Show Kickoff and Keynote

Developing a Strong, Inclusive Outdoor Industry

Keynote Panel Discussion

Supporting 4.5 million Outdoor Jobs Across the Country:

Pathways for Developing a Strong, Inclusive Outdoor Industry

Day 1 | Thursday, June 8th | 8AM

Meeting Room 103/105

Join us to kick off The Big Gear Show and (e)revolution to hear leaders from organizations, including Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Camber Outdoors, Greening Youth Foundation, and Path to Peak Education & Consulting, discuss recent research on the state of the outdoor workforce and focus on core opportunities to build more resilient, inclusive, and effective hiring pipelines and retention strategies.

Topics will include the classification of skills for outdoor work and addressing skill gaps, building a more diverse, inclusive, and representative workforce, addressing misperceptions about outdoor work, and tackling acute housing and affordability issues that price out outdoor workers.

Coffee and Tea will be available.

Speakers

Chris Perkins, Senior Director

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable

Tiffany Smith, CEO

Camber Outdoors

Lesford Duncan, CEO

Greening Youth Foundation

Kickoff and Keynote - KFreaney Headshot2021

Kristen Freaney, Founder

Path To Peak

Renee Alston-Maisonet, Development Director

Greening Youth Foundation

Chris Perkins, Senior Director

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable

Chris Perkins is Senior Director at the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, where he works to promote the sustainable growth of the outdoor recreation economy. Chris works on rural economic development through outdoor recreation, recreation infrastructure, and inclusive practices in outdoor communities. He received a Masters in Environmental Management and Masters in Business Administration at the Yale School of the Environment (YSE) and Yale School of Management (SOM). Chris has also served on the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and currently supports Teresa Baker on the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge (“The Pledge”). He lives in Jackson, WY with his wife Sheldon, son Silas, and dog Tilley.

Tiffany Smith, CEO

Camber Outdoors

Tiffany Smith is an accomplished and dynamic executive with 17 years of experience in nonprofit development, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. She is the CEO of Camber Outdoors, where she empowers Outdoor Recreation Economy leaders to build workplaces in which people from all communities, backgrounds, identities, faiths, and worldviews can thrive. Her strategic mindset, coupled with her empathetic and inclusive approach, has made her a trusted leader and advisor in creating positive social change.

Lesford Duncan, CEO

Greening Youth Foundation

Lesford Duncan, MPH, is Chief Executive Officer of The Greening Youth Foundation, which cultivates the next generation of diverse environmental stewards by connecting under-represented youth and young adults to the outdoors and to careers in conservation. Prior to this, he served as the Associate Executive Director of Outdoor Outreach. He has worked on local, state, and federal public policy efforts to reduce barriers to outdoor access, advocate for equitable conservation and environmental justice, and promote the health and wellbeing of vulnerable communities. Lesford earned his Biology degree from the University of Florida, and a Masters in Public Health (Health Policy and Leadership) from Loma Linda University. He is a board member of the Outdoor Foundation and a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity. He is an avid kayaker, ultramarathon runner, and mountaineer that has placed a Jamaican flag at Mt. Everest Base Camp, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, traversed the Grand Canyon, and kayaked through the Everglades.

Kristen Freaney, Founder

Path To Peak

Kristen Freaney is the founder of Path to Peak, a workforce design and development consultancy that works with educators, organizations, and individuals to advance career readiness, mobility, and confidence. She is the former Director of Workforce Development Programs for the Outdoor Industry Association, where she led the Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy and helped launch OIA’s Outdoor Industry Business Certificate program. Prior to joining the outdoor industry, Kristen spent 10 years working in career services at DePaul University and University of Colorado Boulder. She resides near Boulder, CO with her husband, two dogs, and one year-old son, who keeps her Apple Watch rings booked and busy.

Renee Alston-Maisonet, Development Director

Greening Youth Foundation

For the past six years, Renee Alston-Maisonet has served as the Development Director for Greening Youth Foundation. She describes herself as an “unlikely conservationist,” having transitioned careers from selling advertising in Atlanta radio to securing financial partnerships that elevate and support underrepresented youth in the outdoors. Renee graduated from Concordia University (Mequon, WI) with a BA in Business Management and Communication.

Show Kickoff and Keynote

Keynote Panel Discussion

Supporting 4.5 million Outdoor Jobs Across the Country:

Pathways for Developing a Strong, Inclusive Outdoor Industry

Day 1 | Thursday, June 8th | 8AM

Meeting Room 103/105

Speakers

Chris Perkins, Senior Director

Tiffany Smith, CEO

Lesford Duncan, CEO

Kristen Freaney, Founder

Renee Alston-Maisonet, Development Director

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