Staff Biographies

Altamaha Riverkeeper (ARK) Executive Director, Deborah Sheppard, helped establish the organization in 1999 as the 26th Waterkeeper program in the country. Deborah brought ARK an anchor: a Masters Degree in public policy and 25 years of experience in environmental education and advocacy gained as co-founder and Executive Director of Campaign for a Prosperous Georgia, a consumer advocacy group.

In her earlier studies, Deborah studied Horticulture and Natural History at the University of Georgia and became acquainted with the headwaters of the Altamaha watershed through her work at the UGA Botanical Garden and later as Director of Sandy Creek Nature Center.
According to a 1995 Georgia House of Representatives resolution, "Deborah has used her native charm, education, wit, and tenacity to confront environmental problems and to promote pragmatic solutions to those problems." Today she utilizes those same attributes with the Altamaha Riverkeeper to protect Georgia's largest watershed. Thanks to Deborah's hard work, the Altamaha Riverkeeper has developed vocal advocates across the watershed for the protection of Georgia's water resources, making our watershed a better place to live for all of the inhabitants.

• Georgia Trend March 2010 Deborah Sheppard, Executive Director of the Altamaha Riverkeeper organization was recognized in Georgia Trend's March issue "2010 Power Women:Change Agents" Click to page 24-25.
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