The Nature Conservancy Taps Legislator for Alaska Director

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a national environmental nonprofit, named Ivy Spohnholz as its next Alaska State Director. Spohnholz has served six years in the Alaska House of Representatives and is not seeking a fourth term in her Northeast Anchorage district.

Prior to her service in the legislature, Spohnholz’s career included twenty years in roles with organizations ranging from The Salvation Army, Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, and the Alaska Conservation Foundation, chiefly focusing on developing partnerships and attracting private investment. She is also a past board chair of the Alaska Children’s Trust.

Spohnholz holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration, both from the University of Washington.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at The Nature Conservancy,” Spohnholz says. “In Alaska, with our rich resources and a way of life that’s second to none, TNC’s work is both practical and essential. Alaska needs more jobs and lower cost energy that is both sustainable and predictable—especially in the rural and coastal communities that define us. We need to make big progress on adapting to and slowing climate change. There is no organization better positioned to help formulate the breakthroughs we need than The Nature Conservancy.”