Regan Nelson

Regan Nelson leads NRDC’s global strategy to fulfill the promise of the newly ratified High Seas Treaty and secure lasting protections for marine biodiversity beyond national boundaries. She oversees a talented team working to advance high seas marine protected areas, strengthen management of industrial activities, and enable effective ocean governance in the high seas. Throughout her career, Nelson has worked on a wide range of complex conservation issues at the local, national, and international levels. She helped catalyze the government-led High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean to address ocean noise from international shipping, fought to preserve the conservation provisions underpinning U.S. fisheries policy, advanced new federal policy in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, and assisted in the design and uptake of climate adaptation strategies to benefit endangered species. Her work has also included identifying wildlife connectivity corridors for large carnivores and spearheading early community-based collaborative efforts to restore federal forest lands. In addition to her tenure at NRDC, Nelson led her own consulting firm for eight years, advising nonprofit organizations and governments on the design and implementation of conservation initiatives across marine and terrestrial systems. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a master's degree in systematic conservation planning from the University of Washington. Nelson is based in NRDC’s Bozeman, Montana, office.