John Waconda

John came out of retirement as New Mexico’s first-ever Indigenous Partnerships program manager, joining TNC in 2023, after 32 years of federal government service. John began as a professional forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and became a national leader in Tribal forest and fire management within the agency. He also served as a BIA superintendent in two agency locations before moving to the U.S. Forest Service as the chief of staff for the SW Region in Albuquerque. He later was the special assistant to the regional forester as the region’s restoration partnership coordinator assisting the 11 National Forests in NM and AZ. John continues to reside and farm and ranch on the Pueblo reservation where his ancestors lived for centuries.