Breckyn Ryg

Breckyn cares deeply about how access to nature shapes health and well-being, and is committed to ensuring everyone has access to these benefits. As Program Coordinator for the Nature and Health Alliance, she stewards NHA’s member engagement, communications, and growth programs and local chapters. She brings more than eight years of experience in research, project management, policy analysis, and coalition building.

Before joining NHA, Breckyn worked on park equity and climate policy at the Trust for Public Land, where she co-authored national policy guides on community, health, and park equity for governments and advocates. Before that, she worked with health system leaders on health equity programs at The Health Management Academy, supported local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, and conducted neuroscience and psychology research on how neighborhood inequity and socioeconomic disadvantage affect outcomes for justice-involved youth.

She holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Neurobiology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Public Policy in Environmental & Racial Equity from American University. Originally from Milwaukee, WI, and based in Oakland, CA, Breckyn makes weekly visits to the redwood forests near her house and loves a long walk in the woods. She is an avid foodie, concertgoer, traveler, and gardener whose favorite walk to date has been a four-day, thirty-mile hike to Machu Picchu.