Outdoor Afro Welcomes 10 New Board Members to Advance Black Leadership in Nature
Media Contact: Lydia Sullivan, Outdoor Afro, Chief Operating Officer, [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Outdoor Afro Welcomes 10 New Board Members to Advance Black Leadership in Nature
OAKLAND, Calif. (January 2025) — Outdoor Afro, the nation’s leading organization where Black people and nature meet, is proud to welcome a cohort of esteemed board members who bring a broad range of expertise, passion, and leadership to its mission. After a highly competitive and collaborative search led by Potrero Group, a national leadership consulting firm, Outdoor Afro is thrilled to announce the addition of ten new board members, expanding its already dynamic board to a total of 19 members who collectively embody the organization’s commitment to amplifying Black joy and connection in the outdoors:
- Ariana Miller, Director, African American Alliance of Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) CEOs
- Benje Williams, Cofounder, Executive Director, Outlandish
- Clifton E. Sorrell Jr, Architecture Department Faculty Instructor, Laney College
- Dan Kihanya, Director of Path Ahead Ventures, REI
- Jil Littlejohn Bostick, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility & Inclusion, Winnebago Industries
- Kasim Carter, Retail Sales Manager, REI
- Kristine Stratton, President and CEO, National Recreation and Park Association
- Lena Irish, Manager, U.S. Support Model, Habitat for Humanity International, Inc.
- Lulu Gephart, Vice President, External Affairs, The Wilderness Society
- Marie President, Regional Med Director/Physician, Dignity Medical Group
“These new board members represent a remarkable blend of skills, experiences, and a deep commitment to advancing Outdoor Afro’s vision,” said Shane Douglas, Outdoor Afro Board Member. “Their collective expertise will guide us as we continue to grow and amplify our impact nationwide.”
The newly appointed board members represent leaders in community development, financial management, nonprofit governance, strategy, healthcare, legal affairs, and outdoor recreation industries. Each individual shares a deep passion for Outdoor Afro’s mission of celebrating and inspiring Black connections and leadership in nature. Collectively, they bring extensive experience in strategic planning, fundraising, advocacy, and community engagement, demonstrating a shared commitment to advancing access in outdoor spaces.
Outdoor Afro continues to scale its impact through its strategic initiatives, including doubling the size of the volunteer-led network, deepening community partnerships, deploying digital tools, and overall fostering Black joy and connection through outdoor education and recreation. The new board members will be pivotal in guiding the organization’s ambitious goals, including financial sustainability, engagement, and programmatic accessibility.
“This is an exciting and transformative time for Outdoor Afro,” said Mike Brune, Board Vice Chair. “We look forward to the contributions of our new board members as we advance a world where everyone can find joy, community, and connection in nature.”
Potrero Group, a leadership consulting firm specializing in board and executive searches, played an integral role in identifying and recruiting the ten exceptional candidates. “These individuals stood out for their strategic insight, leadership expertise, and shared commitment to Outdoor Afro’s mission,” said Cleveland Justis, CEO & Principal at Potrero Group.
“We are honored to welcome these dynamic individuals to our board,” said Rue Mapp, Founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro. “Their unique perspectives and professional acumen will help us strengthen our programs, expand our reach, and create lasting opportunities for Black communities to connect with nature.”
ABOUT OUTDOOR AFRO: Outdoor Afro is a national not-for-profit organization reconnecting Black people to nature through recreation, conservation, and education. Our programs inspire leadership and celebrate Black joy in the outdoors, building stronger connections to land, water, and wildlife. Learn more at outdoorafro.org.
ABOUT POTRERO GROUP: Potrero Group is a leadership consulting firm helping changemakers thrive. We provide strategic planning, executive search, and board search services to leaders across sectors who are shaping a better future. Potrero Group invigorates organizations with new perspectives and strategies to ensure our clients stay effective, relevant, and resilient over time. For more information visit potrerogroup.com.
It's Giving: Outdoor Afro's 24-hour #Give828 fundraiser
National not-for-profit Outdoor Afro observes Black Philanthropy Month via Give 8/28 fundraiser today, Aug. 28, for the first time. The fundraising day celebrates Black-led and Black-benefitting organizations like Outdoor Afro across the United States. In 24 hours, Outdoor Afro aims to raise $1,000 toward its mission to celebrate and inspire Black connections and leadership in nature. Hosted by The Young, Black & Giving Back Institute (YBGB), this national day of giving is the only giving day focused explicitly to uplift the significance of Black-guided nonprofit organizations. Give 8/28 seeks to stimulate support for organizations working at the grassroots level to empower Black communities in areas such as education, mentoring, economic empowerment, health and wellness, and policy advocacy.
Outdoor Afro reconnects Black people and Black communities to land, water, and wildlife through outdoor education, recreation, and conservation. Annually, the organization selects and trains more than 100 volunteer leaders who guide their local communities in outdoor activities – like hiking, biking, gardening, fishing, camping, skiing, and more – safely and sustainably. Give 8/28 takes place during Black Philanthropy Month and commemorates multiple historical landmarks in Black Americans’ march toward freedom:
Aug. 28, 1945: Major League Baseball President Branch Rickey met with Jackie Robinson to tell Robinson that he was integrating the Majors.
Aug. 28, 2005: Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. The storm, which devastated New Orleans, disproportionately impacted many of the city’s Black residents.
Aug. 28, 2020: Chadwick Boseman, actor and originator of the modern "Black Panther" character, T’Challa, passed away.
The excessive impacts of experiences such as COVID, gun violence, inflation, and social injustice that Black people have faced and continue to live through illustrate the significant need for resources within Black communities. YBGB Institute Founder Ebonie Johnson Cooper established Give 8/28 in 2018 with 114 participating nonprofits. Each collectively raised $12,700. Every year, Give 8/28 partners with crowdfunding platform Mightcause to provide an infrastructure for the online giving day. In 2020 and 2021, Give 8/28 raised more than $328,000 for more than 720 Black-led and Black-benefitting organizations with support from 3,916 donors.
Last year, it raised $252,629 from 1,702 individual donors. Like the YBGB Institute, Outdoor Afro cultivated its national community online. For the past 14 years now, the nature organization has been on the ground, ensuring neighborhoods are equipped with Black joy and healing opportunities by simply going outside with one of its nationwide networks here.
ABOUT OUTDOOR AFRO: Outdoor Afro is a national not-for-profit organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. What started as a kitchen table blog by Founder and CEO Rue Mapp in 2009 has since grown into a cutting-edge nationwide network with 100-plus volunteer leaders in 60 cities with network participation reaching 60,000 people. Outdoor Afro reconnects Black people with the outdoors through outdoor education, recreation, and conservation. Follow Outdoor Afro at outdoorafro.org and @outdoorafro today.
Annual network training welcomes new nature lovers
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA– It’s considered the “most wonderful time of the year” for national not-for-profit Outdoor Afro. And for 2022, the organization’s always-anticipated Outdoor Afro Leadership Training (OALT) finally returns in person. “Two years ago, COVID forced us to shift our annual training into consecutive virtual workshops and interactive sessions,” said Outdoor Afro Founder and CEO Rue Mapp. “We’re so excited that we can now gather safely in a space that accommodates our staff, partners, and the 2022 class of volunteer leaders in nature.”
OALT is where outdoor enthusiasts gain firsthand experience in navigating and leading in nature. This year’s training with more than 100 new and returning volunteer leaders takes place at Sun Outdoors’ River Run RV Resort in Granby, Colorado, starting Earth Day 2022 from April 22 through April 24. Coinciding with Earth Day’s 2022 theme of “Invest in Our Planet,” OALT discusses and puts into action outdoor conservation, education, and recreation so that volunteer leaders can create safe, sustainable, and nature-rich activities in their local communities across the United States.
Outdoor Afro’s mission is to celebrate and inspire Black connections and leadership in nature. With a brand-new cohort of selected volunteer leaders for 2022-23, OALT is an intimate opportunity for volunteers, Outdoor Afro staff, and network partners to bond and continue to strengthen Black people’s relationships with the outdoors. For this year’s training, Outdoor Afro partnered with Sun Outdoors – a leader in outdoor hospitality with more than 175 resorts and campgrounds across the United States and Canada.
“This partnership with Outdoor Afro is an important element in our overall goal as a company,” said Karen Dearing, Chief Financial Officer for Sun Outdoors’ parent company Sun Communities, “creating a path towards fostering a more diverse society.” At Sun Outdoors’ River Run location, Outdoor Afro staff and experienced volunteers will share the organization’s history, values, best practices, and industry knowledge, including: trip planning basics; health impacts of nature; conservation ethics; risk management; and effective social media storytelling.
Select partners and guest speakers are invited to the training to provide field insights, and share inspiration and encouragement. After training, volunteer leaders create and guide monthly trips that foster local program collaborations, and help strengthen community relationships with land, water, and wildlife. Some examples of nature-rich experiences Outdoor Afro volunteer leaders guide after the training completes: camping, fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking, gardening, skiing, horseback riding, canoeing, geocaching, bird watching, nature journaling, and more.
Volunteer leaders center joy and healing, while also disrupting a false perception that Black people do not have a relationship to nature. Outdoor Afro formed 13 years ago. OALT started in 2012 with just a dozen volunteer outdoor enthusiasts. Each took the call to learn directly from Mapp about how to inspire and guide unforgettable experiences in nature. “OALT is like a family reunion,” said Outdoor Afro’s National Program Director Chaya Harris. “Our volunteer leaders join us from our four regions – Midwest, Northeast, South, and West – for a weekend filled with organized intergenerational fun and outdoor learning.”
ABOUT OUTDOOR AFRO: Outdoor Afro is a national not-for-profit organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. What started as a kitchen table blog by Founder and CEO Rue Mapp in 2009 has since grown into a cutting-edge nationwide network with 100-plus volunteer leaders in 60 cities. “Where Black people and nature meet,” Outdoor Afro reconnects Black people with the outdoors through outdoor education, recreation, and conservation. Follow us @outdoorafro on social.
ABOUT SUN OUTDOORS: Sun Outdoors is a leader in outdoor hospitality and committed to its mission of offering guests exceptional and transformative outdoor experiences. With over 175 locations across the U.S. and Ontario, Canada, Sun Outdoors offers guests several ways to stay: from RV sites to vacation rentals, from tent camping to glamping, whether they stay for a weekend, season or longer. Visit sunoutdoors.com to learn more. Sun Outdoors is a division of Sun Communities Inc., a publicly traded company which, as of September 30, 2021, owns, operates and has an interest in 584 developed manufactured home, RV and marina properties comprising over 155,900 developed sites and nearly 44,900 wet slips and dry storage spaces in 38 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Sun Communities is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol: SUI. suncommunities.com.
