Powerful panels and inspiring keynotes take the stage at the 2024 Nature Everywhere Conference

Upstream solutions for an opportunity-rich future for children. Adventure, joy and a more inclusive outdoors. Shifting dynamics in the relationship between grantmakers and grantees. The real-world impact of increased nature connection in communities – from leaders who are making it happen. These are themes we’ll explore in keynote presentations and panels – and throughout the 2024 Nature Everywhere Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Register today to reserve your spot at these incredible sessions:

Wednesday, May 29

PANEL: The transformative power of equitable access to nature for communities

From left to right: Ashleigh Cibello-Pettus, Phil Ginsburg, Robert Blaine, Daniele Lyman-Torres.

Following a welcome from the 58th Mayor of Madison Satya Rhodes-Conway, Robert Blaine, senior executive and director of the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, will moderate a dynamic panel of leaders with a strong record of success in connecting children and families to nature. Panelists include Daniele Lyman-Torres, president & CEO of Bivona Child Advocacy Center in Rochester, New York; Phil Ginsburg, general manager of San Francisco Recreation and Parks; and Ashleigh Cibelli-Pettus, conservation program coordinator for the City of Austin, Texas. These leaders are successfully advancing equitable access to nature through a variety of strategies that offer both inspiration – and practical, real-world solutions.

Thursday, May 30 

PANEL: Sharing power & deepening trust: Philanthropy to grow a movement

From left to right: Akiima Price, Alexa Bush, Onika Abraham Lee, Priya Cook, Lesford Duncan.

The world of philanthropy is changing. More than ever, funders and nonprofits are working to address the inherent power dynamics in funder-grantee relationships. Kristen Ragain, managing director of the REI Cooperative Action Fund, will introduce and provide context for a conversation between nonprofit leaders and their funders to explore trust-based philanthropy in principle and practice, mutual accountability, and what it takes to change power dynamics and structural barriers. Moderated by Onika Abraham Lee, executive director of the Blue Sky Funders Forum, panelists include Lesford Duncan, executive director, Outdoor Foundation; Akiima Price, executive director, Friends of Anacostia Park; Alexa Bush, program officer, Kresge Foundation; and Priya Cook, director, Green Schoolyards and Communities, Children & Nature Network.

Thursday, May 30 

KEYNOTE: James Edward Mills

“The Adventure Gap” chronicles the first all-African American summit attempt on Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.

James Edward Mills is an author, journalist and National Geographic Explorer. As a freelance journalist and an independent media producer with a career that spans more than 20 years, he specializes in sharing stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving and practices of sustainable living. He is author of the acclaimed book The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors, and co-writer/co-producer of An American Ascent, a documentary film about the first African-American expedition to climb North America’s highest peak, Denali. He is also founder of The Joy Trip Project, a news gathering and reporting organization that covers the business, art and culture of the outdoor recreation industry – and reflects James’ ongoing search to discover how to lead a harmonious life in balance with the natural world and the rest of humanity.

Friday, May 31

CONVERSATION: The Fifth Freedom, with Federal Reserve economist Dr. David Erickson and public health expert Dr. Hanaa Hamdi 

Pictured: David Erickson, Ph.D and Hanaa Hamdi.

In 2023, David Erickson, Ph.D., community affairs officer and head of outreach and education for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, wrote a compelling book titled The Fifth Freedom: Guaranteeing an Opportunity-Rich Childhood for All, in which he documents how a strong foundation in childhood is the best predictor of a healthy and productive adulthood. He notes that in the U.S., we “spend too much on downstream consequences of people living in poverty, rather than the upstream conditions that would guarantee an opportunity-rich childhood for all.” Erickson calls for place-based institutions that support growth and development, such as good schools, well-funded libraries, safe streets and public spaces, quality health care, spiritual homes, and well-functioning transportation that puts essential amenities within reach.

In this conversation, Erickson and his colleague Dr. Hanaa Hamdi, public health expert, Children & Nature Network board member and visiting scholar with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will discuss how equitable access to nature is not only one of the “upstream conditions” that supports children’s health and well-being, but one that can “save trillions on avoided chronic disease, incarceration, educational failures, and lost productivity.” (Description of The Fifth Freedom excerpted from The Brookings Institution Press.)

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