Wege Speaker Series featuring Audrey Peterman

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Wege Speaker Series 2026

Life, Meaning, and Purpose: Protecting our National Parks

The Wege Foundation welcomes celebrated environmental advocate and author Audrey Peterman as the featured guest for the 29th Annual Wege Speaker Series. The event will be held virtually on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 4 p.m. EDT and is free and open to the public. Please register in advance to view the presentation.

This year’s lecture explores the intersection of environmental conservation and social equity. Audrey Peterman’s journey began with a 1995 road trip that led to a personal discovery of the U.S. National Parks. Struck by the profound beauty of the land - and the startling lack of visitor and employee diversity - she and her husband, Frank embarked on a mission they’re still pursuing 30 years later. Their goal: Bridge the gap between the National Parks and urban populations for urgently needed mutual benefits.

“Our National Park System urgently needs our support right now as they face threats that lead to their decline. All Americans that know what’s at stake can be inspired to rally around them. But almost half the population may not see the threat or be inspired to act, because they simply do not know them. Only 23 percent of users of the National Parks are Americans of color. This means they also miss the benefits of inspiration, of improved physical wellness and connection. Doctors around the country are prescribing nature walks and outdoor activities to reduce incidences of some illness. Plus, the parks include places where history turned, and show that Americans of every racial and ethnic group made pivotal contributions to the development of our democracy.”

Audrey’s drive is rooted in her idyllic beginnings in rural Jamaica, where she developed a foundational respect for the Earth. These roots gave her the confidence to challenge the status quo of the U.S. environmental sector. In her recently updated memoir, From My Jamaican Gully to the World and Back, she recounts the experiences that shaped her into a world-class leader. She offers a unique perspective on climate readiness and champions inclusion of every single human, based upon our collective vulnerability and the right of every human to participate in solutions.

Seeing less than a handful of Americans of color among thousands of American and foreign visitors, Audrey and her husband Frank founded Earthwise Productions, Inc., offering consulting services to the National Park Service and environmental organizations to provide information to under-served communities. Through speaking engagements, prolific writing, tours of the National Parks, and briefing Congress and the White House, she helped develop an African American presence in the conservation world. She served on the boards of multiple conservation organizations – including five three-year terms at the National Parks Conservation Association – and helped establish grassroots environmental organizations such as “Keeping It Wild” in Atlanta.

“We’re very excited to have such an enthusiastic promoter of universal access to national parks as our presenter,” says Wege Foundation CEO, James Logan. “Her lived experience and focus on exposing people of color to the wonders and beauty of our national parks connects to the Foundation’s focus on conservation stewardship and increased access to nature and environmental education. We hope that her presentation will inspire people to go and experience the parks as well as play a role in protecting and preserving them.”

The impact of Peterman’s work resonates across the National Park System and beyond. Her legacy includes co-founding the Diverse Environmental Leaders Speakers Bureau. Most notably, her advocacy was instrumental in shaping President Obama’s 2017 Memorandum - Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Our National Parks, National Forests, and Other Public Lands and Waters.

“The glorious thing about having a relationship with the National Parks is that it’s not arduous, but rather a continually unfolding adventure. The benefits we get from helping the Park Service fulfill its mission to protect the parks into perpetuity, ‘for the benefit and enjoyment of this and future generations,’ is greater than I can express. I want everyone else to be able to enjoy the same opportunity and make an impact,” she says.

More About Audrey Peterman:
Audrey Peterman is the co-founder of The Diverse Environmental Leaders Speakers Bureau and a nationally recognized environmentalist. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Environmental Hero Award from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Outstanding Citizen Advocate Award and the Centennial Leadership Award from the National Parks Conservation Association; the Environmental Justice 21st Century For the People Award from the National Wildlife Federation; and Lifetime Achievement Awards from Outdoor Afro, Black Meetings and Tourism and The North American Environmental Educators Association.

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