Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC), the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, has re-appointed Mitchell Walker as Board Chair and Shantini Munthree as Vice Chair for 2023. GCC has also elected three new board members, Rich Rudow, Mick Rusing, and Stephanie Sklar.
Grand Canyon Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, raising private funds, operating retail shops within the park, and providing educational programs about the natural and cultural history of the region. Our members fund projects including trails and historic building preservation, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat. Grand Canyon Conservancy inspires people to protect and enhance Grand Canyon National Park for present and future generations. GCC’s volunteer board includes 20 business and community leaders from across the United States who commit their time and expertise to further GCC’s mission of inspiring generations of park champions to cherish and support Grand Canyon National Park.
“We’re excited to begin 2023 with three new board members and strong board leadership. These additions will bring diverse expertise and insight to our efforts to safeguard this precious natural resource and its connected communities,” said Theresa McMullan, Chief Executive Officer of GCC.
Michael J. (Mick) Rusing graduated from Stanford Law School and is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers, practicing law for 40 years. Mick currently practices in Tucson, Arizona, as a Managing Partner of Rusing Lopez & Lizardi. In addition to being a trial lawyer, Mick is a Charter Member of the Arizona Antelope Foundation and a Life Member of the Desert Bighorn Sheep Society. In 2006, Mick was named Environmentalist of the Year by the Arizona Game & Fish Commission. Mick is a Trustee of the Pima Air & Space Museum and an Advisory Board Member of the Steele Children’s Research Center. Mick’s love of the Canyon began during his formative years when he visited the Havasupai reservation with his boy scout troop. Over the years, Mick hiked to the Canyon numerous times, including, most recently, a rim-to-rim trek with his three brothers. He has also enjoyed multiple river trips down the Colorado River and has fished Lee’s Ferry innumerable times.