The Nature Conservancy Announces Celene Hawkins as New Colorado River Program Director
Celene Hawkins brings extensive knowledge of the Colorado River Basin, as well as over 15 years of working with Tribal Nations and water law.
Media Contacts
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Lindsay Schlageter
The Nature Conservancy
Phone: 612-968-3141
The Nature Conservancy is pleased to announce that Celene Hawkins has been selected as the new Colorado River Program Director, bringing extensive knowledge of the Colorado River Basin as well as over 15 years of working with Tribal Nations and water law to the role. Hawkins is taking over the director position from Taylor Hawes, who helped launch the program over 17 years ago and has transitioned to a senior advisory role with the organization.
“I am thrilled to pass the baton of leadership to Celene as I know she will be a thoughtful, solutions-oriented, and strategic leader for the program and on Colorado River issues basin-wide for years to come,” expressed Hawes. “We are at a crossroads in the Colorado River Basin as the stakeholders in the region struggle with adapting to a hotter, drier future. Celene cares deeply about the issues, the partners and the rivers, and will help shape the future of this Basin.”
Most recently, Hawkins served as the Colorado River Tribal Water Partnership Director for The Nature Conservancy where she has led efforts to partner with Tribal Nations to advance their interests in the river and address challenges to finding lasting solutions to address the water crisis in the Basin. Prior to this, Hawkins was TNC’s Western Colorado Water Project Director. In this role she led watershed planning efforts and worked with partners across the San Miguel, Dolores and San Juan River basins to design, implement and monitor projects that benefit communities and rivers. In 2017, Hawkins was appointed to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, where she served for 6 years – including as the Chair.
“I am honored to take on the role as the Colorado River Program Director at such a critical time for the Colorado River Basin,” exclaimed Hawkins. “The crisis we face calls us together to steward the Colorado River Basin to ensure that this river sustains people and nature for generations to come."
Quote: Celene Hawkins
I am excited to work with partners across the Basin on solutions at every level--from on the ground project implementation and innovation to making positive strides on Basin-wide policy decisions.
Before joining TNC, Hawkins served as associate general counsel for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. In this role she served on the coordination committee of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program and contributed to both the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, and the Colorado River Basin Ten Tribes Partnership Tribal Water Study.
Hawkins holds a JD and master’s in environmental studies from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s in rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley. She currently resides in Durango, CO with her husband, son and two dogs where she enjoys paddling on the Animas and Dolores rivers.
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The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.
