Theresa A. Perenich
Hagood Brings Different Perspectives to Governing Council
J. H. Peters Karen C. Petrilla Beverly Phillips Colin S. Phipps Cynthia and Richard Plank Nancy Plaxico Wendy Shattuck and Sam Plimpton Sidney Posel Helen Posey Philip Preston Markita Price Martin R. Prince, M.D. Beatrice and Leonard Prosnitz Alice J. Purcell Janina Quint Robert R. Quintero Mary B. Demere Raae Marjorie B. Rachlin Susan Ott and David Ralph Judith Randal Joe L. Randles Sara Ransford Carolyn and Will Ratliff Eileen and Charles Read William W. Reed Monique M. Regard Anne and Scott Reines Virginia Poole and John Rentzepis Phyllis Reynolds Ruth S. Rich Linda Ridenour Anne Powell Riley Alice M. Rivlin Timothy A. Robert Barbara Parish and Gary Roberts Sandra A. Adams and Tom D. Roberts
© Brad Christensen/NOLS
E. A. Phillips
Wilderness Society board member Reginald “Flip” Hagood estimates that he’s been to the Grand Canyon 50 times, mainly during the years he spent directing ranger training for the National Park Service. But that natural treasure still revs his engines. Hagood’s love of nature was born early, even though he grew up on the streets of Washington, D.C. “My friends and I put together these little makeshift boats and paddled around the Anacostia River,” he recalls. “One night when I was 11, on a dare, a few of us had our first over-night on an island out there. We survived. “My grandfather also was very influential in developing my love of nature. Up until I was 15 and had jobs, I spent my summers with him in rural Anderson County, South Carolina. It was an introduction to animals and to fishing.” He became a Boy Scout and vividly remembers camping trips to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. But Hagood did not picture himself pursuing a career in nature. As a college student at Howard University, he majored in education and criminal justice. After graduation in 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served 14 months in Vietnam, earning the Purple Heart medal. Back in Washington, Hagood started a master’s program at American University and found work as a policeman with the National Park Service. Before long he became “enamored” of the national parks and, after earning his degree, stuck with the agency. Hagood became a park ranger, with a law enforcement orientation. During a 30-year career with the Park Service, he eventually moved up to become chief of employee development and training.
Retiring in 1995, Hagood made a natural transition to the Student Conservation Association (SCA), which provides college and high school-aged youngsters with hands-on conservation service opportunities, many of them in national parks. Today he is a senior vice president, focusing on strategic initiatives and business development. Ten years ago Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows asked Hagood to join our Governing Council, the 36-member body that governs the organization. “It was a great honor,” he recalls. “I had been aware of The Wilderness Society from my days teaching rangers about the Wilderness Act. When you do that you can’t help but learn about the central role that The Wilderness Society played in creating the Wilderness System.” Hagood, like all members of the council, relishes the opportunity to promote stewardship of the lands that belong to the American people. In addition, he has a special interest in broadening the constituency of those who care about those places. “I am passionate about changing the face of conservation,” he says. In particular, he wants to engage young Americans and people of color—including his five-year-old granddaughter. He also serves on the boards of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL), and the Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL). Hagood manages to carve out some time to lecture, mainly about diversity and natural resources, at Howard, the University of Vermont, Michigan, American University, Harvard, the University of Maryland, and other schools. “When I began with The Wilderness Society,” Hagood says, “I was immediately impressed by the staff’s expertise and credibility. I also have come to realize what an effective partner the organization is. It’s a group that doesn’t worry so much about getting credit and focuses more on finding a collaborative way to achieve its goals.”
Larry Rockefeller Annual Report 2010 I 23