Staff
Bonnie Harper, Executive Director
In 2019 Bonnie Harper became the Executive Director for Open Space STL. 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.
Hannah Gibson, Volunteer Program Manager
Hannah joined Open Space STL in May 2022. Growing up just across the river in Columbia, IL, she grew up exploring many of the parks St. Louis has to offer. In high school at Cor Jesu Academy, she ran cross country, giving her another way to experience many wonderful outdoor areas across the region. In 2022, she received a B.A. from the University of Dayton in Human Rights Studies, 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. This is Hannah’s first experience working for a non-profit, and she “absolutely loves working with everyone at Open Space STL: staff, board members, and volunteers alike.”
Bonnie Harper spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Brentwood Wetland Restoration Project.
Bonnie Harper (left) and Hannah Gibson (right) celebrate Operation Clean Stream 2022 during the post-cleanup picnic at Greentree Park.
Bonnie Harper (left) and Hannah Gibson (right) attended the Bass Pro Shops opening in Sunset Hills, MO to talk about our conservation programs