Sarah O’RearDirector of Stewardship

Sarah O’Rear ensures we are actively upholding our 400+ conservation easements across the state. As Director of Stewardship, Sarah guides all of our stewardship activities, including annual monitoring of conserved land, reviewing and approving requests, and communicating with landowners about their conservation easements.

Sarah graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a B.S. in natural resources and a minor in environmental studies. She previously worked for the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where she supported a wide range of projects, including drafting and monitoring conservation easements. Her education and experience have taken her from Belize to North Carolina.

Sarah is a hands-on mom who loves hiking, playing tourist with her husband and daughter in her hometown of Chattanooga, and finding the best Mexican cuisine anywhere she goes. She has a travel bug that keeps her searching for the next great adventure, but always loves coming back home to Tennessee.

 I feel fortunate that I get to see so many parts of my home state that I would normally never have the opportunity or excuse to see otherwise. But the best part is the amazing stories and experiences we hear from our landowners, it makes you realize how important your work is and how land shapes people’s lives.