MISSION
Support the University of Hawai‘i in applying research, scholarship and field studies to conserve and restore Hawaii’s native ecosystems and abundant lands and seas through excellent science, Hawaiian values and practice, and collaboration.
CONSERVATION
ECOSYSTEM
UH Degrees & Programs
that build expertise and facilitate
pathways to conservation careers
Credit: Carlos Tramonte, HIMB SOEST
INTERNSHIPS & JOBS
Visit the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Conservation Connections website, a one-stop shop to explore professional development and real-time, conservation-career opportunities, including volunteering, community events, internships, and jobs.
PARTNERS
Through the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance, the University of Hawai‘i System Land and Ocean Conservation Futures is connected to a collaborative network of leaders from government, cultural, educational and non-profit organizations throughout the state that are working together to perpetuate native ecosystems and ensure that the unique biodiversity of our islands endure. For a list of partners, click here.
Catch Up on UH Conservation-Related
NEWS
Connect with our
TEAM
Suzanne Case
Director
(808) 956-9075
sdcase@hawaii.edu
2425 Campus Road, Sinclair 10
Honolulu, HI 96822-2247
Suzanne Case is the inaugural Director of the University of Hawaiʻi Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures, established in 2023.
Bio
She served under Governor David Ige as Director of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources for two terms, from 2015 to 2022, where she oversaw the work of eleven divisions, including Forestry and Wildlife, Aquatic Resources, Boating and Ocean Recreation, Conservation and Coastal Lands, State Parks, Historic Preservation, State Lands, the Bureau of Conveyances, Engineering, Conservation and Resource Enforcement, and the Commission on Water Resource Management. In this capacity she chaired the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Commission on Water Resource Management; co-chaired the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Committee, the Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, and the Hawaiʻi Drought Council; and served on the Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture and the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission.
Prior to her service at DLNR, Suzanne worked at The Nature Conservancy for 28 years, as Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Program from 2001 to 2015, overseeing the protection and stewardship work in forest preserves and watershed partnerships, the start of TNC’s Hawai‘i marine conservation program and the protection of Palmyra Atoll; she served as TNC Asia/Pacific and Western Regional Counsel from 1987 to 2001, supporting conservation transactions and international conservation operations, including community-based marine conservation, around the western United States, Hawaiʻi, and the Pacific.
Case began her legal career as an Associate practicing real estate transactions at the law firm of Pettit & Martin in San Francisco from 1983 to 1987. Born in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and raised in Hilo and Honolulu, she he was educated at Waiakea-Kai and Keaukaha Elementary Schools, Punahou School, Williams College and Stanford University (B.A. History), and University of California Hastings College of the Law (J.D.).
Sharon Ziegler-Chong
Associate Director
(808) 932-7981
ziegler@hawaii.edu
200 W. Kawili St., PB-6
Hilo, Hawai’i 96720
Based out of Hilo, Ziegler-Chong is responsible for identifying, developing and coordinating initiatives in research, education, funding, policies, and other opportunities, by leveraging all facets of the UH research enterprise to improve nature conservation efforts internally and across the state.
Bio
She brings extensive experience in ʻāina-related education, research and service throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific from over three decades with the University of Hawaiʻi. Her work with the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES), the Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit (HCSU), the Hawai’i-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, and the Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance exemplifies her collaboration across campuses on different islands and with state, federal, and regional agencies, non-profit organizations, and communities. Through her role at UH Hilo as Director of Research and Community Partnerships, she co-led the development of research facilities such as the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center, community events and partnerships such as the Ocean Day Mālama Kanaloa Festival, and educational and collaborative research partnerships with community efforts such as those with the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Born to a family of educators and farmers, Ziegler-Chong began her career as an Aquaculture Extension Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, then served as lead for various coastal resources national and international training programs. Born and raised in the midwest, she was educated at Grinnell College (B.A. Biology) and the University of South Carolina (M.S. Biology). She moved to Hawaiʻi in 1991 upon which she started working for the University of Hawaiʻi, raised two children in Hilo, and made Hawaiʻi her home with the support and teaching of many kumu across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.