Jon joined the AEC board in 2023. He’s a Yankee by birth, a Southerner by residence, and a Californian at heart. Jon’s affinity for the environment & nature started during his childhood, where he would explore his neighborhoods and look for snakes, still his favorite animal to this day. Fast forward to his undergraduate work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he completed an internship with the AEC while obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. Jon served four years in the U.S. Air Force, as a Bio-environmental Engineer – an amalgam of work equivalent to OSHA, EPA, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Jon later worked at the former AEC Recycling Center in Birmingham, effectively managing the facility four days a week. Jon managed the UAB Recycling Center for nearly 10 years, and has worked for ADEM, the VA Hospital, several environmental-focused private companies, and led the Fresh Air Family “Gross-out” camp for a week at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve in 2019. His hobbies include running hiking, paddling, ultimate disc, and spending time with friends. He’s also the Birmingham Chapter President of Free the Hops, a craft beer advocacy group that successfully changed several antiquated Alabama laws to benefit the craft beer economy. While relatively new to the AEC board, Jon would like to see it regain its’ status at the premier environmental group in the state of Alabama, while supporting a broad range of areas & impacts.