Staff
Bonnie Harper, Executive Director
In 2019 Bonnie Harper became the Executive Director for Open Space Council. Bonnie was born and raised in south St. Louis County. In 2006, she received a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, majoring in Environmental Studies. She studied abroad in New Zealand, fell in love with the country, and decided to earn her Master’s in Environmental Legal Studies from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. While abroad, she met and married her husband. She worked and traveled throughout New Zealand for ten years as an environmental planner and policy advisor for regional government agencies. She specialized in working with local communities on watershed planning and biodiversity conservation and restoration plans. In 2015, Bonnie returned to St. Louis and worked for the East-West Gateway Council of Governments as a Sustainability Planner. She now resides in Oakville with her husband and two children.
Andrew Clubb, Program Manager
Andy joined The Open Space Council in 2021. Born and raised in St. Louis, he has always appreciated the region’s numerous parks and recreational opportunities. Growing up next to Castlewood State Park, he would often walk the banks of Kiefer Creek or float down the Meramec River on hot summer days with his friends. He graduated from Missouri State University with a B.S. in Philosophy and a double-minor in Sustainability and Community Planning. In addition, he has served over 4,000 hours with two different AmeriCorps programs: the Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa and AmeriCorps St. Louis’ Emergency Response Team. Before O.S.C., he worked as Land Management Coordinator for the Green City Coalition (St. Louis, MO). His conservation heroes are Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Wendell Berry, and Rachel Carson–to name a few.
Hannah Gibson, Program Coordinator
Hannah joined the Open Space Council recently in May of 2022. Growing up just across the river in Columbia, IL, she grew up exploring many of the parks St. Louis has to offer (she says one of her favorites is Bee Tree Park, which the OSC helped found!). In high school at Cor Jesu Academy, she ran cross country, giving her another way to experience many wonderful outdoor areas. She graduated from the University of Dayton in the spring of 2022 with a B.A. in Human Rights with a double minor in Sustainability and Sociology. In college, she was involved in a Sustainability Activation Program where she created and gave speeches to groups of undergraduate students about environmental conservation efforts such as food waste, water quality, and sustainable fashion. She also worked on a campus garden that was founded to lessen food insecurity in the city of Dayton. Fresh out of college, this is Hannah’s first experience working for a non-profit, and she “absolutely loves working with everyone at the OSC: incredible staff, board members, and volunteers alike.”