For a cleaner, more prosperous world, ACC mobilizes conservatives around environmental issues, fostering collaboration in the pursuit of environmental conservation.
Date: July 11, 2025
Contact: Karly Matthews / karly@acc.eco
Benji Backer Steps Down as Executive Chairman of ACC’s Board
WASHINGTON – American Conservation Coalition Founder Benji Backer has stepped down from his role as Executive Chairman of ACC’s Board of Directors to focus his time and effort on his new venture, Nature Is Nonpartisan.
Mr. Backer founded ACC as a freshman at the University of Washington in 2017 and guided the organization through six years of growth before stepping down as president in 2023. Throughout his time at the helm of ACC, Mr. Backer was honored for his efforts by the likes of Forbes 30 Under 30, GreenBiz, and Grist. In 2024, Mr. Backer published The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future to tell the story of his advocacy.
ACC CEO Danielle Franz said, “We’re deeply grateful for Benji’s vision and tireless leadership — both at ACC and throughout the conservative environmental movement. His voice and ideas have shaped this space in ways that will long outlast any role or title. We wish him every success in this next chapter and look forward to seeing where his passion leads.”
Backer said, “As ACC’s founder, it has been a privilege to help oversee the organization’s transition from our early days to where the current team has brought it today — into a stable, effective, and long-lasting institution. It’s incredible what this team has accomplished in the two years since [I left as] its full-time leader, and I remain incredibly confident in the current team to continue that progress.”
Backer will remain a member of ACC’s Board of Directors, and we look forward to a fruitful partnership with Nature Is Nonpartisan through the Make America Beautiful Coalition.
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