Our Mission

Is to equip, educate and support women in the outdoor industries to recognize their professional goals.

Our Vision

Is to seek equality for, and provide power, influence and opportunity to women in the outdoor industries, to increase their influence and recognition, and to generate champions who can serve as mentors to inspire younger women.

Who we are

The OIWC is a 501 (c) (6) non profit association of women organized for the purpose of equipping women to reach their professional success in the outdoor industries via educational programming, networking and mentoring. OIWC acts as a vehicle to promote the views and interests of women engaged in or impassioned by the outdoor, snow sports, action sports, and bicycling industries. OIWC invites all women to become members and to lead our industries to positive solutions in business, social and environmental issues.

What we do

• Education: The OIWC conducts forums, panels and seminars, provides members-only access to online learning via our website (under development), distributes a members-only electronic newsletter (Outdoor Ms. Adventure) six times annually, and pilots experiential events that provide working knowledge about the practice and skills of business. In addition, OIWC coordinates scholarships through our awards program.

• Networking: The OIWC provides events, discussions, web access, parties, retreats, and experiences for the exchange of ideas and contacts.

• Mentoring: The OIWC provides opportunities to meet mentors in the outdoor industries, and is developing an official mentor program that will feature trade show access, web access, on-site visits, resources on other women's groups and books for advice, expertise, and partners that provide perspective on success and the people who achieved it.

• Recognition: OIWC has established several awards to recognize and honor emerging and experienced women in the outdoor industries.

Our History
The Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC), originally called Outdoor Industry Women’s Council, was born of a casual gathering of outdoor industry women, originally organized by Carolyn Cooke and Ann Krcik and facilitated by attendee donations and a tiny bit of sponsorship money from a few outdoor companies. That was back in 1994 and 1995, when the Outdoor Retailer trade shows were still in Reno.

At the time, many women expressed a desire to have a more formal organization, to provide more opportunities for networking, mentoring and promoting opportunities for women in the outdoor industry. In the early summer of 1996, Frannie Huff, president of Wyoming Wear, invited a group of industry women interested in forming such an organization to Jackson, Wyoming. Huff provided a professional facilitator who helped the nine women who showed up put together the building blocks that became the foundation of the OIWC.

The original founding board members were Carolyn Cooke (Isis), Betsy Centa (Wyoming Wear), Melissa McKenzie (YubaShoes), Joan Alvarez (Outdoor Retailer), Kelly Stone (Cascade Designs), Beth Kelly (Taum Sauk Wilderness), Andrea Gabbard (Outdoor Retailer), Dawson Winch (Backpacker) and Ariadne Scott (Specialized), giving the board a good mix of retail, manufacturing, marketing and media backgrounds. Bylaws were formed and adopted, officers elected, a mission statement formulated and a newsletter designed.

The organization and its sponsors hold two Gatherings a year, in a relaxed atmosphere during Outdoor Retailer trade shows to provide a place for women to meet their peers and mentors, exchange information and network. In addition, during the two days following the trade show, the annual ChillFest invites OIWC members to unwind and recharge in a mountain campout.

In the Winter of 2001, the OIWC took a major step and merged with the Outdoor Industry Association. The decision to make this change was difficult. The OIWC Board has always perceived the organization as a very independent group both in thought and reality. This relationship lasted only a year; OIA determined that the OIWC mission and membership was based upon individuals rather than business organizations. The OIWC separated from the OIA in January 2003 after receiving a generous financial grant and a promise of continued support.

A commitment to communicate with more and more women within the outdoor industry was the impetus for both the successful e-letter Outdoor Ms. Adventures and the growing, dynamic website, www.oiwc.org. The newsletter, published 8 times a year, reaches at least 2500 people each issue.

April 2003 brought most of the current members of the OIWC Board to Breckenridge, Colorado to evaluate and examine the mission and vision of the organization. A revised mission statement and strategic plan were developed.

In April 2004, the OIWC finally became a legal non profit entity, with new name denoting the expanded influence of the organization: Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition. The organization has tremendous financial and moral support within the outdoor industry and now the snowsport industry. With long term plans to expand the influence of the organization into other sister industries - bike, surf, fly fishing - and to develop a research center which will collect data on women and girls within the established industries, the OIWC has big plans and high expectations.