ELIZABETH SCHUSTER
Elizabeth Schuster is an environmental economist with 20 years' experience in community economic development in the United States and internationally. Her aim is to empower organizations to develop creative solutions that support economic development while securing prosperity for communities and nature. Elizabeth currently lives in Ohio with her husband and three children.
CRYSTAL EGLI
Crystal Egli is the co-founder of Inclusive Journeys, a digital platform that helps people of marginalized identities find safe and welcoming spaces to do business and recreate. Crystal is also a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant/trainer. She is a life-long angler and documented her first big game hunt through a video series with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
PARKER McMULLEN BUSHMAN
Parker McMullen Bushman's career in the conservation, environmental education and outdoor recreation fields spans over 23+ years. She has a Master of Science in Natural Resources and her work focuses on equity in community engagement of & access to outdoor spaces and strategies for inclusive science communication. Parker’s interest in justice, diversity, equity and inclusion issues developed from her personal experiences facing the unequal representation of people of color in nonprofit and environmental organizations. Parker tackles these complex issues through head on activism and education.
JASON SWANN
Jason Swann has gone beyond the stereotypes of what Black people don’t do. After a long stint in the financial services industry, he dedicated his life to the service of others through adventure, healing, and environmental advocacy. Jason works as a Land Policy Analyst ensuring westerners have equal access to land, wildlife, and water. He also founded Rising Routes, where they envision the world as it might be, empowering action and leadership that will positively impact our collective social, systemic and environmental future. In his free time, Jason spends volunteers as the co-leader for Outdoor Afro in Colorado – a network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature.
BECKY MIGAS
Becky Migas (she/her) is Owner of B.Green Co, a sustainable consulting organization and Co-Founder / Director at Women in Sustainability. Women in Sustainability is a non-profit organization that brings together women and allies who are passionate about environmental sustainability to connect, learn and collaborate to fight the climate crisis and social injustice. Becky received her undergraduate degrees from The Ohio State University and is an avid Buckeye fan! She also received her MBA from Missouri State University. When not talking sustainability or planning events, Becky loves to spend time with her life long partner Chris.
Melissa Krug
Melissa Krug, Ph.D. is a linguistic anthropologist as well as principal consultant and founder of Forest & Trees Research Consulting, a qualitative research firm that helps organizations and businesses conduct projects that bring big insights from finding patterns in small details. In her work, Melissa uses a variety of tools, like observations, interviews, focus groups, and analysis of conversations, print or social media to examine how language is used, whose voices speak most clearly and strongly, and what messages are put out to stakeholders or within an organization. This kind of approach can illuminate issues related to power dynamics, organizational culture, misunderstandings, branding, and more. While Melissa's research is broadly applicable, she is passionate about working with organizations involved with environmentalism, food systems, ethical consumption, and social justice.
Britt Basel
Britt Basel, M.Sc. is the Founder and Lead Strategist at Ecothropic. She specializes in climate change resilience, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. With a career spanning 20 years and 44 countries, her clients have included the United Nations Development Program, National Geographic, Save the Children, and The Nature Conservancy. She harnesses her on-the-ground experience to bridge the gap between project design, policy, and impact, delivering inclusive, cost-effective, and long-term solutions.
David Dabah
David has a wealth of experience, offering leadership on team activities to meet dynamic, detail-oriented needs both on-site and off, globally. He meets brands, organisations and talent alike at an intersection that allows the collaborators to deliver both local and regional impact with global recognition. Producing hybrid-events, talent activations and collaborations with organisations like Eco-Age for their Green Carpet Fashion Awards, IFAW (The International Fund for Animal Welfare) and Youth Emerging Stronger (YES) who provide service to foster and homeless youth in the Los Angeles area. David has worked with the likes of (not limited to)* Antonio Banderas, Awkwafina, Colton Underwood, Eve, Greg Louganis, Hugh Jackman, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jeannie Mai, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), Keala Settle, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Beer, Matt Lombardi, Nadia Comaneci, Nastia Liukin, Nick Jonas, Nicole Kidman, Ryan Destiny, Summer Sanders, Tatyanna McFadden, Tom Daley, Victoria Beckham and Yummertime.
Jim Cummings
In 2004 at the age of 53 Jim sold his small business and began full-time ministry integrating his passion for nature and adventure. Jim brings a lifetime of experience as a naturalist and adventurer to his calling. By partnering with UrbanPromise Ministries he created expeditionary learning programs called UrbanTrekkers and Urban BoatWorks. Jim believes the best way for young people to discover purpose and meaning for their lives is through education and self-discovery.
Juan Pérez Sáez
Juan plays a leading role in designing and implementing advocacy campaigns that drive federal policy to protect, connect and restore critical landscapes, promote resiliency for western communities and promote climate solutions. On his current role, Juan is working across teams in TWS to co-create a partnership model that is centered on values of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Juan’s recent work at TWS has been centered on creating and expanding the People, Public Lands, and Climate Collaborative, which brings various voices and partners together to ensure public lands are part of a just and equitable climate solution.
Sapna Mulki
Sapna Mulki is the founder and CEO of Water Savvy Solutions, an independent consulting practice that works with water institutions to create more diverse, inclusive and equitable workplaces and community outreach and engagement strategies. She is also the host of Breaking Green Ceilings, a podcast that amplifies the voices of environmentalists from historically underrepresented communities.
Cristina Lasch Thaler
Cristina Lasch: born in Mexico City, Mexico. She is The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Planning and Adaptation Lead. Based in Merida, Mexico, she focuses on strategic planning, adaptation, learning and science, and helps coordinate operations in the Conservation Coaches Network (CCNet). CCNet is a global community of trained professional coaches that use the Conservation Standards to strengthen conservation action and results around the world.
Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk
Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, was born and raised in southwestern Colorado, resides on
the Ute Mountain Ute reservation. She is a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
of Towaoc. She attended school and graduated from Montezuma Cortez High School.
Spent 10 years in the information technology field, working for Chief Dull Knife
College, the Southern Ute Indian and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribes. In October of
2013, she was elected to serve as a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal council.
At an early age, Lopez-Whiteskunk began to advocate for land, air, water and
animals, and strongly believes that the inner core of healing comes from the
knowledge of our land and elders. She is a former co-chair for the Bears Ears
Intertribal Coalition and education director for the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose.
Currently seeking a Master’s of Environmental Management with Western Colorado
University. Currently serves on the Telluride Institute Board, Torrey House Press
Board, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Great Old Broads’ Council of Advisors
and advisor to the Women of Bears Ears. Recently joined the staff of the Montezuma
Land Conservancy as the Cross-Cultural Program Manager. Lopez-Whiteskunk has
traveled extensively throughout the country sharing the Ute culture through song,
dance, presentations, and is honored to continue to protect, preserve and serve
through education, creating a better understanding of our resources, culture and
beliefs— a great foundation for a better tomorrow.
Estephanie Martinez
Estephanie’s identity is rooted in re-membering their cultural traditions, including their venezuelan heritage, while practicing and sharing decolonization and deep nature connection work. Estephanie offers reflections and restructuring to communities and organizations by examining patterns, structures, and informal cultures through a decolonial lens. They help illuminate new pathways for leadership, education, and organizational modalities rooted in healthier, more equitable paradigms. They are committed to global and personal work of healing relationships both between people and between people and land and uplifting the deep nature connection inherent in all people.
learn more about my work and who i am through http://mycorrising.com
Nikki Cox
Nikki Cox is a public lands scholar and an Inclusivity Social Scientist for the Rocky Mountain Region of the USDA Forest Service. She completed her doctorate in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Oregon in 2019 where she studied the history and establishment of the US public lands system. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, class, and gender, and the ways identity affects access to, or experiences of public lands. Nikki aims to center non-dominant voices to increase accessibility, representation, and inclusion for more equitable public lands.
Dr. A.J. (Adam) Calo
I am currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Governance and Politics in the Geography, Planning and Environment group at Radboud University in the Netherlands. I study and teach about the barriers that prevent transition to a more just, sustainable, and ecologically resilient food system. Namely, I focus on the way systems of land tenure, norms of property, and complexities of land access tend to water down and frustrate efforts to reform food systems. I then ask how property norms might be remade in order to meet ambitious sustainability goals.
Diquan Edmonds
Diquan Edmonds is currently the Education and Outreach Manager with the Triangle Land Conservancy. Prior to his current role, he earned his Master’s of Science Degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from North Carolina State University, where his research focused on the African-American outdoor experience. Diquan is passionate about conservation and connecting people to our natural resources.
Social media: @diquanedmonds