Mickey Fearn
Professor of the Practice (2013–2020), College of Natural Resources
Deputy Director for Communications and Community Assistance (2008–2013), National Park Service

Bio

Mickey Fearn has been a public servant and parks, recreation and conservation professional for over 50 years. He served as a professor of the practice in NC State’s College of Natural Resources from 2013 until 2020.

From 2009 to 2013, he served as the National Park Service’s Deputy Director for Communications and Community Assistance. His responsibilities included community engagement and outreach, communications, public affairs, strategic planning, youth programs, international affairs, partnerships, legislative and congressional affairs, policy and state and local assistance programs.

Before his tenure at the National Park Service, Mickey worked in Seattle. As Director of Innovation, he managed the creative energy of Seattle’s 10,000 employee workforce. He created and facilitated a city-wide idea management system, and created and led Seattle Facilitative Leadership Institute. As Executive Director of the Neighborhood Leadership Program, he established a citizens’ university to improve public process and relationships between Seattle residents and their elected officials. In addition, he led Seattle’s transformation to inclusionary public engagement. As manager of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice, he created the architecture for the country’s initial municipal equity initiative, leading the Mayor’s initiative to end racism and create equity in the City of Seattle. He also served as Director of Communications and Citizen Engagement in the Department of Parks and Recreation.

In addition, Mickey led the creation of the architecture to end youth violence in the City of Seattle and developed programs connecting young people with nature. Mickey served as a Washington State Parks and Recreation Commissioner for 12 years. Prior to his work in Seattle, he also worked for the Governor of California, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, as Community Outreach Specialist. He served the Mayor of Oakland, CA, as the Coordinator of Special Projects, Community Outreach and Community Organization.

Mickey has served on the Boards of Directors of Groundwork USA, the City Parks Alliance, the Core Network, Northbay Environmental Learning Center, SHIFT, the Board of Advisors for the University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Natural Resources, and on the State Park Leadership School Board of Regents. Mickey earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Sacramento and his Master of Science Degree from the University of Oregon.

The Race and Place seminar series is intended to highlight research that contextualizes race by speaking to environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the geographical and geospatial sciences.