Can you relate to this scenario? You turn on your TV to catch up on the day’s news and a negative headline pops up about your favorite species, an at-risk landscape, or an important biodiversity hotspot, and you think to yourself, “I must do something. Maybe I should start a nonprofit and make the difference I’d like to see in the world.” I’ve thought this so many times that I’ve literally lost count. You all know big cats are my obsession and it’s very rare to hear anything positive about them. While it might sound relatively simple to launch a nonprofit, what does it actually take to run a successful organization? 

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Tehri Parker, Ph.D., Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Wild. Tehri grew up in the small town of Hygiene, Colorado, and was influenced by the 70s environmental movement and political artists like John Denver. When Tehri graduated from high school, she left her tiny town as quickly as possible and moved to California to study TV and broadcasting. She soon realized that radio and TV weren’t her thing. After some soul searching and research, she found her passion in Environmental Education and went on to receive her Masters and Ph.D. in the field. After her studies, she led a renewable energy nonprofit in Wisconsin for 20 years before moving back to Colorado to become the Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Wild where she has been working since the early 2010s.

We chat in-depth about what it takes to lead a nonprofit organization, the work Rocky Mountain Wild is doing to protect and restore biodiversity in Colorado, and the growing socially-conscious business movement.

Alrighty, everyone. Now onto my conversation with Tehri.