Jeff Parker is the Executive Director of Northwest Youth Corps, based in Eugene, Oregon. Started in 1984, NYC works throughout a 4 state area, serving over 1,000 diverse youth and young adults each year in outdoor conservation programs that combine education, community, leadership, empowerment, and challenge. NYC operates residential backcountry crews, community based corps programs, a fully accredited alternative high school, and a 2 acre organic farm. Each year, NYC crews and interns complete over 190,000 hours of conservation projects for public land management agencies, including trail construction and maintenance, invasive plant eradication, fuels reduction, and stream restoration. Jeff holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington and an MS in Environmental Science from the Evergreen State College. He is a Co-Chair of the Public Lands Service Coalition Steering Committee, a Member of the Corps Network Board of Directors, and served as a member of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Federal Advisory Committee. He began his career in conservation work in 1994. He is the proud father of two boys and loves to call the wild places in the Pacific Northwest home.