Amy Johnson
AMY E.M. JOHNSON, PhD, Program Director (She/Her)
As Program Director, Amy leads a team that cultivates a dynamic network of private landowners, citizen scientists, NGO’s, state agencies and research scientists to collectively investigate the impacts of conservation management and land use on biodiversity. In addition to research, she is committed to developing a strong outreach program that communicates research findings to inform best management practices for regional conservation partners and the community.
A former Smithsonian-Mason Research Fellow, Amy’s Ph.D. research focused on the impacts of conservation and land management on breeding and over-wintering grassland bird communities in Virginia. In her role as Program Director, she continues to explore knowledge gaps pertaining to grassland bird ecology by facilitating collaborative conservation and research efforts with Smithsonian scientists and local partners. Her current research projects focus on full annual cycle modeling of grassland birds and exploring best management practices for optimizing reproductive success in species that nest in working grasslands.
Amy received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University.