Meet Stephen
“Across every sector, I see the same pattern: eager young leaders who need support, teams that need stronger leadership, and organizations straining under the weight of growth…. My purpose is to develop leaders, strengthen teams, and help organizations grow with confidence and purpose.”
The Story
Stephen Perkins is the Chief Operating Officer of the American Conservation Coalition, where he leads national operations, organizational strategy, and team development.
Since joining ACC full-time in 2021, he has helped grow the organization from under 5,000 to over 100,000 members, while building the internal systems, culture, and leadership structures needed to support an expanding national footprint.
His background spans leadership, marketing, and operations in mission-driven organizations. Before ACC, Stephen was a partner at Beast Digital, a marketing firm serving campaigns and advocacy organizations. Earlier in his career, he worked with a range of nonprofits, building experience in leadership development, marketing, events, and strategic planning.
That blend of creative and operational experience shapes Stephen’s leadership philosophy today. Whether developing grassroots programs or strengthening internal operations, his focus remains the same: align people, priorities, and purpose so organizations can scale with clarity.
Whether you lead an organization, a team, or just yourself, you likely work hard and care about your impact. But as life and work get busier, vision fades, foundations weaken, and work accelerates without any real impact to show for it.
The recurring issue isn’t talent or motivation; it’s a lack of structure around leadership and systems that allow you to scale without chaos.
That insight is the foundation of a system called Grounded & Durable, a philosophy for achieving greater impact through Grounded Leadership and Durable Organizations.
- Grounded Leaders who know themselves, take responsibility, and act with intention and discipline.
- Durable Organizations built upon four load-bearing pillars: Impact, Talent, Operations, and Ownership.
The leaders who follow the Grounded & Durable system achieve greater impact by aligning purpose with systems and action.
The System
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