As our country celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we pause to recognize those who hold fast to their conviction to promote the well-being of our environment. Earth Day is a reminder that we all need to play a part in taking care of not only our neighborhoods and our country, but also our planet for generations to come. Let us share with you how Keep America Beautiful and Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful are working towards a better America.

Our guest speaker will be McCall Vrydaghs, Director of Internal Communications at Keep America Beautiful and executive producer of Do Beautiful Things, the organization’s official podcast. In her role, she leads content and storytelling strategies while speaking to, collaborating with, and supporting more than 700 affiliates across the Keep America Beautiful national network.

A former chief meteorologist at WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio, Vrydaghs is a three-time Emmy Award winner recognized for crisis communication and public service. Her broadcast background gives her a unique perspective on communicating directly with broad audiences while tailoring messages for specific communities through multimedia channels, including broadcast and digital media.

She holds the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation from the American Meteorological Society, is a former chair and current member of the AMS Station Scientist Committee, and earned a Bachelor of Science in meteorology from SUNY Oswego.