BIPOC Outdoors Summit & Rest Retreat

Alice Jasper

Alice Jasper is a sustainability professional and outdoor enthusiast. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Alice relocated to Michigan, where she attended college at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula before putting down roots in Grand Rapids, MI. Today, Alice is the creator, producer, and host of "Color Out Here", a media platform and community organizing project intended to explore the opportunities and barriers to inclusion faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship. Color Out Here works to build access and belonging in Nature for BIPOC through public learning, amplifying representation, and examining the braided narratives of 'place'.

Lance Woods

Lance Woods is a Detroit native and co-founder of WeRun313, one of the world’s largest run clubs. A graduate of Tennessee State University, he returned to Detroit to focus on community health and also worked as an educator. As an ASICS Global ambassador and elite marathoner, he has completed all six Abbott World Marathon Majors with sub-three-hour averages. His impact has earned multiple honors, including the 2025 Community Game Changer Award from the Rhonda Walker Foundation.

Jean Alicia Elster

Jean Alicia Elster is a 2017 Kresge Fellow, award-winning author, and former attorney whose historical fiction brings family oral histories to life. For over forty years, she and her family have returned to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—exploring places like Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and Little Presque Isle—shaping a deep connection to the Great Lakes landscape. Drawing on these experiences, she contributed to Black Summers: Growing Up in the Urban Outdoors, helping to preserve and share Black stories of nature, recreation, and belonging.

Grant Gliniecki

Grant Gliniecki is the founder and president of Hiitigan, an Anishnaabe community garden in Lansing, Michigan, dedicated to cultivating Indigenous foodways, language, nature engagement, and science in an urban setting. Grand also serves as the Outdoor Policy Coordinator for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, supporting work focused on outdoor recreation, access, equity, and Tribal-state relationships. With degrees from the University of Rochester and Michigan State University, Grant's work centers on Indigenous science, outdoor engagement, an dusing recreation to build connection, equity, and environmental stewardship. 

Lorena Aguayo-Marquez

Lorena Aguayo-Marquez is the Community Impact Manager at WGVU Public Media, where she leads initiatives that amplify diverse voices, foster community impact, and address critiical issues through storytelling, partnerships, and outreach. Her work centers on Color Out Here, Mutually inclusive, and Living West Michigan, segments that strengthen belonging through engaging storytelling. Outside of WGBU, Lorena leads Latino Outdoors GR, creating inclusive outdoor experiences that celebrate culture and community. Passionate about equity, social impact, and connection, she builds bridges between media, nature, and underrepresented voices across Michigan.