Park Access Learning Series: City Commitments

Jared Mummert is a Community and Environmental Resilience Program Manager at NRPA and a recent graduate from George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government with a Masters of Public Administration and Environmental Science and Public Policy. With nearly 5 years at NRPA, Jared has led work on community engagement, the history of equity in parks and recreation and creating equitable access to inclusive, resilient park spaces. Prior to his time at NRPA, Jared worked as a political and community outreach organizer on multiple campaigns, including organizing farmers in Maryland to close loopholes in the Clean Water Act, engaging Colorado voters in the 2014 midterm election and working to connect low-income families to national parks. Jared has also served in the Student Conservation Association, AmeriCorps, and the National Park Service as park ranger for multiple sites, including Grand Teton National Park. As an avid outdoorsman and public lands advocate, Jared integrates environmental justice into all of his work to ensure everyone has access to high-quality parks and greenspaces.

Rachel Banner leads the 10-Minute Walk Campaign at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), where she designs strategy and manages a team to deliver training, technical assistance, grants, research, evaluation and communications to ensure park professionals have the tools to improve communities through equitable access to quality parks. Rachel received her Master’s in Public Health from Tufts University and her BS in Exercise Science from Elon University, both focused on health equity, chronic disease prevention and the built environment.

Benita Hussain is the Director of the 10-Minute Walk Campaign, for which she is leading the strategic direction and broader marketing efforts.  A former corporate lawyer, she has 15 years of experience in sustainability, urban policy, and communications.  As an advisor to Mike Bloomberg in his role as UN Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, she developed his policy agenda and the Global Compact of Mayors, the world’s largest coalition of cities pledged to fight climate change.  Prior, she led late-Boston Mayor Tom Menino’s Greenovate Boston campaign -- a community-based initiative designed to promote climate action and to raise Boston’s profile as a green leader – and launched Boston’s first residential composting program.  She joins TPL from the Wildlife Conservation Society, where she led a $10 million division devoted to climate change, food systems, and sustainable finance.  Benita holds a J.D. from Fordham Law School, and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Cornell University and has written for Outside Magazine, SIERRA, and the Boston Globe, among others.