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GCC Appoints New Board Leadership and Welcomes Five New Board Members

Grand Canyon Conservancy welcomes new board members enriching the diverse team of 18 business and community leaders from across the United States.

Sunset Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, Ariz.—Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC), the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, proudly announces the appointment of new leadership and the addition of five distinguished board members. Randall Brown assumes the role of Board Chair, accompanied by Scott Key as Vice Chair. David Cermak, Pamela Kerr, Samantha Phillips Beers, Jessica Turner, and Kevin Washburn join the board, further enriching GCC's diverse team of 18 business and community leaders from across the United States. Committed to fostering a deep appreciation for Grand Canyon National Park, these individuals exemplify GCC's mission to inspire and support generations of park champions.

Randall Brown, Dallas, Texas, Board Chair
Randall Brown brings 35+ years of legal expertise to GCC. He is a partner at Haynes Boone, an international corporate law firm, and served as chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group for 15 years. His dedication to volunteer efforts includes serving as the Dallas Opera’s audit committee chair. A passionate advocate for the canyon, Randy has completed nine backpacking trips and four river trips since his first visit in 2003. He has served on the board since 2020 and continues to champion projects to improve Indigenous affairs within the park as well as the restoration of trails and park facilities to preserve this indescribable and stunning natural Wonder of the World.

Scott Key, San Francisco, Calif., Board Vice Chair
Scott Key is a visionary retail CEO known for driving success through customer focus, innovation, and digital transformation, having founded and scaled three businesses to over $1B in net sales. His achievements include leading the transformation of David's Bridal while diversifying business lines and establishing industry-leading divisions at Gap Inc., such as ATHLETA. Committed to social good, Scott has raised over $50M for nonprofit organizations and serves on multiple boards. Scott’s career journey began in the nonprofit sector (American Cancer Society), where he witnessed firsthand the profound impact skilled professionals have on advancing a non-profit’s mission. His decision to join the Board of Directors at Grand Canyon Conservancy is driven by a desire to connect people with the natural world while supporting educational and conservation goals.

David Cermak, Denver, Colo.
David retired from Vanguard in 2022. He has over 35 years of financial and leadership experience, having worked for some of the largest firms in the industry, holding executive positions in North America, Europe, and Asia. During his career, he built a reputation for his global outlook, leadership, innovative and strategic thinking, and operational excellence. Since 2022, David has served as an advisor for the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance and worked as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He holds an M.B.A. in Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and a B.A. in International Studies from The University of Colorado Boulder. He also holds executive education certificates from Harvard Business School and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. David is passionate about global travel, motorcycle riding, hiking, and exploring national parks.

Pamela Kerr, Tucson, Ariz.
With a degree from Manhattanville University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Pam designed, implemented, and marketed the Health/Environment Management System (HEMS) for Amoco Corporation and Amoco Computer Services. She served on the Association of Junior Leagues’ International Board of Directors and Chaired the Nominating Committee. Pam was District Governor of District 6440 (70 Rotary Clubs in Northeastern Illinois) for Rotary International in 2008–2009. In her district, Pam chaired and co-chaired the HealthRays Rotary Project, bringing digital X-ray capability to public health clinics in Guatemala. She is a Life Member of the Illinois St. Andrew Society. Pam is passionate about broadening the message of the Indigenous cultures and histories at Grand Canyon and making the messages accessible to all who come to Grand Canyon from around the world. Now retired, she and her husband, Andy, share a love of Grand Canyon and its geology and enjoy discovering the art and history of those who have called the canyon home.  

Samantha Phillips Beers, Philadelphia, Pa.
Samantha Phillips Beers is an attorney with Steptoe and Johnson PLLC, with over 30 years of significant experience in environmental law, climate, policy, and sustainable economic development. She spent over 30 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she spent most of her career managing the enforcement, environmental justice, tribal, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) programs. Samantha has decades of experience successfully collaborating with multiple stakeholders to identify and mitigate environmental and public health concerns to enable equitable development. She is an avid outdoors advocate, finding peace in movement whether city hiking in Philadelphia, New York, Lisbon, or Rome or more rugged surroundings like the Adirondacks and Grand Canyon National Park. Samantha earned a B.A. from Haverford College and a Law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. She is a proud mother and grandmother currently living in the University City section of Philadelphia.

Jessica Turner, Baltimore, Md.
Jessica (Wahl) Turner is the first President of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), America’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations, businesses, and organizations, and Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Association (ORRA). Under her leadership, ORR has connected all segments of the outdoor recreation economy to pass historical legislation like the Explore Act and the Great American Outdoors Act and achieve millions of dollars in funding for public lands, waters, and rural gateway communities. Jessica has over a decade of experience navigating the halls of The White House, the Department of the Interior (DOI), Capitol Hill, state recreation offices, and outdoor lifestyle brands. Prior to ORR, she directed the Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) outdoor recreation portfolio in Washington D.C., where she successfully gained landmark government recognition of outdoor recreation’s contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product as one of America’s leading industry sectors. Jessica began her career at the Department of the Interior where she managed external relations for the Secretary, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Outside and Let’s Move! in Indian Country initiatives. She is also the co-founder and past chair of the Coalition for Outdoor Access, serves on the Board of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, and has been recognized for her leadership in D.C. and the outdoor industry with the Hill’s Top Lobbyist and Outdoors’ 30 Under 30. Jessica has an M.A. and B.A. in American Government from Georgetown University and is a passionate outdoorswoman.

Kevin Washburn, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Kevin Washburn is a law professor who has spent about half of his career in academia and half in federal public service. He has served as dean of the University of Iowa College of Law and the University of New Mexico Law School and served on the law faculties at the University of Minnesota and the University of Arizona. He also spent a year as the Oneida Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School. He will join the UC Berkeley law faculty as a professor in the fall of 2025. Kevin began his career as an environmental and natural resources attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and then as a federal prosecutor in New Mexico. He also served as the third General Counsel of the National Indian Gaming Commission. In President Obama’s second term, he served as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Later, he led the transition team for the Department of the Interior when the Biden-Harris Administration took office. He has also served on the State Department’s Advisory Council on International (Public) Law. As an academic, Kevin’s research has focused on criminal justice in Indian country, Indian gaming, and more recently, Indigenous conservation, including tribal co-management of federal public lands and “land back” for tribal nations. He is the co-editor-in-chief of the 2024 edition of Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law. His work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous other courts. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Oklahoma and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal on Regulation. He is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and spent most of his childhood on or near the Chickasaw Reservation in Oklahoma.

About Grand Canyon Conservancy:  
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 generations of park champions to cherish and support the natural and cultural wonder of Grand Canyon.

See also: Grand Canyon Conservancy Announces New CEO, Elizabeth Silkes

Originally Published: 01-24-2025 Last Updated: 02-16-2025