Gebhardt Announced as Chief of ODNR Division of Soil & Water Resources and Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention

Earlier this month, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Director James Zehringer announced Karl Gebhardt as Chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Soil & Water Resources and Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention. Gebhardt has an extensive background in natural resources management and policy development.

Gebhardt was one of the first employees of the ODNR Division of Natural Areas & Preserves. From there he went on to serve as a legislative liaison for ODNR Director Robert Teater. Gebhardt has served as Director of Local Affairs for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation where he advised landowners on policy issues relating to local government, land use, and natural resources; executive director of the Office of Farmland Preservation during the Voinovich Administration; owner of Gebhardt & Associates Inc.; and a senior vice president with Paul Werth Associates.

He has worked with a variety of professional organizations and advisory councils, including The Ohio State University Rural-Urban Policy Advisory Council, the Natural Resource Conservation State Technical Committee, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Environmental Advisory Committee, and the National Advisory Board of the University of Findlay’s National Center of Excellence for Environmental Management. Currently, he is a member of the Ohio Soil & Water Conservation Task Force.

Gebhardt earned an M.A. in Public Policy and Management from The Ohio State University, a B.S. in Business Administration from Franklin University and an A.A.S. in Natural Resources from Hocking College.