Maria Whitehead

During her professional career, Dr. Maria Whitehead has held positions as an ornithologist, professor, and conservation professional. She was worked for 15 years in the direct conservation of land and water in the Southeast and the interdisciplinary realm of climate adaptation and community resilience. Today, as vice president and director of land for the Southeast at Open Space Institute (OSI), she guides the strategic direction of land conservation in the Southeast to realize OSI’s mission of protecting scenic, natural and historic landscapes. She serves as the lead on varied conservation projects and initiatives including landscape-scale conservation projects, comprehensive community engagement strategies, and conservation finance tactics.