Joh Gehlbach is a housing policy advocate and urban planning professional based in Richmond, Virginia. They serve as Senior Campaigns Manager at YIMBY Action, where they work on national and state-level campaigns to advance policies that make it easier to build more homes and expand housing opportunities in high-opportunity communities. Their work focuses on removing regulatory barriers to housing, supporting transit-oriented development, and building broad coalitions to address the nation’s housing shortage.

Prior to joining YIMBY Action, Gehlbach spent more than a decade at the Richmond Association of REALTORS, ultimately serving as Vice President of Government Affairs and the organization’s chief lobbyist on housing and land-use issues in Virginia. They also co-founded the pro-housing advocacy group RVA YIMBY in 2023.

Gehlbach holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and is pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University.