Stacy Bare

Stacy Bare is a husband, father, and often falls while playing outside on his bike, skis, or paddle board. He is currently the Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. He served in the Army, was stationed in Germany, and spent time in Bosnia, Iraq, Angola, and Abkhazia. Two of those four countries he served in as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) tech. He has climbed in Angola, led the first recorded expedition to ski the tallest mountain in Iraq, and has skied in Kyrgyzstan, Japan, and Afghanistan. He has made some films, won some awards, done some research on the power of the outdoors, figure skated in elementary school, and written for a few outdoorsy publications. 

He is now most committed to ensuring everyone in GR has access to the transformative power of nature through increasing the relevancy of parks, building more trails, planting more trees, and improving the health of the forests we have. He has a Bachelors in Philosophy from the University of Mississippi and a Masters in City Planning / Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania.