John Torgan
State Director, Rhode Island
Providence, RI
John Torgan State Director, Rhode Island © Cat Laine
Areas of Expertise
fisheries, coastal resilience, climate change, water quality
Biography
John Torgan is the state director of The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island. John grew up in Providence and has dedicated his career to protecting and restoring the state’s rivers and tidal waters.
As state director, John leads a dynamic team of 32 people working to advance conservation in and from Rhode Island. Under his watch, the chapter has increased its capacity to influence climate policy and complete large-scale habitat restoration projects on behalf of state and federal agency partners. At the same time, he remains passionate about conserving wildlife habitat in Rhode Island and expanding access to nature, work that has been central to TNC’s mission for decades.
From 2011 to 2017, John was TNC’s director of ocean and coastal conservation, advancing coastal water quality and habitat restoration, and leading the organization’s coastal conservation programs and projects in Rhode Island and southern New England.
Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, John worked for 18 years for Save The Bay, serving as Narragansett baykeeper and director of advocacy.