Abbi Peters is a pioneering force behind the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, serving as its first hire and now leading organization-wide programs and strategies. With over 20 years of experience in the creative economy, Abbi has been instrumental in shaping the Center’s innovative, place-based entrepreneurial ecosystem. Her leadership has helped establish cornerstone initiatives such as The Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network supporting rural entrepreneurs; the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, which connects local products with park visitors; and Round-Up for Conservation, a retail campaign that reinvests in regional public lands.

A graduate of ARC’s Appalachian Leadership Institute, Abbi is passionate about community impact and is currently serving her hometown of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, as an elected councilperson. She and her husband are also bringing creative placemaking to life by restoring a 10,000-square-foot historic schoolhouse into their home, studio, and future space for visiting artists. Abbi brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit, regional pride, and creative vision to every project she undertakes.

Over the last 10 years she has shared the PA Wilds story and the power of creative placemaking through conferences, panel discussions and presentations to numerous groups at the local, regional, state and national level. Abbi can bring a passionate practitioner-level view on one or more of these topics:

• Rural Development

• Outdoor Recreation

• Sustainable Tourism

• Placemaking

• Local Government

• Creative Industries

• Entrepreneurship

• Nonprofit Startup (systems and processes)