Recognizing a True Conservation Professional
Jodi O'Day joined The Conservation Fund in 1996, after eight years as a Maryland Assistant Attorney General representing the State’s Department of Natural Resources. Although Jodi began as the leader of the Fund’s Maryland real estate field office, she soon was combining her real estate savvy with her strong legal expertise to mastermind successful land transactions that minimized the business and legal risks to the Fund.
It became apparent soon after she joined the Fund that Jodi’s honed legal, negotiating and collaborative skills were essential to the Fund’s growth and success. She was promoted to key positions on the Fund’s legal team, ultimately serving as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, and set the bar for everyone on the team. Her contributions ranged from negotiating and closing land transactions that were among the largest and most complex undertaken by the Fund, to developing the structure and processes for the Fund’s mitigation business, to navigating the process of applying for and achieving the Fund’s initial certification as an accredited land trust. She played a primary role in developing the real estate policy/practice manual and an extensive and sophisticated set of templates for the Fund’s land transactions that make it possible today for the Fund to act nimbly and take advantage of fast-paced conservation opportunities. And her unyielding commitment to identifying and managing the risks associated with each Fund opportunity has undoubtedly been a key factor in many of the Fund's successes over the years.
Clarion Junction Forest. Photo by EcoPhotography.
Jodi has the respect, trust and confidence of her clients, her peers, Fund leadership, and the conservation community at large. She is the consummate professional, always presenting a calm, confident and respectful demeanor, along with exceptional skills and deep experience. She is a patient mentor, training staff to act efficiently, ethically and with transparency as they become the next generation of conservationists. Jodi is generous in her praise of others, while self-effacing and modest when much-deserved tributes are directed to her.
The accolades are numerous and heartfelt, and Jodi will be sorely missed. The Conservation Fund will continue to benefit from her wise counsel, patient training, and the many tools she developed that guide our approach to land transactions today and for long into the future. As Jodi moves into the next phase of her life, we have no doubt that her incredible record of success will continue.
