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Keobel Sakuma

Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia & Polynesia Chapter

Micronesia & Polynesia

Keobel Sakuma

KB Sakuma A longtime conservation leader in TNC’s Pacific region, KB guides TNC’s work to advance community-led conservation, resilient oceans and climate solutions across Micronesia. © TNC

Areas of Expertise

Conservation policy, marine protected areas, marine spatial planning and sustainable fisheries

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Biography

Keobel Sakuma is the Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia & Polynesia Chapter. Keobel oversees TNC’s conservation strategies and operations across Micronesia and Polynesia, where the organization partners with governments, Traditional leaders, local communities, fishers and other stakeholders to protect oceans, strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable livelihoods. Previously, Sakuma was interim deputy director and conservation policy director for TNC’s Micronesia & Polynesia Chapter, where he led conservation policy strategies and supported some of the region’s highest-profile initiatives focused on marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries and transboundary ocean conservation.

Prior to joining TNC, Sakuma served in senior leadership roles for the Republic of Palau, including as press secretary and special assistant to President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. During that time, he helped advance major national initiatives , including the development of Palau’s fiber optic infrastructure and the creation of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. He later served as executive director of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary from 2015 to 2018. 

As a Palauan, Sakuma has also served his community and country as chairman of the boards of the Belau Submarine Cable Corporation and the Palau International Coral Reef Center. 

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