Bio
Parker McMullen Bushman
Parker is a dynamic speaker that engages audiences in new thinking around what it means to be a diversity change agent, an inclusive leader and building capacity for transformational change. Parker is currently the Colorado State University Extension Director for the City and County of Denver. Her background in the education, conservation, outdoor recreation, and interpretive fields spans over 23 years. Parker is also the creator of an DEI training firm called Ecoinclusive. Ecoinclusive provides training and resources for leadership at non-profits, cultural and environmental organizations to aid them in building a culturally diverse and culturally competent staff that reflects the populations that they serve. Parker’s interest in 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. In Colorado she works with organizations to aid them in building culturally competent organizations that are representative of their communities. Additional, she sits on the board of Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, Metro Denver Nature Alliance and the National Association for Interpretation.
You can find out more about Parker at ecoinclusive.com, and you can email her at [email protected]
You can find out more about Parker at ecoinclusive.com, and you can email her at [email protected]
Crystal Egli
Having grown up in rural Vermont, Crystal Egli has always been an avid outdoor recreator. She grew up hiking, biking, camping, boating, and both water & snow skiing. After attending film school at Emerson College, she pursued a career in the film industry in Los Angeles. It only took Crystal 2 weeks to realize Los Angeles wasn’t the place for her, but 10 years to leave. In that time she found her partner Andre, and in 2015 they decided to move to Colorado to pursue a work-life balance that included a much higher percentage of backpacking and fishing. They both ended up working for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Crystal as a videographer), and a few years ago coworkers convinced Crystal to take up hunting. Not only is she now an enthusiastic hunter-- Crystal has also become a Hunter Education instructor, as well as a mentor to a novice young woman.
In 2019, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) awarded Crystal the Stephen Kellert award for “outstanding service in advancing connections between humans and the natural world to all peoples in a diverse and inclusive manner”. That same year she also received Colorado Parks and Wildlife's award for "Best Creative Idea" for the youtube series "My First Big Game Hunt". In this series Crystal filmed herself, a female minority millennial who is afraid of firearms, learning how to hunt big game over the course of a year.
In 2020, Crystal left Colorado Parks and Wildlife to pursue working on Inclusive Journeys full time, as well as embark on a tandem career as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity consultant.
You can find out more about Crystal at CrystalEgli.com, and you can email her at [email protected].
In 2019, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) awarded Crystal the Stephen Kellert award for “outstanding service in advancing connections between humans and the natural world to all peoples in a diverse and inclusive manner”. That same year she also received Colorado Parks and Wildlife's award for "Best Creative Idea" for the youtube series "My First Big Game Hunt". In this series Crystal filmed herself, a female minority millennial who is afraid of firearms, learning how to hunt big game over the course of a year.
In 2020, Crystal left Colorado Parks and Wildlife to pursue working on Inclusive Journeys full time, as well as embark on a tandem career as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity consultant.
You can find out more about Crystal at CrystalEgli.com, and you can email her at [email protected].
Leander R. Lacy
Leander Lacy founded Lacy Consulting Services to provide a combination of social science, strategic planning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion thinking to conservation organizations to help them stay relevant and reach their human wellbeing targets. He began his career with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission as an Urban Interface Wildlife Biologist with a focus on Florida Black Bears. He worked to change behaviors of communities that had a perception of what they called “nuisance bears” that rummaged through unsecured garbage and generally frightened people with their presence. This provided Leander the opportunity to sharpen his conflict management skills and highlighted the need for effective communication. With a focus on the people side of conservation he obtained a M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. His thesis looked at how to improve the quality of life of the urban poor through environmental action in Chiapas, MX
Leander went on to work 8 years with The Nature Conservancy. His final role before starting his own business was as the Global Methodology Learning Coordinator where he assisted teams throughout the world with strategic planning on large-scale conservation issues and ensuring that social science principles were incorporated. Now he takes his extensive experience and is helping environmental organizations accomplish their goals in innovative and people-focused ways. He recently facilitated a strategic planning process for a 5-state collaborative to save the Southern U.S. shortgrass prairie, he is helping an organization understand their need for diversity, equity, and inclusion in their North America agriculture approach, and recently his company became international as he was sought out by a conservation group in the Bahamas to conduct focus groups to understand and begin mending the breakdown in trust between fishers, law enforcement, and conservation groups.
You can find out more about Leander at lacyconsultingservices.com
Leander went on to work 8 years with The Nature Conservancy. His final role before starting his own business was as the Global Methodology Learning Coordinator where he assisted teams throughout the world with strategic planning on large-scale conservation issues and ensuring that social science principles were incorporated. Now he takes his extensive experience and is helping environmental organizations accomplish their goals in innovative and people-focused ways. He recently facilitated a strategic planning process for a 5-state collaborative to save the Southern U.S. shortgrass prairie, he is helping an organization understand their need for diversity, equity, and inclusion in their North America agriculture approach, and recently his company became international as he was sought out by a conservation group in the Bahamas to conduct focus groups to understand and begin mending the breakdown in trust between fishers, law enforcement, and conservation groups.
You can find out more about Leander at lacyconsultingservices.com
Lance Ts’ósí
Born and raised on the Navajo Nation, Lance grew up immersed in his ancestral tradition, culture, and with a deep connection to nature. He grew up herding his grandmother’s goats, riding horses, and exploring the canyonlands surrounding his home – it was here where his sense of wonder grew. Lance received a B.A. from the University of Denver in Political Science and a minor in International Studies, he is an active member of the Denver Native American community, and a strong advocate for social justice. He has professional experience with college access and success programs for underserved communities and is currently the Colorado Program Manager at Big City Mountaineers. His approach to Risk Management does not solely focus on physical safety, but on the emotional and social well being of students. With that, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are heavily applied to his theory of risk management and is at the forefront of field based decisions. He believes so passionately in the power of the outdoors and how it can widen the scope of possibilities for youth. On his personal time, Lance enjoys bouldering, trail running, summiting 14ers, backpacking, fitness challenges, camping, and everything Colorado.
Courtney Lanctot
Courtney is the owner and founder of The Unpopular Black, through which she encourages Black adventure by providing representation, information, and access to the outdoors and adventure activities. Her work includes exploring outdoor places and spaces unpopular to the Black community, organizing Black adventure trips, while educating through social
media and her non-profit the National Black Adventure Directory. Courtney’s foundation belief is that nature heals and we all need more of it.
You can find out more about Courtney at www.theunpopularblack.com
media and her non-profit the National Black Adventure Directory. Courtney’s foundation belief is that nature heals and we all need more of it.
You can find out more about Courtney at www.theunpopularblack.com
Elizabeth Franz
- Elizabeth Franz is the Executive Director of the Professionals of Color Network. She is practicing as the Principal Mediator at Humanz Mediate. She is trained as an Inclusive Model Mediator and has been practicing for 10 years. Elizabeth serves on the Cemetery Commission of Broomfield County and the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research.
- You can find out more about Elizabeth at https://thepocn.com/
Franklin Cruz
Franklin Cruz is a queer latin dancer, poet born in Idaho, raised Texan and polished in Denver. Born from an immigrant family his work has placed him in science museums, environmental spaces, as an emcee and poet for dance & poetry competitions and conferences. He aims for specificity over simplicity, encompassing self love , conservation, immigration and culture.
Sally Garcia
Sally Garcia is a born and raised South Central Angeleno. She has worked in the outdoor education and park access space for over 12 years. After graduating high school, she became an intern for L.A Audubon’s Kenneth Hann Education Program, in which 3rd and 6th grade students would come to the park to learn about the native plant garden and the surrounding areas in Los Angeles that have an impact on animals, birds and native plants alike. This helped ignite a fire in her to focus her energy in outdoor education and providing access to the outdoors to underserved communities, just like the one she grew up in. Sally currently works for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) as a Planning Assistant and as a Lead Naturalist for Community Nature Connection and also served on the Next Generation Advisory Board for the National Parks Conservation Association. Additionally, she builds creative content focused on ecological footprint reduction through mindful consumption, outdoor access advocacy and changing the meaning of what it means to be "outdoorsy." on social media. If she isn’t working or furthering her education, you can find her camping or trying out new coffee shops in her neighborhood.
Mary Black
Mary Black is an environmental liberation advocate/organizer, climate story teller, content creator, artist and Afrofuturist from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her intersectional work focuses on bridging the gap between Black, Indigenous liberation and climate justice while cultivating youth and women for intersectional climate action. Mary envisions alternative futures through transformative solutions for the communities most impacted by environmental injustice. After graduating from North Carolina A&T State University, Mary’s challenging experiences with the structural racism within green careers led her to her personal mission: “The eradication of the ‘green-glass ceiling’ that “keeps Black, Indigenous, people of color, youth, women and all of the intersections of marginalized identifies from having meaningful participation in the green job and environmental advocacy sector.” To combat this, she founded the Environmental Justice Organizing Collective, to train and support a diverse and intergenerational group of intersectional environmental advocates. Mary believes that the key to environmental liberation and the end to climate crisis comes through centering people closest to the problem, closest to the power. For Mary this means, organizing at the intersections of race, climate, and the creation of communities that are free to envision itself free from systemic oppression. To tell these stories, Mary utilizes her Tik Tok social media platform (@SunlampBlack) to share her perspectives as a black female environmentalist—as well as discussing racial justice, mental health, a call for climate optimism, and a series she calls, “Decolonization your Minds.” Mary currently sits on the Environmental Advisory Board for the city of Raleigh as its youngest member, where she represents the perspectives of frontline and environmentally marginalized communities during board discussions for recommendations of a strategic city environmental plan. Mary also uses digital art to uplift the stories of strife, injustice, and those who have been forgotten by the climate movement. To highlight the intersections of over policing and over pollution in communities of color, she is currently finishing a series called “Policing and Pollution.” She is currently running for City Council with a vision of a more equitable and green Raleigh. I her free time Mary loves to explore her environment, hike, tend to her growing collection of house plants, and read mystery novels
Nailah Blades
Nailah Blades Wylie is a Life & Leadership coach, consultant and the founder of Color Outside, a community for ambitious women of color who are ready to create unapologetic, soul stirring lives through outdoor adventure. Nailah started Color Outside as a safe place for women of color to come together and unlock where they're feeling stuck so that they can fully step into their joy and shine. When she's not leading adventure retreats or consulting with brands you can find her hiking with her husband or playing intense games of hide-n-go seek with her two tiny kids.
You can find out more about Nailah at coloroutside.org
You can find out more about Nailah at coloroutside.org
Francis Mendoza
Francis Mendoza (he/they/sila) is a naturalist, environmental educator and JEDAI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion) Consultant with more than thirty years experience serving marginalized communities at the intersection of race, gender, culture and nature. He is the JEDAI Section Director of the National Association for Interpretation, a Certified Interpretive Guide and California Naturalist. Francis is a First generation Filipinx immigrant and former park ranger which has allowed him to experience how our parks can permit, but also prohibit, access to unceded Indigenous lands to Black, Indigenous and people of color, such as himself. He is currently the Manager of Community Development, Leadership and Engagement with the Children & Nature Network, helping to ensure equitable access to nature for ALL of our children and their families.
Brandon Running Bear Harrell
Though born, raised and currently living in California, B’s expertise in urban regeneration and community building has enabled him to work on social and environmental justice projects as far as Portugal, Turkey, Singapore, Kenya, Cuba and Nicaragua. As a guest panelist and lecturer, B has presented on a wide range of urban and environmental topics, including economic development, multi-modal transportation, climate adaptation, permaculture, black indigenous foodways, conservation and systemic racism at institutions such as Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the University of New Mexico. He has also held director level positions at organizations such as Change Catalyst and Impact Hub where he led corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. B is a partner and worker-owner at the Urban Permaculture Institute where he facilitates capacity building and learning experiences for individuals and communities to grow their resilience. He is the founder of Decolonized Meateater, an initiative dedicated to decolonizing the “western hunt” and reconnecting Black and Indigenous people with their traditional food pathways. He is also the co-founder of Regeneration Rising, a workshop and event series for all those curious about equitable food systems, regenerative agriculture, and AgTech. Brandon holds a Master’s degree in City Planning from UC Berkeley, a Bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of New Mexico, a Permaculture Design Certificate from UPISF, and a MBA from Lift Economy.
You can find out more about Brandon at upisf.com
You can find out more about Brandon at upisf.com
Kriste Peoples
Kriste Peoples is excited to serve on the ATRA advisory board and is a Denver-based outdoor enthusiast and guide, runner, writer, and mindfulness meditation teacher. As Program Manager for the Women’s Wilderness Trailblazers program, she creates nature-based events that cultivate a greater sense of agency, community, and engagement in nature among women of color. As a leader in Colorado’s BIPOC outdoor community, Kriste offers talks and trainings that address low representation of people of color in nature. She has facilitated workshops, participated in panels, and delivered online trainings at conferences such as PGM One, Outdoor Retailer, REI, Summit Sisters, and more. She serves on the board of Running Start nonprofit, an organization dedicated to helping women overcome obstacles to fitness. She is a trail running coach for Life’s Too Short Fitness, has coached for Black Girls Run, and led group outings for CitiWild and Outdoor Afro. In addition to her passion for introducing women and people of color to new narratives of wellness, she is the founder of the Black and Brown Women’s Alliance, which provides mindfulness-based in-person and online events that prioritize wellness, self-care, and collective healing. When she's not out adventuring along the trails of Colorado’s Front Range, Kriste is likely writing about it or recovering with carbs in a local eatery. Her work has been published in Trail Runner Magazine, Outdoor Research, Altra Running’s Run Better blog, Outside Magazine, Elevations Outdoors, and others. She has also been a featured guest on podcasts and virtual events that include Self Magazine’s Checking In, Run This World by Nicole DeBoom, The Shift Network’s Resilience Summit, and The Nature Summit, Running for Real with Tina Muir, and more. Kriste is a proud Team Altra athlete and Ultimate Direction ambassador.
Betsy Ukeritis
Betsy is an environmental educator who has worked for twenty years with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). She considers herself more as a networker and connector of people and resources because she quickly realized that it was better to bolster other organizations and offer resources when she started the NYC environmental education program, with no staff. She has spent her time in NYSDEC creating positions, creating titles for them, and then making them hers, first for over 10 years in NYC, and now for over eight years in Central NY. In Central NY, she created the Inter-regional Environmental Educator position, offering educational opportunities to teachers, youth, libraries, and non-traditional audiences like newly settled refugees and wounded veterans. Her need to listen to the local community and what they need is something she picked up quickly when she ran off to the Peace Corps in Romania after her BS in Wildlife Ecology, even if her time was cut short when she damaged a knee out camping with youth in the Carpathian Mountains.
Kia Ruiz
Kia M. Ruiz is an environmental and economic development consultant located in the Denver area. Their background is in biology where they got to their Phdc at Florida International University before disrupting that track with a car accident that limited their mobility for a time. They have worked for USGS Research, USFS Research, the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, EBMUD, and USFS Operations. Kia taught Human Biology and Marine Biology for undergraduates with an emphasis on conveying scientific information to the non-scientific public. That emphasis of connecting scientific information has transitioned with their post-academic life to political work and for-profit work including being interim director of Right to Know GMO in Colorado and working on the environmental pillar of Meow Wolf’s Corporate Social Responsibility plan. In all things Kia attempts to tie people and their individual experience to their interdependence with the earth through their connection to themselves, others, the places we come from and the places we live. You can find Kia on instagram and twitter at @kiamruiz - Kia enjoys sharing writing and photo storytelling while they ground in her favorite places in nature.
Ean Tafoya
Ean aka Mr. Denver is active in Denver Public Affairs, Colorado Public Policy, and Federal Environmental Policy. He has worked for three branches of local government, worked at three levels of American government, run for Denver City Council, and has directed many local and state political races. Currently, he serves as the Colorado State Director for GreenLatinos. Ean has received recognition for his work from both the Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Denver Regional Air Quality Council, and most recently was named a River Hero by the National River Network. He loves to dance whether it be at a concert or in politics! As Mr. Denver, he uses the media to uplift locals in the community. Follow Ean @believeEan on all platforms.
You can find out more about Ean at greenlatinos.org
You can find out more about Ean at greenlatinos.org