Teamwork, Leadership, and Impact
Leadership and impact show up in many ways—but at the heart of both is teamwork. Recently, I had the joy of seeing that truth play out in two very different but equally inspiring celebrations of sports and leadership.
Last month, Seattle Reign FC honored Shawna Rosenzweig of Camp Fire (an LBC Action partner) with their Legend Award. Shawna’s leadership shines in how she brings community partners together and empowers young people through transformational outdoor experiences. She’s also coached her child’s youth basketball team, and it’s clear that the lessons you need to succeed in sports—discipline, perseverance, teamwork—are the same ones she has carried into her leadership at Camp Fire. It was wonderful to celebrate with Shawna and her family as she received this well-deserved recognition.
Then on Sunday, my daughter Amelie and I joined the crowd at Lumen Field as Seattle Sounders FC defeated the Lionel Messi–led Inter Miami to win the Leagues Cup 3–0. The Sounders showed determination, discipline, and desire—but above all, they demonstrated the power of teamwork and collaboration to achieve something great.
Legendary coach John Wooden once said, “In any group activity—whether it be business, sports, or family—there has to be leadership or it won’t be successful.” Last week reminded me of how true that is.
At LBC Action, we’re honored to learn from leaders like Shawna Rosenzweig and to celebrate the impact of their success in building stronger, more connected communities.
Open Pathways Project Convening
On September 10th, multiple LBC Action partners convened at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center in Seattle’s Discovery Park for the Washington Open Pathways Project, a platform led by Fresh Tracks and the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions that seeks to bring leaders together across programming, policy, and philanthropy, break down barriers between sectors, and catalyze deeper collaboration, with a goal of elevating the outdoors as a tool for community wellbeing. We are so grateful at LBC Action to find that purpose with our community of leaders and look forward to more collaboration and impact together. Thank you to LBC Action partners Juan Martinez (Fresh Tracks, Aspen Institute), Courtney Aber (Y Outdoors), Erik Stegman (Native Americans in Philanthropy), and Dylan McDowell (National Caucus of Environmental Legislators) for your leadership!
From Collaboration to Action: Interwoven Futures in NYC
Breaking silos to create positive social change is at the heart of what we strive for at LBC Action. In September, at the Interwoven Futures convening in New York City (hosted by the Doris Duke Foundation), we saw that vision in action. LBC Action partners Fresh Tracks Action, Aspen Forum for Community Solutions (AFCS), Native Americans in Philanthropy, and Camp Fire, alongside the Center for Native American Youth, came together with philanthropic partners such as Annie E. Casey Foundation and the National Recreation Foundation to strengthen Indigenous youth leadership in outdoor stewardship with community wellbeing as the foundation.
NCEL Annual Forum and Strategic Plan
LBC Action was honored to attend the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) Annual Forum in Boston. Under the leadership of CEO Dylan McDowell, the 2025 Forum brought together 170+ legislators from 40 states and territories to exchange ideas and explore policy pathways on climate, energy, conservation, and environmental health. Recently, LBC Action, in collaboration with Proximity Consulting, also supported Dylan and NCEL with the implementation of a new Strategic Plan. This strategic plan reflects NCEL’s central commitment to further empowering state legislators as environmental champions. It is a roadmap designed to meet the urgency of our time with clarity, ambition, and action.
