OJ Ward

As the daughter of a marine, OJ has lived all across the continental U.S. She has a bachelor's in biomedical sciences from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. However, she first attended the University of Memphis in Tennessee, which is where her interest in conservation began. Through lived experience and research, OJ witnessed how environmental racism has decimated the city. Targeted overdevelopment has cut marginalized communities off from accessing nature and has increased their exposure to harmful emissions, which has had a devastating effect on their health.

OJ continues to explore this connection of environmental racism and public health. 

With NVCT, OJ works to expand minorities’ access to land and conservation efforts through partnerships, events, and outreach.