George Bell

Background and expertise: 30-year veteran of creating and growing consumer businesses; former managing director, General Catalyst Partners, a private equity investment firm; board member, John Wiley and Sons (NYSE: Wiley); board member, Angie’s List; chairman, Place IQ, a location and movement data company; advisor to various public and private companies in digital media. Former CEO of Jumptap, a mobile advertising platform; former CEO of Upromise; former chairman and CEO of Excite and Excite@Home; former chairman, Harris Interactive; founder of The Outdoor Life Network (now NBC Sports Network); former SVP of Times Mirror Magazines, overseeing titles such as SKI and Field & Stream. Recipient of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for California and New England; four-time Emmy Award–winning producer and writer of adventure, wildlife, and vanishing-culture documentaries. Harvard ’80.

Why I believe in protecting land and creating parks: “I have three sons and I have seen the powerful effect of nature and parks in our family’s life. Opportunities to affect major, lasting transformations across the country don’t come around often. I chose to make a commitment to protecting land and creating parks because I know our work will ripple across countless families and communities in America, for today and for generations to come.”

Why I support Trust for Public Land: “Now more than ever, there’s urgency for this work. At the end of the day it’s going to take a collective effort to make significant strides in land conservation. Trust for Public Land is a major force in this movement, and the scope of our mission inspires me.”