Shawna Joplin

Shawna brings over ten years of public service experience and a passion for enhancing community spaces. Her professional expertise includes team leadership, innovative collaboration, plant care and propagation, wildlife conflict management, and general maintenance. She has a track record of fostering collaborative partnerships with city departments, government agencies, and community organizations.

Before joining the City of Mebane, Shawna was the Managing Director/Owner of Dirtbag Gardens in Chapel Hill, where she built strong professional relationships with local farms, botanical gardens, media outlets, and university agriculture programs. Since starting in Mebane, she has implemented a new Intergraded Pest Management Program that includes adding native butterfly gardens throughout our park systems. She will speak at the 2024 North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association Conference.

Shawna’s professional journey includes roles such as Regional Park Superintendent and Game Warden in Los Angeles County and Animal Keeper at The Los Angeles Zoo. Shawna is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) through the National Recreation and Park Association, a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and a Licensed Pesticide Applicator. Her commitment to employee and public safety, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership is a valuable addition to the Recreation and Parks team in Mebane.

Shawna enjoys everything nature and wildlife related. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and tending to her carnivorous plant collection.