The Nature Conservancy Welcomes Natalie Ryan as Inaugural Long Island Community Partnership Manager
Ryan Will Lead the Long Island Community Partnership, a New Model to Further Collaborative Conservation Across Nassau and Suffolk Counties
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May Yeung
Phone: (347) 387-4250
Email: may.yeung@tnc.org
Ryan will lead the launch of the Long Island Community Partnership, a dedicated forum for stakeholders across Long Island to collaborate with the Conservancy on critical conservation initiatives. As conservation opportunities and challenges have become more complex, comprehensively enabling local voices to be heard has become increasingly critical to success. The Long Island Community Partnership will create new opportunities for Long Islanders from many different sectors to collaborate with the Conservancy and advance water quality, climate change, land stewardship, renewable energy development, and other conservation efforts that impact all of Long Island.
Stuart F. Gruskin, The Nature Conservancy’s New York chief conservation & external affairs officer, said “The Nature Conservancy is proud of our long history of conservation achievements on Long Island, and we are looking forward to building on our existing community relationships with this new partnership model. One of Long Island’s great strengths is the diversity of its communities and stakeholders. This new model will enable us to actively learn from the people impacted by our work, identify where goals intersect, co-create initiatives, and collaboratively seize opportunities. We are delighted to welcome Natalie to our team, as she brings to us her extensive experience as a collaborator, as well as deep and intimate knowledge of what it means to be a Long Islander.”
Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, Ryan was Senior Associate Director of Operations at the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University, where she was responsible for the oversight of all institute functions and programs, while helping to manage the institute’s strategic direction. At Long Island University, Ryan was Chief of Staff for Congressman Steve Israel at The Global Institute, whose office she served in while the Congressman was in the United States House of Representatives. Ryan has a Master’s in Elections and Campaign Management from Fordham University, where she also earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science and Theology and Religious Studies.
“It is so meaningful for me to have this opportunity to work with my neighbors and the Long Island community on the most pressing conservation issues that we are facing today,” said Natalie Ryan. “I grew up enjoying Long Island’s beautiful beaches and parks, and look forward to playing a role in the conservation of the natural resources that we not only enjoy, but that are essential for our economy and quality of life. Long Island is such a special place and The Nature Conservancy is at the cutting edge of timely conservation initiatives, such as the recently launched Long Island Solar Roadmap. I’m eager to foster this new approach to collaboration aimed at impactful conservation. We have challenges and opportunities, and both are best addressed with a dynamic partnership to achieve common goals.”
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s conservation initiatives on Long Island, visit nature.org/ny.
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 sustainable. Working in 76 countries and territories—37 by direct conservation impact and 39 through partners—we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.