North Star Stewards

The North Star Stewards (NSS) will serve as the primary governance body of the ROOT Hub—responsible for stewarding the mission, values, and long-term direction of a national, community-centered movement.

We are currently looking for movement leaders, philanthropic partners, community-based leaders, and/or policy & advocacy experts to become North Star Stewards. The application period to join ROOT’s permanent governance body is closed.

The North Star Stewards (NSS) bring the voice, lived experience, and accountability of the broader field* into governance. This role ensures that decisions remain grounded in community realities, organizational leadership, and the collective power of the movement. The field includes organizations and leaders working on outdoor access and environmental learning who represent grassroots, grasstops, and research entities at the national, state, and local levels across multiple U.S. geographies.

This is an opportunity to:

  • Help shape a national model for community-led governance

  • Influence how resources, strategy, and power flow across the field

  • Ensure that the ROOT Hub remains grounded in community, equity, and lived experience

  • Build alignment across grassroots, community-rooted, grasstops, policy, advocacy, research, and funding partners in service of the Hub’s North Star

  • Contribute to building something that lasts beyond any one group or moment

  • Ensure that movement-wide participation strengthens, rather than dilutes, community-rooted priorities and frontline leadership

Role Description

For the full role description, click here

Q & A

  • North Star Stewards (NSS) are the primary governance body for ROOT Hub, an initiative that works to establish movement infrastructure to accelerate and expand movement-wide federal advocacy to support ROOT’s North Star, securing the benefits of environmental learning and equitable access to the outdoors as a human right for all young people — especially for youth and children of color. NSS are responsible for stewarding ROOT’s mission, values, and long-term direction and ensuring alignment with the North Star.

  • We seek leaders who are committed to – and part of – organizations that work to secure the benefits of environmental learning and equitable access to the outdoors as a human right for all young people – especially for children and youth of color. This 11-seat cohort will be made up of five (5) seats representing organizations embedded in communities, two (2) seats representing policy- and advocacy-focused organizations, three (3)  seats representing philanthropic entities, and one (1) seat for the Hosting Organization (Justice Outside).

  • Much remains to be decided to define ROOT’s long-term strategic policy and advocacy direction for federal-level impact. North Star Stewards will have the opportunity to help shape and establish ROOT’s infrastructure and policy agenda to strengthen the environmental learning and equitable outdoor access fields. ROOT Hub, which in ideation and development since 2023, launched in June 2026 and is in a development stage.

  • This is a 2-year term opportunity expected to begin this fall. Applicants who are advanced to a NSS role, can expect to spend ~70-120 hours per year, which includes virtual and in-person meetings as well as independent work. Hours may vary month to month, with some months being busier than others. We will look to the NSS, once established, to help define this work.  The role description offers a more detailed description of time commitment and related details.

  • NSS will be decided by ROOT Hub’s Selection Committee - a group of movement leaders who have been involved in different capacities across the initiative to date. These individuals have served as Seeding Circle members, Advisory Group members, and/or active in research and collaborative listening sessions, etc. They are leaders with diverse expertise, ranging from community engagement, at the local and regional levels, to federal advocacy to philanthropy. The Selection Committee will follow a selection process that includes independent review of applications, group discussion, and decision-making.

  • The deadline to apply has been extended to September 16, followed by a selection period and an expected announcement by October 7, 2026. Applicants should keep in mind a mandatory virtual orientation session will be held, along with onboarding dates in the fall of 2026 and an in-person retreat, travel inclusive, in February 2027.

  • Reach out to initiative@justiceoutside.org for any additional questions or concerns. You'll be connected to our facilitation team for support. Also, be sure to visit  www.WeAreROOTHub.org/north-star-stewards for more detailed information!