Lise Aangeenbrug

As chief program officer at the National Park Foundation, Lise Aangeenbrug oversees the Foundation’s programmatic strategy for protecting parks, connecting people to the natural and cultural heritage parks preserve, and strengthening the extensive national network of nonprofit partners that support the more than 430 national parks across the country. 

Under her leadership, NPF’s program teams work closely with the National Park Service to increase pace, scale, innovation, and impact at a crucial time for our nation’s park system.  Funding from NPF helps NPS deliver on its mission, including addressing employee housing shortages, building strong local philanthropic partners, and expanding opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience parks. Lise is a strong champion of partnerships to develop programs and deliver results.  

Lise has been committed to conservation, outdoor recreation, and access to the outdoors for more than 30 years. As executive director, she led both Great Outdoors Colorado and the Outdoor Industry Association. She also served as executive vice president at NPF between 2016 and 2018.

She has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Land Trust Alliance, Resources Legacy Fund, Global Dental Relief, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, and a mentor for City Year Denver. 

Lise lives in Washington, D.C. and Granby, Colorado. She was raised in Kansas and still has an affinity for grasslands, farmlands, and rolling hills, as well as the mountains, rivers, and wetlands near her current homes.  She is fortunate to have regular access to both an urban national park, Rock Creek, and Colorado’s iconic Rocky Mountain National Park, where she spends as much time as she can hiking and camping.