The Appalachian Mountain Club, a national leader in promoting outdoor recreation and conservation, is to name its first new chief executive in 23 years today.
The Boston-based organization, which has more than 100,000 members and supporters, has hired John D. Judge, a seasoned nonprofit leader, as its next president and chief executive.
Judge says his primary goal is getting more young people and their families exposed to the wonders of the natural world, at a time of increasing concerns about issues such as childhood obesity and living in a digital-media world.
“A huge challenge for the AMC and our country is how we connect young people to the outdoors experience,’’ Judge said at the organization’s Beacon Hill headquarters this week.
Judge will take over for departing president Andrew Falender on Feb. 1.
Founded in Boston in 1876, the AMC boasts a dozen regional chapters stretching from Maine to Washington, D.C., 1,500 miles of hiking trails, thousands of wilderness acres under its stewardship, and a $50 million endowment.
It is currently wrapping up a $52 million capital campaign to fund its Maine Woods Initiative, which has conserved 66,500 acres in the state’s 100-Mile Wilderness region, managing more than 90 miles of hiking and skiing trails there, and maintaining three year-round lodges open to the public.
Judge, 44, says a top priority will be making AMC resources available to more urban families.
“The local piece is the key,’’ said Judge, who recently served as chief development officer for the city of Springfield as it went through receivership. “Not everyone can or will drive three hours to hike in the White Mountains. But by getting an adult or young person outdoors even once, issues like conservation become more visceral.’’
AMC board chairwoman Laurie Gabriel says Judge brings a strong combination of skills to the job, having worked extensively with youth organizations and nonprofits. Another plus is Judge’s passion for outdoor recreation. An avid hiker, biker, and camper, he will be expected to conduct AMC business on trail hikes and canoe trips, not just in conference rooms and at downtown luncheons where corporate ties are typically forged.
More important, Gabriel said, the board identified several emerging trends as it searched for a new leader, a process that began in earnest 18 months ago. One trend was “changing demographics,’’ as she put it, “from being a so-called white man’s hiking club to something more diverse.’’
Judge comes aboard one year into a 10-year growth plan the AMC implemented in 2010. It, too, is ambitious. One provision calls for building its constituency to 500,000 members – dues payers, guests, volunteers, and donors – by employing tools such as social media and Web-programming capacity. At present, 40 percent of those who “like’’ AMC on Facebook have no formal connection to the organization, staff members say. Annual memberships cost $50 for individuals and $75 for families; members receive a 20 percent discount on stays at AMC huts and lodges, plus reduced prices on AMC books and merchandise.
Another goal is getting a half-million young people involved with outdoors activities annually, a tenfold increase above current levels. Some would be served directly by AMC programs, while others would participate through partnerships with youth organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs and scouting groups. To help accomplish this, the AMC will build on current initiatives like its Youth Opportunities Program, which serves urban and at-risk youth and its Teen Wilderness Adventures and Mountain Classroom programs.
When Falender arrived, in 1989, the AMC’s endowment was under $4 million and its staff was half its current size. The organization now employs 145 full-time and 300 seasonal staff members. Another 16,000 volunteers contribute more than 500,000 work hours each year.
Falender says he is looking forward to completion of several projects already underway. One is the Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway network, a 220-mile trail loop circling Greater Boston, Lawrence, and Lowell. By situating more trails near these areas, more families will be able to enjoy them without having to travel far, or so the AMC hopes.
“It’s really a great time and a huge opportunity for John,’’ Falender said. “In this day and age, with kids so tied to their computers, it’s even more important to get them outside and experiencing the joy and wonder they’ve been missing out on.’’
Judge, who grew up in Dorchester and Milton, graduated from Stonehill College and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Before relocating to Springfield, he ran the Boston chapter of Habitat for Humanity. He also founded and ran a real-estate development firm focused on Boston’s urban neighborhoods.
A former Eagle Scout, Judge, who has moved to South Boston, has also worked closely with scouting groups and with Goodwill Industries. From 2001 to 2004, he served as state chairman of the Massachusetts Commission on Community Service and Volunteerism. Having raised more than $100 million for charitable causes, Judge says, he is confident he can keep the AMC on firm financial ground as it grows.
To Ben Mahnke, membership in the AMC is as much an investment in his children’s future as a structure around which family hiking and camping trips can be organized.
Mahnke, 40, lives with his wife and two daughters, aged 5 and 2, in Jamaica Plain, where they have ready access to the recreational and cultural resources that a city provides.
Having spent his 20s making use of AMC trails and huts, though, he now wants his children to be exposed to those sorts of experiences, as well.
“Maybe hiking becomes a lifelong passion of theirs, maybe not,’’ Mahnke said.
But on a visit last summer to the AMC’s Highland Center, his 5-year-old got interested in insect life. And it wasn’t by watching “Animal Planet’’ or entering a virtual world of beetles and butterflies, either.
“You just want to open up a few doors,’’ Mahnke reflected, “and see which ones they run through.’’
Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE. Joseph P. Kahn can be reached at jkahn@globe.com.