Janette Heung Memorial Foundation

The Janette Heung Outdoor Academic Scholarship intends to carry the bright torch of Janette Heung, an extraordinary woman who climbed the mountains of the world and the mountains of life.

This academic grant aims to honor the values and principles that Janette stood for throughout her extraordinary life and the unique and diligent way she lived.

Janette grew up in the concrete urban jungle of Hong Kong, and she found a way to explore the great outdoors around the World. In nature, Janette found inspiration, peace, motivation and camaraderie. As much as Janette loved to play in the outdoors, she was committed to protect the organic playground with the same enthusiasm.

Throughout her career, Janette has consulted for public, private, and non-profit sector organizations, including Fortune 50 Companies, The Nature Conservancy Asia Pacific, City and County of Denver, and State of Colorado. Previously, she pursued a career as a Senior Management Consultant at Deloitte Consulting in the Washington DC area and Deputy Director for the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office (“OREC”), and she was also the UCP Assistant Director at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (“UCAR”).

While at OREC, Janette supported economic development within the industry, worked to build a dynamic workforce, advanced conservation and stewardship, and encouraged the intersection with public health and wellness in the sector. She founded the Colorado Outdoor and Health Collaborative which, over the course of a year, incubated a number of outdoor and health initiatives with participating partners. The Colorado Collaborative was convened by LiveWell Colorado where Janette contributed as a steering committee member. Although being professionally devoted, Janette still found time to put up challenging alpine first ascents in Bolivia and New Zealand.

Janette was the co-founder of Unleashed, a winter climbing community event that features storytelling by community champions with the proceeds supporting outdoor education non-profits. Janette held bachelor degrees in physics and biomedical engineering from Tufts University and a master’s degree from Harvard School of Public Health.

Partnering with Colorado Mesa University and its undergraduate program, Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies, the JHMF aims to support students of the same academic focus and passion for outdoors as Janette pursued. The JHMF is committed to financially help five students to help carry Janette’s torch and to become inspiring leaders for environmental, social, and public health justice within the outdoor industry.