Bill Shanabruch is President and co-founder of LERN. Previously, he started the Reedy Creek Environmental nursery in 2016 to address the scarcity of native plants of local ecotype in the metro Richmond area. The recognition of this local need evolved over many years and grew directly out of his concern for water quality.  From 2000 – 2016, Bill worked for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as an aquatic biologist performing ecological assessments of freshwater streams. The experience led to the gradual realization that native plants were the key to restoring both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. He has also been involved in volunteer efforts to remove invasive plants in City of Richmond parks for over 10 years and has served on the James River Park System Invasive Plant Task Force for the past five years.