Carolyn Finney is a writer, performer and cultural geographer. As a professor in Geography at the University of Kentucky, she explores how issues related to identity, difference, creativity and resilience impact participation in decision-making processes designed to address environmental issues. Carolyn holds a B.A. and M.A. in international development, and a PhD in geography from Clark University in Massachusetts. 

Carolyn has appeared on the Tavis Smiley show, MSNBC, NPR and has been interviewed for numerous newspapers and magazines; her interview in the Boston Glove was cited as one of the top ten ideas/stories of 2014. Along with public speaking and consulting in the US and abroad, Finney serves on a number of national boards and committees including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Orion Magazine, the Center for Whole Communities and the National Parks Advisory Board. Her first book, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors was released in 2014 (UNC Press). 

Carolyn’s work is grounded in developing greater cultural competency within environmental organisations and institutions, challenge media outlets on their representation of difference, and increase awareness of how privilege shapes who gets to speak on environmental issues and determine policy and action.