Sonya Germann

“The Nature Conservancy’s strength lies in working alongside ranchers, Tribes, landowners and local communities to support conservation that also sustains local economies, livelihoods and Montana’s rural way of life,” Germann said. “That’s the kind of lasting, durable conservation I’m honored to be a part of and am committed to building.”

Germann brings more than 20 years of highly relevant conservation and natural resource management expertise to TNC. Most recently, she served as the Bureau of Land Management’s Montana/Dakotas state director, a role she held since 2022. In that role, she oversaw more than 600 staff and eight million acres of federal land and led the launch of three nationally recognized restoration landscapes spanning more than three million acres. This work brought together diverse partners to advance large-scale stewardship that conserved habitat, protected ecosystems and supported local industries, permittees and landowners. She also strengthened relationships with Tribal nations, including establishing a co-stewardship agreement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Prior to her work with the BLM, Germann served as Montana state forester for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) from 2018 to 2022. In that role, she led the development of Montana’s Forest Action Plan—a statewide, cross-boundary strategy for addressing forest health and wildfire risk—and launched the state’s Good Neighbor Authority program to help accelerate restoration work on federal lands in partnership with local, state and federal partners. She also previously served as Forest Management Bureau chief and forest management planner with DNRC.

“I’m honored to work with a team that has built deep trust across Montana. From supporting rancher-led stewardship on working lands to authentic partnerships with Tribal nations, TNC Montana’s work is grounded in respect, collaboration and shared success. Conservation should leave both the land and the community stronger—and that will continue to be our guiding principle moving forward.”

Germann is a graduate of the University of Montana, where she earned undergraduate degrees in wildlife biology and liberal studies and completed graduate work in natural resource conflict resolution and natural resource policy.

She is based at The Nature Conservancy’s Missoula office.