May 21, 2026 – Welcome Naturalist Jon D. B. to the ABR Team!
We’re thrilled to announce that Jon D. B. is assisting ABR as a Communications Specialist! Many of you have met Jon through his role as Director of Communications at TennGreen Land Conservancy or through the work we’ve done together so far, and we’re excited for more of you to meet him across Tennessee and Appalachia.
With so much happening for us (and in conservation in general), it’s been the perfect time to have Jon help us with all things Communications. You’ll notice some updates to the website rolling out alongside videography, photography, media, press, and public relations whenever Jon isn’t working to conserve land statewide with TennGreen Land Conservancy (a critical venture for our black bears).
Behind the scenes, Jon has been helping us out by volunteering his time and resources throughout the last year and has been a friend to ABR for years – So please join us in welcoming Jon to the family!
About Jon D. B.:
A naturalist by trade, Jon D. B. is TennGreen Land Conservancy’s Director of Communications (2023-present) and serves as Communications Specialist for Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR). He specializes in brand and strategic communications, marketing, and public relations, alongside videography and photography work that pulls from the extensive field work of his career, for conservation nonprofits.
Born in Nashville but raised in the foothills of the Smokies, Jon grew up exploring Tennessee’s incredible nature with his family and has always felt most at home in Appalachia. Certified in behavioral husbandry by the AZA Accredited Nashville Zoo and wildlife rescue by Walden’s Puddle, Jon brings an intimate knowledge of our wild spaces and their residents to his work with conservation nonprofits. Having followed ABR’s journey since childhood, he was thrilled to collaborate with the ABR team starting in 2025, continuing work with his favorite animal and neighbor: the American black bear.
Through naturalist and field work stretching from our Great Smoky Mountains across the continent to the remote Badlands of North Dakota and down to the swamps of the deep south, Jon has experienced all facets of science communications and storytelling with congruent backgrounds in journalism, copywriting, and creative direction. Working closely with the National Park Service, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, National Wildlife Federation, Paramount, National Geographic/Disney, and others throughout, these journeys led him to the crucial work of TennGreen Land Conservancy, where critical habitat and resources for black bears in Tennessee alongside all cohabitating species – including us humans – is conserved for future generations. We’re all in this together.
Jon has also been working on a comprehensive guide to the black bears of the Great Smoky Mountains with experts from across the field since 2021.
He currently resides north of Nashville where his/the TennGreen office is located, and is “back home” across East TN regularly through conservation work.
Thank you to our friends at TennGreen Land Conservancy and to Jon for helping Appalachian Bear Rescue into this next chapter.
Here's to a bright future and another 30 years together
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