Finding a Path to Conservation Success

As Founder and Principal of JBO Conservation, Joanna Ogburn works to bring people together to solve shared conservation challenges for the benefit of communities and the environment. Through the facilitation of multi-stakeholder collaborations, strategic conservation planning workshops, and private landowner networks, JBO engages a variety of people and sectors in developing locally-driven, regionally-informed solutions.

 

With over 16 years of experience, Joanna has built and led multi-year collaborative efforts, such as Envision the Choptank, facilitated workshops to design new conservation initiatives, and implemented large-landscape conservation projects related to wildlife and habitat conservation. Clients have included the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Collaborative, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, The Pew Charitable Trusts, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. She specializes in integrating community needs and environmental objectives, ensuring the sustainability of conservation initiatives.

 

Previously, Joanna served as the Director of Programs for the Chesapeake Conservancy, managing staff and over 30 programs in five states, and developed and ran a land conservation program in Savannah, GA as a natural resources planner for the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission. Joanna has a Masters of Environmental Management (Duke University) and a Bachelors of Science (University of Richmond).

Emily Thorpe works as the Associate Partnership Coordinator for JBO Conservation, leading initiatives for multiple partnerships, including Envision the Choptank and the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape partnerships.

 

Prior to joining JBO, Emily spent nearly 5 years with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Education Department, leading canoe-based programs throughout the Susquehanna watershed and managing an environmental education and advocacy program for high-school-aged students. In this role, she focused on increasing student engagement in environmental issues by providing opportunities to expand their knowledge of watershed issues, hone their leadership and advocacy skills, and take action to improve water quality in their local communities. She also developed new partnerships that linked environmental education to agricultural conservation and community development and worked with students to support legislation designating the eastern hellbender as the Pennsylvania state amphibian.

 

Emily has her Master’s in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation from Virginia Tech. She is also an alum of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps and completed her undergraduate degrees in Environmental Studies and Biology at Salisbury University, where she recently taught a month-long kayak-based course on the ecology, history, and culture of Delmarva. Living in Dorchester County, Emily enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, paddling, biking, gardening, or boating with her partner and their two dogs.

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Hilary Gibson works as the Communications and Project Coordinator for JBO Conservation, developing and implementing communications strategies for multiple partnerships, including Envision the Choptank and the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape.

 

Hilary comes to JBO from the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension where she provided educational and logistical support for the Delaware Nutrient Management Program. Through this role, she connected farmers and turfgrass managers with the history of water quality issues in Delaware, as well as the critical role that land managers play in environmental solutions. Prior to this, she spent over five years working in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Eastern Shore Office as a grassroots organizer. There she created and implemented long-term advocacy campaigns to support CBF policy priorities and helped to empower Eastern Shore communities to enact positive changes in their local environment.

 

Hilary holds bachelor’s degrees in Plant and Soil Science and Natural Resource Management and a Master of Science, all from the University of Delaware. She is also a proud AmeriCorps VISTA alum. As a native of Delmarva and longtime Cambridge resident, Hilary has a deep connection and profound respect for the working landscapes and natural beauty that make the Eastern Shore such an idyllic place to live. Outside of the office, you can find her reading, gardening, baking, and–of course–spending time on, in, and around the water. 

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Vernon W. Murray serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator for JBO Conservation, where he works to cultivate relationships between communities, partners, and stakeholders to improve conservation efforts, build capacity, and support initiatives that develop local leadership. In this role, Vernon focuses on fostering inclusive engagement strategies, building trust across diverse communities, and supporting collaborative efforts that connect conservation goals with local priorities.

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Prior to joining JBO, Vernon spent close to two decades with the Social Security Administration, serving in various leadership capacities including Branch Manager, Program Expert, and Training Specialist. During his federal career, he led diverse teams through complex service delivery operations, directed strategic cross-component partnerships, and implemented training improvements aimed at increasing overall effectiveness and efficiency. His leadership and commitment to being a public servant earned him numerous awards and citations, including Recognition of Contribution Awards, Associate Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Commissioner Citations. His community work on the Eastern Shore has earned him awards such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award and the NAACP (Caroline County Branch) Community Organization Award on behalf of the Jonestown Community Development Corporation.

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Deeply rooted in service, Vernon is an active civic leader and mentor. He currently serves as President of the Jonestown Community Development Corporation, having previously served as Vice President, and served as a Community Ambassador with Envision the Choptank for over 5 years. He also coaches basketball at Colonel Richardson High School and serves on the Advisory Board for Caroline County Recreation and Parks. Vernon holds an Associate of Arts from the Community College of Baltimore County and a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Policy from the University of Baltimore. A devoted family man, he is passionate about empowering communities, developing future leaders, and creating lasting, collaborative impact.​