Ángel Peña

Ángel Peña is a visionary leader and architect of equitable conservation initiatives across the United States. A first-generation Mexican American raised in the Río Bravo Valley and father of four, he has dedicated his career to ensuring that historically excluded communities have a voice in shaping a conservation movement rooted in justice, science, and innovation. As the founding Executive Director of the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Ángel has led transformative efforts to close the “nature gap,” championing access to the outdoors as a birthright rather than a privilege. He has played key roles in the creation of the New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund, the protection of landscapes such as Castner Range, Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks, and Bears Ears National Monuments, and the advancement of national legislation to expand outdoor equity.

A founding member of the Next 100 Coalition, Ángel helped secure a Presidential Memorandum requiring federal land agencies to advance diversity and inclusion in public lands management. He is also a driving force behind the America the Beautiful for All Coalition and the Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E. initiative, both of which center the voices of communities of color and other marginalized communities in national conservation policy and access to the outdoors. With more than 15 years of experience in conservation and grassroots leadership, Ángel continues to collaborate with federal and state agencies, Tribal Nations, and community organizations to enshrine equity in the nation’s conservation agenda. Grounded in empathy, authenticity, and his family’s history as immigrant laborers and landscapers, he sees conservation as both community-building and legacy-keeping—connecting people to land and to one another through justice-driven action, shared heritage, and belonging.