36?outdoor industry professionals embark on?six-month immersive leadership program.
BOULDER, Colo. –?Today,?Outdoor Industry Association?(OIA)?announced Class 5 of the?Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy?(FLA). In 2016, the Future Leadership Academy was?created and?named after JanSport’s founder and industry luminary Skip Yowell to honor his?enduring?legacy as a one of the great founders, mentors and leaders?in?the outdoor industry.??
The Future Leadership Academy is a six-month professional development program that prepares the next generation of outdoor industry leaders by teaching them to seek innovation, tackle challenges head-on and champion the causes that are critical to the industry’s longevity. Class 5, chosen through a rigorous selection process, will receive development opportunities through self-assessments, leadership training, mentoring as well as in-person and online education about issues vital to the health of outdoor industry businesses, including sustainability, trade policy, public lands and youth outdoor participation.?
“It’s a dynamic time in a dynamic industry and The Future Leadership Academy not only gives participants the tools to understand the opportunities and challenges facing us today, but also the space to reflect on how they’ll successfully lead their teams and companies in the future,” said?Kristen?Freaney, OIA Emerging Leader Education Manager. “We have a passionate, talented group coming from a variety of experience-levels, backgrounds, and career paths and I’m looking forward to watching them learn from each other, craft their own leadership styles, and hopefully have some great “light-bulb moments” over the next six months.”
Nikki Allen, Clif Bar & Company
Nic Barisone, Adidas-Five Ten
Kevin Belanger, Rails-To-Trails Conservancy
Danica Carey, Seirus Innovative Accessories Inc.
Natalie Colvin, Toad&Co
Reid Curry, Cairn
Hamish Elliott, Hillsound Equipment Inc.
Nick English, Simms Fishing
Kaitlin Fisher, REI
Rosie French, JanSport/Eagle Creek/VF Corp
Natalie Generalovich, Outdoor Retailer
Pancho Gomez, All Good Products
Caitlin Hamill, New Balance
Jace Harrop, Salomon
Colvin Hedgepeth, Blue Sky Funder
Janell Hibbard, Target
Alyssa Kessler, Patagonia
Emily Kidwell, Ariat International
Zach King, Smartwool
Mark Kuka, Yakima Products
Chad Kyte, Hydro Flask
Chris Linsmayer, Colorado Ski Country USA
Madalen Moore, Oros Apparel
Carley Mulder, NiteIze
Rachael Nichols, Sea to Summit
Caroline Paulsen, Stio
Casey Pavlosky, SPY Optic
Nick Pinto, Backbone Media
Ed Riegert, Brooks Running
June Shen-Epstein, Burton Snowboards
Michaela Simone, REI Retail Stores
Jess Smith, OutsidePR
Jason Spradling, Under Armour
Stephen Sramek, Waypoint Outdoor
David Taft, San Juan Mountains Association
Keri Yourick, The North Face
The program, launched in 2016, now has?125 total graduates. The new class of 36 individuals?will be partnered with?industry mentors?who are?poised to offer insight and guidance to the next generation of outdoor industry game changers.??
“Having participated in the inaugural class of the Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy, and mentored participants for the last two years, I am a wholehearted believer in the transformative impact the program has on participants,” said Ben Christensen, sr. director, development, sourcing & quality, Simms Fishing. “The companies in our industry are distributed throughout the world with workers coming from a variety of different backgrounds. The Academy brings people together and facilitates a strong community of passionate people. The curriculum explores important questions, and challenges participants to strive for higher impact, and fresh perspective. I really value my continued participation as a mentor and have supported the participation of several of my colleagues here at Simms.”
The class participants will also work together on their capstone projects, which partner them with outdoor industry nonprofits, helping?those nonprofits?tackle some of the biggest issues and opportunities they’re each facing.?Past capstone project?nonprofits include the American Indian College Fund, Big City Mountaineers, Cal-Wood Education Center, Climbing Alliance, SheJumps, Sierra Club,?Outdoor Afro, National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy in Colorado.?Please reach out to Kristen Freaney (kfreaney@outdoorindustry.org)?if you’re a nonprofit interested in participating.??
?The 2020 Future Leadership Academy?includes?three individuals from nonprofits who will be participating in the program, one with a generous scholarship from REI. Other participants hail from big-name and small, independent brands, retailers, a start-up, and industry-focused media & PR companies. They work in a diverse set of roles including marketing, people & culture, compliance, product, operations, sales, and public affairs.
Thank you to our generous partners?JanSport, REI, Uplsope Brewery, Clifbar & Company and Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides.
For more information about the Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy or?to learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Kristen Freaney, the program’s manager at?kfreaney@outdoorindustry.org.?
About OIA?
Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. Outdoor Industry Association unites and serves over 1,300 manufacturer, supplier, sales representative and retailer members through its focus on trade and recreation policy, sustainable business innovation and outdoor participation. For more information, visit?outdoorindustry.org.?
Media Contact:?
Kristen?Freaney?
Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy?
kfreaney@outdoorindustry.org?