Together Outdoors, a coalition supported by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), announced its advisory and governance councils.
The coalition of outdoor recreation businesses and organizations stated it seeks meaningful steps toward justice, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the outdoors. The newly appointed members of the councils represent affinity groups, nonprofit organizations, public and private organizations, recreation destinations and outdoor enthusiasts.
Together Outdoors is also prioritizing creating an interactive DEI resource library and a symbol for coalition members to show commitment to DEI issues.
Together Outdoors Coalition Lead Gerry Seavo James said the advisory and governance councils will provide opportunity to build upon years of work to make outdoor recreation more inclusive.
“It is crucial for the outdoor industry to acknowledge the years of labor by Black, indigineous or people of color and other underrepresented communities who have driven the movement to make the outdoors a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive space,” James said.
Syren Nagakyrie, founder of Disabled Hikers, shared that 25% of the population have disabilities.
“When you include people with chronic illnesses, that number increases to over 60%,” Nagakyrie said. “Yet disability is often left out of the conversation. My goal is to elevate the conversation about disability in the outdoors and expand the concept of what accessibility means.”
The governance council will assist ORR with providing direction for Together Outdoor’s mission and values, program design, communications, fundraising, partnerships and access.
Members of the governance council are Bob Ratcliffe, the National Park Service’s chief of conservation and outdoor recreation programs; Dan West, Rivian director of public policy; Danica Carey, Seirus Innovation director of marketing operations; Dr. Jose Gonzales, Cal State University-Northridge assistant professor in recreation and tourism; Jil Littlejohn Bostick, Winnebago Industries head of diversity, equity and inclusion; Kevin Williams, National Marine Manufacturers Association vice president of marketing; Mary Mitsos, National Forest Foundation president and CEO; Michal Rosenoer, Hipcamp government and community relations manager; Mollie Hansen, Airstream chief marketing officer; and Renee Jones, Thor Industries senior director of marketing.
The members named to the advisory council are Ambreen Tariq, founder of Brown People Camping; Briana Blanchard, Access Fund’s strategic projects manager; Crystal Egli, co-founder of Inclusive Journeys; Jahmicah Dawes, owner, Slim Pickins Outfitters; Dr. Jose Gonzales, Cal State University-Northridge assistant professor in recreation and tourism; Lydia Parker, founder of Hunters of Color; Syren Nagakyrie, founder of Disabled Hikers; and Yvonne Leow, founder of Bewilder.
The advisory council will provide recommendations to the Together Outdoors team for programming and initiatives, facilitate educational sessions and plan workshops for the coalition.
Together Outdoors held the first session of a seven-month educational series for coalition members in late October. The session’s module was, “How We Got Here: Barriers to entry and history of access to outdoor recreation spaces.”
Membership forms can be obtained on TogetherOutdoors.com.
