How We Help
The Friends Alliance is an informal union of Friends Groups executives and park officials that evolved from a meeting convened by the National Park Foundation in 1994. The Alliance shares information among its participants, learns and helps to clarify NPS policies, advances partnership and philanthropic ideas, and discusses relationship-building strategy between Friends Groups and the National Park Service. The Friends Alliance is led by an elected steering committee and participation is open to all national park Friends Groups.
The National Park Foundation provides technical and financial support to the Friends Alliance.
Steering Committee Members
- Deb Yandala (Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park)
- David MacDonald (Friends of Acadia)
- Elizabeth Fien (Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park)
- Frank Dean (Yosemite Conservancy)
- Greg Moore (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy)
- Joe Kessler (Friends of Virgin Islands National Park)
- Katie Nyberg (Mississippi Park Connection)
- Susan Schroeder (Grand Canyon Association)
- Jeff Reinbold, National Park Service Liaison
- Reggie Chapple, National Park Service Liaison
- Will Shafroth, National Park Foundation Liaison
Upcoming Meetings
Intermountain Regional Friends Alliance Meeting
The Friends Alliance will host a free meeting for partners in the Intermountain region in Austin, Texas from August 29-30, 2018. Learn more and register here.
Fall 2018
The Fall 2018 Friends Alliance Meeting will be held at Glacier National Park from October 8-12, 2018. Learn more about the meeting here.
Fall 2019
The Friends Alliance is currently accepting host applications for the 2019 fall Friends Alliance meeting. All applications are due by September 12, 2018. Click here to download an application form to host the 2019 Fall Friends Alliance meeting. Please contact Marya Skotte at [email protected] with questions about hosting.
Learn More
For more information about the Friends Alliance or to sign up for the monthly Park Partners newsletter, please email [email protected].
