April 6, 2023, Golden, CO—The American Alpine Club (AAC) Board of Directors has named Ben Gabriel as the organization’s next executive director, effective April 17. Gabriel brings significant policy and advocacy and strategic leadership experience to the Club, having served as executive director for Wild Montana since 2017. Before joining Wild Montana, he was executive director of Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico.
“My physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is all based on my initial connection to climbing,” Gabriel said. “That’s what excites me most about coming back, full circle, to the American Alpine Club—re-engaging and serving this community that has been so transformational for me and helped me set myself on my current career path.”
The AAC Board of Directors selected Gabriel after an extensive search led by the Isaacson, Miller search firm and an internal board committee. The groups prioritized an equitable process to identify a passionate climber with the requisite experience to lead the AAC into its future.
AAC President Graham Zimmerman shared excitement about the organization’s position and potential moving forward, saying, “Board members Pete Ward and Jamie Logan took on the role of interim director during a critical time for the organization. Through strong crisis management, operational excellence, staff mentorship, and decisive leadership they have left the organization in far better condition than they found it.
Subsequently, our new executive director, Ben Gabriel, is well-positioned to drive this organization into the future. I am joined by the rest of the board in being very excited for this next phase of the AAC and exceptionally confident in Ben’s ability to lead us into the future that we envision for this organization.”
“The American Alpine Club is in a great business position now and I am excited for its future supporting and leading the climbing community,” said Ward, who served as interim director for the last year. “We are lucky to have an amazing staff, a visionary board of directors led by Graham Zimmerman, and now, we are privileged to welcome Ben Gabriel as he leads the AAC into the next leg of its journey. Ben is a proven leader and I look forward to supporting him and the AAC for many years to come.”
Wild Montana President Tim Lynch expressed appreciation for Gabriel’s tenure, saying “We can’t thank Ben enough for the leadership, innovation, and dogged energy he brought to Wild Montana during his 5 years as our executive director. In that time, he led the organization through the process of rebranding, greatly expanded our capacity and effectiveness, and steered us through some extremely challenging times. Even during those times, the organization protected hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlands, led several successful efforts to increase conservation funding at the state and national levels, and played a crucial role in helping reform the federal oil and gas leasing system. We’re sad to see him go, but wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.”
Gabriel expressed optimism for the Club’s potential in the coming years and commented “I feel that there’s a lot at stake now between rapidly changing climate, attacks on public lands, and decreasing access to some of our favorite places. I think the climbing community can share a lot of the lessons they’ve learned and educate the public more broadly. It’s a unique role that the American Alpine Club will be able to play into the future.”
About the American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose vision is a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes. Together with our members, the AAC advocates for American climbers domestically and around the world; fosters an inclusive climbing community; provides grants and volunteer opportunities to protect and conserve the places we climb; hosts local and national climbing festivals and events; publishes three of the world’s most sought-after climbing annuals, the American Alpine Journal, Accidents in North American Mountaineering, and The Guidebook; cares for the world’s leading climbing library and country’s leading mountaineering museum; manages five campgrounds as part of a larger lodging network for climbers; and annually gives $80,000+ toward climbing, conservation, and research grants that fund adventurers who travel the world. Learn more and become a member at americanalpineclub.org.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Shane Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer
sjohnson@americanalpineclub.org
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