Len Necefer

Len Necefer is a member of the Navajo Nation and the founder and owner of NativesOutdoors, which shares the photos and stories of indigenous people outdoors and in outdoor recreation. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas, and is a graduate of the United World College of the American West. His current research interest focus upon the intersection of society, culture, and technical environmental and energy system modeling. In his free time Len is an avid mountaineer, climber, cyclist, and amateur race car driver and mechanic.

“When I got into bouldering, my friends said, ‘Why are you doing that? It’s a white-person thing.’ I started NativesOutdoors to redefine what it means to be outdoors as a native person. Whatever gets you out—hunting, climbing, herb gathering, sheepherding—it’s valid.“

Len is a member of the 2017 Emerging Leaders Program.