he/him
Angelo Villagomez is a senior fellow at American Progress, where he focuses on Indigenous-led conservation. Born in a village on an island in the western Pacific Ocean next to the Mariana Trench and trained in Western scientific methods, Villagomez is a conservation advocate who uses Indigenous knowledge and values and the scientific method to address modern threats including habitat loss, fishing, and climate colonialism.
Villagomez worked for 14 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he was an advocate for the designation and expansion of the national marine monuments in the Pacific islands and a policy expert on global shark conservation. During his tenure at Pew, he led efforts to secure an agreement at the International Union for Conservation of Nature committing governments to protect at least 30 percent of the ocean in fully to highly protected marine areas and contributed to The MPA Guide and the IUCN MPA Standards. He previously worked for the League of Conservation Voters, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.
Villagomez holds bachelor’s degrees in biology from the University of Richmond and environmental policy from Rollins College. He is a mediocre ukulele player and enjoys scuba diving in warm tropical waters full of fish.
The U.S. Pacific territories will be key to protecting the ocean.
In this special edition episode, six national marine sanctuary advocates came together for a storytelling event hosted by the Center for American Progress and the National Ocean Protection Coalition at the fifth International Marine Protected Area Congress in Vancouver, Canada, to talk Indigenous-led conservation.
Native Americans in Philanthropy and the Center for American Progress are working together to support a 30x30 conservation agenda driven by Indigenous traditional ecological leadership and storied knowledge of U.S. lands and waterways.
In an op-ed for InsideSources, Angelo Villagomez and Chris Parsons debunk speculation that offshore wind development poses a threat to whales.
The Biden administration must use the 2023 Our Ocean Conference in Panama to refocus ocean conservation efforts on implementation of past commitments.
Two years after the establishment of America’s first national conservation goal, it’s time to stop debating what “counts” and focus on action.
The United States can move closer to its dual goals of increasing access to nature for all Americans and protecting 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030 by approving and completing the designation of five new Indigenous-led marine sanctuaries.
In episode 4 of “Under The Pala Pala,” Angelo Villagomez from the Center for American Progress talks about what it’s like for Natives to work for green nongovernmental organizations in Washington, D.C., with Michaela Pavlat from the National Parks Conservation Association and Javan Santos from The Climate Initiative.
Outcomes from the Decolonizing Conservation Symposium at the 2022 National Diversity in STEM Conference.
In episode 3 of “Under the Pala Pala,” six Native speakers came together at the 2022 National Diversity in STEM Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to talk Indigenous-led conservation and how they bring their Native identity to the work that they do every day.
The U.S. Pacific territories are vast—combined, their ocean areas are nearly twice the size of Alaska—and they are home to some of the world's largest marine protected areas. This region will be critical for achieving the Biden administration’s goals to combat climate change, protect 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030, and ensure access to nature for all Americans.
President Joe Biden committed to putting the United States on a path to conserve 30 percent of its lands and waters by 2030; here are eight major opportunities he must pursue immediately to achieve this goal.
