Implementation Specialist
Ben brings his background in conservation, ecological restoration, and green infrastructure management, to the role of IRIS Implementation Specialist. He is an innovative environmental professional with over 20 years of diverse experience. As the first Director of Conservation for Jekyll Island State Park in coastal Georgia, Ben established and led the growth of the Jekyll Island Authority’s first dedicated Conservation Department for over a decade. Ben’s expertise spans the ecology of the southeastern United States, with a focus on coastal environments and estuarine systems. He is experienced in program and policy development, strategic planning, collaborative decision-making, guiding applied research, fostering partnerships, and crafting effective communications. Ben holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Forestry and Natural Resources from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School. His master’s research, conducted through the USGS Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, investigated larval and juvenile fish diversity in managed brackish impoundments in coastal South Carolina. He is proud to have served as a Sea Grant Knauss Fellow in 2011 and a member of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership Class of 2018.