Luis Benitez is the emerging face of the outdoor industry's political movement. The son of an Ecuadorian aerospace engineer and an American primary school art teacher, Benitez is a former international mountaineering guide. In 2001, he guided famed blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer to the summit of Mount Everest, and has led more than 30 expeditions to the highest peaks on every continent.

​

In 2015, Benitez was appointed director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office by Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, a significant step in what many see as a political career leading to the Colorado governor's office and beyond. In 2019, he became vice president of governmental affairs and global impact for VF Corp. Today, Luis is the Chief Impact Officer for the Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit organization that works across sectors to ensure that everyone will have access to the benefits and joys of the outdoors for generations to come.