Deanne Buck named American Alpine Club’s board president
The executive director of Camber Outdoors has now been tapped to wield the gavel at the American Alpine Club.
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American Alpine Club announced today that Deanne Buck is the new president of the organization’s board of directors. Now a double-threat, Buck is also the executive director at Camber Outdoors.
Buck was welcomed before the membership when she spoke at AAC’s annual dinner in Boston last weekend.
Hailing from Grand Island, Nebraska, Buck credits a “25-foot high wood panel wall at a YMCA” as having changed her life. From these humble beginnings, Buck went on to integrate climbing and advocacy for climbers as a central purpose to her life. Following graduation from law school, Buck found herself working with climbing brands as an attorney until eventually joining the Access Fund as Program Director in 2003. In 2010, Buck joined the AAC as Development Director, later transitioning to a volunteer position on the AAC’s Board of Directors.

Much of Buck’s professional work has focused around making outdoor experiences more accessible, both in terms of land use policy and promoting equity and diversity. Of her appointment to lead the American Alpine Club into the future, Buck says, “I am honored and humbled to serve as the President of the AAC as we are poised to move into our next chapter of influence and inclusion.”
Phil Powers, CEO of the AAC noted both Buck’s resume and her perspective of inclusion, “Deanne’s impressive history of advocating for climbers, negotiating conservation solutions, and advancing inclusivity makes her the clear choice for President. It’s a challenging job, and I know she’ll do it well.”
Buck will succeed Matt Culbertson, who has served as AAC board president from 2016-2018.