Rue Mapp to keynote Rally 2015

We’re excited to announce Rue Mapp, the founder of Outdoor Afro and a recently appointed member of the California State Park and Recreation Commission, as the keynote speaker at Rally 2015: The National Land Conservation Conference!

Rue, who will speak during the conference’s opening plenary session on Oct. 9, founded Outdoor Afro in 2009 to celebrate and inspire African American connections to nature. Branded as the place “where black people and nature meet,” Outdoor Afro works through Meetup.com to make outdoor activities a stronger part of all people’s lives. Outdoor Afro groups across the country regularly coordinate activities in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco  and elsewhere.

Earlier this year, California Gov. Edmund Brown Jr. appointed Rue to the California State Park and Recreation Commission, which helps guide that state’s park system. She previously was a youth investment program officer at the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council, from 2010 to 2012, and served as communications manager at Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases from 2009 to 2010.

Rue will speak about her life story and the opportunities she believes the land conservation community has to reach out to new constituencies and build broader community support. She’ll also participate at Rally in a 90-minute workshop entitled Engaging New Audiences in New Ways.

For more information about Rally or to register, click here.