Owen was born in Charlottesville and raised in Louisa County, Virginia. He graduated from James Madison University where he studied Public Administration and Environmental Science and is currently enrolled in an online Masters of Natural Resources program at Virginia Tech.

He has interned with the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley and with the Virginia Department of Forestry. He has also worked with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation as a Land Steward through AmeriCorps. Through these diverse experiences, Owen has gained a broad understanding of conservation and looks forward to translating his skills and developing new ones in his position as the Alliance’s Conservation Field Assistant for the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative.

With a passion for the outdoors and agriculture, Owen is excited to return to the Valley and to help the hardworking people that call it home while doing his part to instill best management practices on working lands.