Regional Conservationists
The NRCS organization in its Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West regions is headed by a Regional Conservationist. Regional Conservationist are leadership representatives of the Chief and are responsible for providing overall direction of NRCS programs, and activities and personnel consistent with the Chief’s guidance; acting as representatives of the Chief at meetings on committees and task force, and in partnerships; and supervising the State Conservationists and the Directors of the Pacific Basin and Caribbean Areas.
Richard Sims, Regional Conservationist (Northeast)
Leonard Jordan, Regional Conservationist ( Southeast)
Tom Christensen, Regional Conservationist (Central)
Astor Boozer, Regional Conservationist (West)
Regional Conservationist Directory
Download NRCS Regional Map (PDF; 330 KB)
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is organized into four regions: Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West. Each region is led by a Regional Conservationist who is the management representatives of the Chief and is responsible for providing overall direction of NRCS programs and activities consistent with the Chief’s guidance. The Regional Conservationists also act as representatives of the Chief as needed, and supervises the State Conservationists and the Directors of the Pacific Islands and Caribbean Areas.
More specifically, the Regional Conservationists serve as the leader and spokesperson for their designated region for the purpose of advising and collaborating with the Chief, Associate Chief, other Regional Conservationists, and Deputy Chiefs and their staffs to ensure the natural resource needs of the region are addressed in overall agency planning, budgeting, and operations in the following activities and/or functions:
-
Overall planning, formulation, direction, and accountability of program and technical policies, procedures, guidelines, standards, and activities.
-
Overall leadership, direction, management, and supervision to State Conservationists in the administration and delivery of NRCS programs and activities.
-
Primary point of collaboration and representative for States with regard to funding allocations, allowance changes, performance, and accountability.
-
Accountability officer for State-centered oversight and evaluation responsibilities in the region, including supervision of the National Oversight and Evaluation (O&E) Team Leader and responsibility for the O&E function.
-
Overall point of collaboration with States for planning, formulation, direction, and accountability for strategic planning that result in meeting immediate and long-range objectives, time tables, and plans of operation to best utilize available resources and facilities.
-
Represents the Chief in meetings, conferences, and functions with a variety of national, regional, or state agencies and private organizations and groups on problems, opportunities, and activities of mutual interest relating to natural resource conservation.
-
Keeps partnerships informed relative to developments broadly affecting the programs and activities of NRCS while maintaining cooperative relations.
-
Provides overall leadership and direction for all conservation initiatives, including watershed-based and landscape-scale special funding initiatives.
-
Provides overall leadership and direction for all Farm Bill compliance activities related to Highly Evadible Lands and Wetlands.
-
Keeps the Chief and other National leadership advised of significant problems, opportunities, trends, and developments that affect NRCS nationally and/or in the region. Develops and recommends prevention and/or remedial actions as necessary to overcome such problems and to capitalize on opportunities.
Regional Conservationists and States served:
-
Richard Sims, Northeast Region: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia
-
Leonard Jordan, Southeast Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Caribbean Area, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
-
Thomas Christensen, Central Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin
-
Astor Boozer, West Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pacific Islands Area, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
|
|
