Nav Dayanand

Nav is the Associate Director of Legislative Affairs with the North America Policy and Government Relations team at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) where he serves as the organization’s lobbyist and legislative strategist to advance the organization’s biodiversity and climate change goals before the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch. Since starting at TNC in 2014, Nav has held several positions including Director of Federal Government Relations and Senior Policy Advisor for the Oregon Chapter; and Senior Policy Advisor for Forests and Lands on his current team. He also serves as TNC’s co-chair of the North America Policy Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) dedicated to helping the organization examine its policy and legislative opportunities through the lens of just and equitable outcomes for people and nature. Nav is based in Washington, DC and has more than 15 years of experience in a wide range of natural resources policy, legislative and public funding matters at the U.S. federal and global levels. Prior to joining TNC, Nav held several public policy, advocacy, strategic communications and leadership roles with other international conservation organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society and Fauna & Flora International in Washington, DC. Nav received a BA and Bachelor of Laws degrees from Bangalore University, India and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights from the National Law School of India University. He received a graduate law degree (LLM) from Cornell University and is currently enrolled in a graduate certificate program on social justice at Harvard University. In 2015, Nav received Cornell Law School’s Alumni Exemplary Public Service Award. In 2019, Nav was recognized by the Portland Business Journal as a 40 under 40 honoree. Nav remains a strong advocate for minorities in environmental conservation.