Jan. 14, 2016: Welcome Steven Victor as the new TNC Micronesia Program Director

After a very competitive search andinterview process, Steven Victor has been selected as the new TNC Micronesia Program Director.

In the past 2 months, Steven has stepped up to serve as the Interim Director, and now as he assumes the role permanently, he will continue to help refine and implement TNC’s Pacific Division Strategy and focal projects in Micronesia.   

A native of Palau, Steven has been working in marine science and conservation for over 15 years in the region.  He received his BA in Biology in 1998 and his MSc in Biology in 2002, both from the University of Guam Marine Laboratory.  Steven worked with the Palau International Coral Reef Center from 2002 to 2009, first as a Researcher, and then as the Head of the Research Department. While at the Palau International Coral Reef Center, Steven focused his research on the impacts of sediment on coastal marine habitats, particularly on the role of mangroves in mitigating sedimentation.  In addition, he was instrumental in helping to establish capacity building efforts for coral reef monitoring in Palau and the Micronesia region.

Trained as a coach in TNC’s Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process in 2006,Steven used CAP as a very effective way to help bridge science to support communities’ management decisions.  In October 2009, Steven joined TNC as the Micronesia Conservation Planner, became the Deputy Director for Conservation in 2013, and the Deputy Director for the Micronesia Program in early 2015.  With his strong interest, knowledge, and experience in using science to improve management, he has been taking the lead on fisheries reform, marine protected areas network design, and marine protected areas management effectiveness evaluation for Micronesia, and will continue to provide leadership in these areas, as well as taking on additional management tasks