Gen Y and the Great Outdoors

August 21, 2013 by Tamara Bell

Christine Fanning is executive director of The Outdoor Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering future generations of outdoor enthusiasts and environmental stewards. Prior to joining The Outdoor Foundation, Christine was Vice-President of Partnerships for the Case Foundation, created by AOL founder Steve Case, and served as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for The Conservation Fund, a national environmental organization. Christine holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelors of Science in Marketing from the University of Maryland.

Christine joins Keeping Up with Gen Y to talk about the inherent benefits of the outdoors, that you don’t have to climb Mount Everest to improve your body, mind, and spirit. She also explains why the Gen Y leaders of tomorrow need to experience outdoor recreation today to better understand how to protect our nation’s landscapes, waterways, and parks for not only their generation but beyond.

Filed Under: World Tagged With: Christine Fanning, environment, exercise, gen y, Keeping Up with Gen Y, outdoors, tamara bell, The Outdoor Foundation

About Tamara Bell

Tamara Bell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Y Gen Out Loud, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that provides a platform for Generation Yto discuss national politics and public policy issues.

Tamara began her journalism career as a staff reporter for the Dallas Times Herald. A few years later, she moved to York, Pa., as a political reporter for the York Dispatch, covering local, state, and national government as well as writing investigative stories for the mid-sized daily newspaper.

A Texas girl at heart, Tamara returned to Dallas a year later to work as press relations director for the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. John Bryant. The next year, she moved to Austin and the Texas Legislature, where she stayed for 15 years. While at the Legislature, Tamara worked for Democratic House members as Chief-of-Staff and Press Secretary, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by a Republicansenator.

In 1996, Tamara became co-owner of a political newsletter covering state issues and elections. As Editor-in-Chief, Tamara helped shape the weekly publication into a must-read for state officials, legislative aides, and lobbyists. More recently, Tamara wrote a regular column analyzing coverage by the Texas Capitol Press Corps for an online political publication. She also works as a lecturer in the Advertising Department at The University of Texasat Austin.

Tamara has also been a judge for the 2010 Bright Ideas Award given by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, served as a panelist at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Region 8 Conference where the theme was How to Save Journalism, and has been a guest lecture for the Advertising Department’s Internship course, speaking about the jobs outlook for graduating seniors.

Tamara earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She resides in Austin with her son, Jackson.

Tamara Bell is also the Host of Keeping Up with Gen Y on WomensRadio. Keeping Up with Gen Y offers discussions, interviews, and commentary about important issues of the day from the perspective of Generation Y (18-to 30-years-old). Aimed at all generations interested in learning about and inspiring young people, this show features professionals, experts, researchers, and members of Gen Y who share insights and experiences about the topics on the minds of today’s young adults.