Rebecca de la Torre, Assistant State Conservationist – Employee Engagement, Arizona NRCS

Rebecca de la Torre was the Assistant State Conservationist – Partnerships for USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service based out of the State Office in Phoenix, AZ up until March 2021. In March, Rebecca accepted a first of its kind, Assistant State Conservationist – Employee Engagement position to focus and enhance the employee experience of the AZ NRCS workforce. Her 40-year+ career is a rich tapestry of experiences, details, international assignments, and positions at all levels from the local field office to the USDA Office of the Secretary. She served in various locations throughout California, Washington, D.C., New Mexico and, now, Arizona. She leads the Partnerships Team in Phoenix State Office, which is responsible for Public Affairs, Outreach, Tribal Affairs, Partners, Civil Rights, Legislative Affairs, Earth Team and Employee Engagement. This is her third state leadership position. Previously she has served as a Natural Resource Specialist, a Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Coordinator; Deputy Director for Southwest Strategy (an interdepartmental regional partnership in Arizona and New Mexico); Program Specialist; Public Affairs Officer; a Public Affairs Specialist, and a student intern all building from her humble beginnings as a GS-1 entry level clerk one summer many moons ago. She is the recipient of many prestigious awards and acknowledgements and served as the first female Hispanic President for the National Organization of Professional NRCS Employees.

She is currently serving a detail in the National Headquarters – Management & Strategy Deputy Area – Technical Training & Development Division designing a New Hire Training Strategy.

She graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications (Public Relations) and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations (Latin America). She also completed Ecology & Organismal Biology Bachelor of Science degree program coursework as a graduate student at Arizona State University.

She enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters Isabella (16) and Alessandra (14) especially traveling the globe and to see the “Wonders of the World” sites.