Paul Gilbert grew up playing in the woods, his love for nature was expanded and encouraged through Scouting. He has lived in the developed and sprawling suburbs of Northern Virginia, outside Washington, DC. Gilbert managed and grew a local land trust, both conserving lands and engaging the public in outdoor adventures. Then Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, which Gilbert ran, conserved over 60 properties and grew its funding fivefold during his tenure.
In his last 20 years, Gilbert has been executive director of NOVA, a park district encompassing three cities and three countries. In 2022,NOVA Parks added the Winkler Botanical Preserve in Alexandria, which was the largest privately owned natural area inside the Capital Beltway at 44 acres. Today this site provides nature education to thousands of children in Alexandria, Virginia, public school system as well as summer camps and other nature programming.
In 2024, Reservoir Park at Beaverdam in Loudoun County opened. This 600-acre reservoir property connected two existing regional park properties to create a 1,000-acre park. Gilbert has helped NOVA Parks complete wetland, carbon, nutrient and other natural resource banking projects that both enhance nature and generate new source of revenue. Gilberts 20 year tenure as Executive Director of NOVA Parks is ending Fall 2025 with his retirement from that position. He will continue to serve as Executive in George Mason University's Recreation Management Program.