2001: Nancy Glover
Former Senior Program Officer, Secretariat for Conservation Biology

Nancy Glover began working for the Secretariat for Conservation Biology, now known as the Hawaii Conservation Alliance (HCA), in 1996. Under her leadership, the HCA diversified its sources of funding and its agenda to undertake natural resource valuation, environmental education, and strategic discussions of conservation strategy, while continually improving the interdisciplinary workshops and conferences that have become its hallmark. Nancy built the annual Hawaii Conservation Conference from an important local forum for scientists and managers to a major regional event that attracts people from across the country and around the Pacific Rim as well. The meeting grew to twice its original size and more during Nancy's tenure.

Nancy shepherded the HCA into new priority areas. Perhaps the best example is Malama Hawaii, which has grown into an outstanding, self-sustaining entity that empowers local communities to play a major role in conservation. Nancy took particular interest in bringing economists into the conservation/management dialogue, and she also began the process of working with the marine conservation community to build a forum similar to the HCA for bringing scientists, managers, and stakeholders closer together.

Nancy also strongly supported the University of Hawaii's Hawaiian Internship Program, recognizing the need to involve more native Hawaiians in the conservation of our natural resources. Her long involvement with the Waimanalo Community, where she lived, focused on not only environmental issues, especially water quality and watershed management, but also community development and community health.