Jhulian Gutierrez (he/him) is a Colombian-American community builder, youth advocate, and conservation storyteller from Miami, Florida. As a first-generation professional and lifelong nature lover, Jhulian’s passion for public lands has always been personal, rooted in early memories of exploring South Florida ecosystems and shaped by a deep belief that everyone deserves to feel a sense of belonging in the outdoors.
Since 2019, when he began as a Latino Heritage Intern at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Jhulian has brought that passion into every role he’s held with the National Park Service, from teaching marine education at Fire Island National Seashore to working in volunteer management at Everglades National Park to supporting digital storytelling at Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
One of the most formative chapters of his journey came outside the Park Service, during his time in Hawaiʻi with the nonprofit Kupu. There, he helped lead education programs that connected local students to their lands and waters through place-based environmental learning. Through partnerships with Native Hawaiian educators and public land agencies, he came to understand stewardship not just as a practice, but as a responsibility; one grounded in reciprocity, community, and place.
That experience continues to guide his work today with the Southeast and Intermountain Regional Offices of the National Park Service, where he supports youth and volunteer programs across both regions contracted through Conservation Legacy & Americorp. For Jhulian, these programs are more than just entry points. They are meaningful ways to help people feel welcome, build lasting connections with parks, and see themselves reflected in public lands. As someone who has often navigated spaces where he didn’t always feel represented, Jhulian believes that parks should be shaped by a wide range of voices and stories because everyone deserves the chance to feel at home in the outdoors.
In his free time, you can most likely find him outdoors, hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, or capturing landscapes through his phone lens, always looking for new ways to connect with the land and share its stories.