John Turner is a Wyoming native from Jackson. In 2006, he stepped down as Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, where he headed U.S. Department of State programs and activities concerning HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, the environment, climate change, oceans affairs, and science and technology. Prior to his appointment as assistant secretary in November 2001, Mr. Turner was President and Chief Executive Officer of The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to public-private partnerships to protect land and water resources. Between 1989 and 1993, Mr. Turner served as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he was responsible for expanding collaborative approaches under the Endangered Species Act, increasing wetland protection and establishing 55 new National Wildlife Refuges.