Nina Paige Hadley
Senior Director of Guardians
Education
Master in Marine Affairs (MMA), University of Washington
B.S. Marine Science, University of South Carolina Honors College and University of Hawaii
Nina is the senior director of Global Wildlife Conservation’s Guardians program. Leading the creation and execution of the GWC’s strategy to achieve its vision to ensure that every person in a position to protect Earth’s biodiversity has agency to do so.
She leverages the significant global network, science expertise, and intellectual capital of GWC with strategic partnerships to deliver innovative human-centered solutions. With her contagious optimism and energy, a focus of her work is advancing conservation leadership and supporting an inclusive global movement of emboldened conservationists who have the competence, confidence, and tools they want and need. She believes that every person has the capacity to develop into their best self and that every leader is a catalyst for positive change in others.
Nina started her career on Midway Atoll in the Pacific, researching public-private co-management models and sustainable finance mechanisms for marine protected areas and drafting the National Wildlife Refuge’s first tourism strategy plan.
Nina is the former deputy managing director, Global Lands, for the Nature Conservancy (TNC). During her 13-year career at TNC, she also managed global programs across Indigenous Peoples and Oceans initiatives, as well as led the organization’s Asia-Pacific conservation leadership network and co-founded the Conservation Partnership Center. She helped pilot TNC’s conservation audit program in Komodo National Park in Indonesia and facilitated TNC’s first population, health and environment (PHE) project in Tanzania to advance an innovative, partnership-driven community co-benefit strategy.
Nina holds a Master’s in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, a BS in marine science from University of South Carolina Honors College, is a member of the Conservation Coaches Network (CCNET) and serves on the board of the Center for Nature & Leadership. She calls the eastern slopes of the North Cascades of Washington State home where she enjoys trail running, rock climbing and supporting the local farm food movement.
Publications
Hadley, N. and M. Bruton-Adams. 2013. Micronesians in Island Conservation – Lessons from a Conservation Leaders’ Learning Network: 2000-2010. In Proceedings of the 1st Annual Conservation Capacity Building Conference (10-13 February 2013, Villa de Leyva, Colombia). ERT Conservation and Pelagic Publishing. London, UK.
Bruton-Adams, M., N.P. Hadley, A. Newman, and S. Menazza Olmsted. 2011. Micronesians in Island Conservation – Lessons from a Conservation Leaders’ Learning Network: 2000-2010. Asia-Pacific Marine Program Report No 5/11. The Nature Conservancy.
Hadley, N. 2011. Partnership Measures. In: The Conservation Partnership Center. The Nature Conservancy. Washington, DC.
Miller, M,L. and N.P. Hadley. 2005. Tourism and Coastal Development. pp. 1002-1009, in: Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. M.Schwartz (Ed.), Springer Publishing, New York, NY.
Hadley, N.P., R. Salm, E. McLeod and S. Smith. 2004. Transforming Coral Reef Conservation: Using resilience to stay on the face of the wave. In: Proceedings of the 19th Annual Coastal Society Meeting (23-26 May, 2004 Newport, RI). The Coastal Society. Alexandria, VA
Miller, M.L., J. Auyong, and N.P. Hadley. 2002. Sustainable Coastal Tourism: Challenges for Management, Planning and Education. pp. 3-20 In: Proceedings of the 1999 International Symposium on Coastal and Marine Tourism. (26-29 April 1999, Vancouver BC, Canada). WSGP and University of Washington, Seattle.
Hadley, N.P. 2001. Cooperative Tourism Management of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge: Planning, Assessment, and Strategy. Tourism. Vol. 49(3): pp. 189-202.