The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has selected Christopher T. "Todd" Jones, Ed.D., as the Deputy Regional Director for its Southwest Region, encompassing the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Dr. Jones is stationed in the regional office which is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dr. Jones has served in key environmental leadership positions in the Department of Defense executing environmental and public health missions of the Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security and the U.S. Army Surgeon General. Additionally, he worked in the Department of Energys Office of the Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management. He has led environmental management activities related to military base realignment and closures restoration actions, decommissioning of nuclear facilities, environmental restoration of cold war legacy wastes, and evaluation of public health impacts associated with environmental contamination.
Since coming to the Department of the Interior in 1999, he has continued to demonstrate strong leadership in working to improve delivery of on the ground conservation in his role as the Fish and Wildlife Services Chief Learning Officer at the National Conservation Training Center. In this capacity he has been instrumental in shaping the future of the Service and conservation by expanding the scientific and leadership competencies of employees across all sectors that draw on NCTC for its expertise in conservation science training and leadership development.
"Todds success in environmental efforts reflects the value he places on building coalitions among state, tribal and non-governmental organization partners to solve seemingly intractable environmental issues," said Benjamin N. Tuggle, Ph.D., Director of the Service's Southwest Region. "We welcome his talents and know he will serve the Region and its employees well."
"I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to serve as the Deputy Regional Director of the Southwest Region and to work with enormously talented employees," said Jones. "Their dedication to our mission and public service is energizing. I look forward to working on the challenges confronting conservation in the southwest. I firmly believe the only realistic way to find long lasting solutions to these challenges is through meaningful partnerships that operate with true collaborative commitment.
Jones received his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from Fairmont State College and Master of Science Degree in Occupation and Environmental Health from West Virginia University. He holds an MBA from Florida Institute of Technology and received his Doctorate of Education from George Washington University's Executive Leadership Program.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. Visit the Services website at http://www.fws.gov.
