College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy

Biography: Scott Sowa is the Juli Plant Grainger, Great Lakes Director for The Nature Conservancy (TNC).  In this role Scott helps coordinate a team of TNC staff from across the Great Lakes as they collaborate with numerous partner agencies and organizations to provide science that informs the development and implementation of conservation strategies focused on Great Lakes fisheries and aquatic invasive species.   Scott previously served as a Senior Aquatic Ecologist (2008-2012) and Director of Science (2012-2018) for the Michigan Chapter of TNC.  Prior to joining TNC, Scott helped launch the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP), which is a partnership of seventeen state and federal natural resource management agencies seated within the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. While at MoRAP Scott served as the Aquatic Resource Coordinator (1996-2001) and Assistant Director (2001-2008) where he helped lead landscape-scale assessment and planning projects to guide the management of and collaboration among the partner agencies.  Scott holds a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University and an MS and PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri.  In his spare time Scott enjoys spending time with his family on or near the many lakes and rivers in Michigan.  He also is an avid hunter and fisherman and loves playing guitar.