects include using forests to lessen the severity and impact of climate change, invasive insect and disease prevention, and conservation of Western Massachusetts. She also administers the Conservancy’s Eastern US Forest Network.
Education: Kenyon College, Ph.D. Forestry and Ecology, Michigan State University.
Video: Forest Carbon 101

Areas of Expertise:
• Western Massachusetts
• Regional forestry issues
• Forestry and forest management
• Invasive species
• Conservation policy issues
• Stewardship and restoration