OIWC Staff and Board of DirectorsOIWC Board of Directors includes an impressive line-up of women in the outdoor industries. Feel free to contact any of us with questions about OIWC.
Staff
Sally Grimes,
Executive Director, Outdoor Industries Women's Coalition
Amy Luther,
Program Director, Outdoor Industries Women's Coalition
Executive Committee
Mary Margaret Sloan,
President, Student Conservation Association
Lori Harrod,
President Elect, Plum
Megan Tompkins,
Secretary, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News
Kristen Sagan,
Treasurer, Columbia Sportswear
Neide Cooley,
Past President, Cooley, Inc.
Kathy Murphy,
Past President, Tubbs Snowshoes
Board of Directors
Kelly Blake, Member-Marketing & Branding Committee, OutsidePR
Betsy Curtin, Chair-Professional Development, plum
Sarah Gallagher, Member-Marketing & Branding, Think Cure
Julie Harris, Chairs-Regional Programs, REI
Daisy Leduc, Member-Fundraising Committee, Sierra Magazine
Megan McGovern, Member-Fundraising Committee, Overland Equipment
Lisa Morrison, Chair-Marketing & Branding, Strategic Marketing Consultant
Kristi Rummel, Chair-Fundraising Committee, Sierra Magazine
Ali Sacash-Johnson, Chair-Membership, True North Marketing
Diane Sheehan, Member-Governance, Eddie Bauer
Steph Teleen, Member-Regional Programs, Jakfish
Eryn Willard, Member-Marketing & Branding, Studio22
Kelly Blake has over 15 years of marketing experience with an emphasis in public relations and product placement. Currently, Kelly is an Account Director at OutsidePR and works with brands such as; GoLite, GU, GORE TEX Transrockies Run, Road ID and SUGOI. She also handles all marketing, business development, and human resources/recruiting for this boutique agency. Kelly feels extremely lucky to have found a great company and boss who support a flexible schedule and work/life/family balance.
Prior to working at OutsidePR Kelly was the Strategic Marketing Manager at JanSport where she was responsible for marketing communications, promotions and events. She has also had her own public relations firm in Jackson Hole, WY and worked with clients such as Sierra Designs, Royal Robbins, Dagger and Ultimate Direction. Kelly started her career in marketing at Marmot.
Kelly holds a degree from the University of Oregon in telecommunications and film and is the mother of her 6 year old daughter, 3 year old son and 8 year old Swiss Mountain Dog. In her spare time she loves to ski, hike and has adjusted to car camping by turning in all her lightweight packing gear.
Neide Cooley, an independent design and merchandising consultant, works with outdoor companies such as Salomon Sport S.A., Outdoor Retailer Magazine, and Skiing Trade News in various capacities, including developing apparel collections, writing articles about the textile industry, and researching various sportswear brands.
Prior to her most recent entry into independent consulting, Neide was the Director of Apparel Design and Merchandising at Marmot Mountain Ltd., where she oversaw the conceptualization, design and development of all apparel. She also previously owned an independent sales agency in the outdoor, ski and action sports industries. Neide holds degrees from University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Marseilles, and University of Denver.
When not working, Neide enjoys her grandchildren, horsebackriding and gardening. She served as OIWC’s President from 2001-2005, and is also a board member of Breckenridge Heritage Alliance in Colorado.
Betsy is a co-founder of plum (www.thinkplum.net). An executive search firm dedicated to sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands. She has a strong network of top talent which helps her fill manager to VP level product creation and demand creation positions, nationally. She is always striving to learn the latest and greatest techniques of recruiting passive candidates – and she specializes in proactive, next generation executive search.
In 1994, Betsy got her first job in a retail store where she learned the basics of customer service. She then moved into an assistant buyer position and visual merchandising role with a small store in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. It was here that her love for all things footwear and apparel blossomed. After finishing college at Penn State University, she moved west and was introduced to recruiting. Betsy is a Cancer - she is attracted to the water and epitomizes a few other typical cancer traits: intuitive, imaginative, cautious and sympathetic. Her intuition helps her find the right candidates for her clients; and her imagination allows her to create the OIWC’s professional development content year after year. She is the chair of OIWC’s professional development committee and she strives to have the programs she develops reflect the membership’s needs. So far, we think she’s doing a great job.
Currently, Betsy is living on the east coast near Philadelphia. She strives to sweat once a day and enjoys being outside as much as possible, even if it’s just a quick trip to the local coffee shop for a "pick me up." If you see her, (and have a few minutes to spare), ask her what the difference is between east coast and west coast coffee.
Sarah Gallagher has over 10 years of new media and marketing
experience, with brands in the outdoor industry as well as with
agencies serving a broader range of industries. Currently, Sarah is
the Director of New Media and Development for ThinkCure and also does
freelance consulting with various businesses, helping them effectively
use new media to engage with their customers.
Prior to working with ThinkCure, Sarah was the Senior Manager of
Interactive Marketing at The North Face, where she was responsible for
all interactive marketing projects and communications. Before that,
she helped to start up an interactive agency working with Sony Latin
America in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A Virginia native, Sarah migrated to California after school and has
never looked back. In her spare time she tries to separate from all
electronic devices and can be found hiking in the Santa Monica
mountains or doing yoga.
Currently the Director for Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition, Sally Grimes brings over 15 years of nonprofit management experience to the organization. As an independent contractor, Sally also works with other nonprofits throughout the country, assisting them with strategic planning, fundraising, event planning and Board of Directors development.
Sally’s professional passion lies in helping nonprofit organizations reach their goals as efficiently and effectively as possible. Prior to working for OIWC, Grimes was the Executive Director at Winter Wildlands Alliance and Director of Communications at American Hiking Society. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation & Resource Management.
Sally lives in Boise, Idaho, with her husband, two daughters, two dogs and cat. She currently serves as Vice President for the Veteran's Park Neighborhood Association. She experiences Idaho’s beauty every chance she gets, enjoying camping, rafting, kayaking, climbing and hiking.
Julie Harris has spent the last 15 years leading and motivating teams and is currently the Retail Sales Director for REI in the San Francisco Bay Area. Overseeing 11 REI stores, Julie’s favorite part of the job is creating great work environments where employees can grow and develop. Julie has an undergraduate degree from Miami University and a Master’s in Education Administration from Indiana University. Prior to joining REI, Julie worked in both private consulting and the collegiate environment as a Career Counselor.
Never one to waste a day, Julie loves adventure, traveling and the learning that comes from immersing oneself in a new activity or a new culture. She also loves volunteering with groups that focus on getting young people outdoors. Julie lives in beautiful San Francisco and can usually be found running, riding, skiing, playing in Golden Gate Park or enjoying a beer and live music.
Lori Harrod is a partner at plum (www.thinkplum.net), an executive search firm specializing in recruiting for sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands. With 15 years of experience in recruiting for consumer products and technology companies, Lori is a hiring expert adept at matching qualified candidates to the culture of an organization. Prior to recruiting, she held several management positions for small to large size private and publicly held companies (administrative and general management roles) – the most fun and least profitable of which was running an outfitting business in the Bob Marshall Wilderness of Montana. With a staff of 8 and a herd of 36 horses – she guided fly fishing trips from May – November and spent the rest of the year selling trips at sport shows all over the country.
Lori earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Bemidji State University in Minnesota while working a cattle ranch outside of Bagley. An avid outdoors person, Lori lives in White Salmon, WA, where she can be found by the great Columbia River or in the Cascade Mountains – fishing, skiing, cycling (mountain and road), hiking, running, sailing, attempting to windsurf and when that fails, sitting in the sun. She is also a member of the Outdoor Industry Association and serves on the OIWC Governance Committee.
Ali Sacash-Johnson has made a life-long commitment to a career in the
outdoors. She is the principal at True North Marketing, a boutique market
research and ethnography firm specializing in outdoor sports with some the
industry’s top brands on her client roster. Prior to launching her own
firm, Ali served as the brand manager at Salomon, where she directed both
its women’s campaign and its research program in the U.S. Earlier roles in
the industry include stints at REI, Moving Comfort and SIA. She has a
M.B.A. in Sports Business from the University of Oregon’s Warsaw School of
Sports Marketing and a B.A. in Journalism from The George Washington
University in Washington, D.C.
Ali currently serves as OIWC’s Membership Chair. She became involved in
OIWC when asked to lead a ground breaking study examining women’s career
satisfaction levels in the outdoor, snow and bike industries. She is
resolute in the committee’s mission to grow and maintain its membership
roll in an effort to assist more women in achieving their career goals.
Plus, finds it gratifying to give back to the industry that has given so
much to her.
Ali’s passionate mountain family spends as much time as possible playing
in the Cascades – skiing, climbing, hiking and camping. Her husband is a
member of the Mt. Hood ski patrol and Piper, 1, will strap on skis by the
end of this season. Ali has practiced Ashtanga yoga for several years and
is a dedicated locavore who enjoys the Pacific Northwest’s seasonal,
organic bounty.
Daisy LeDuc is currently employed as the Eastern Account Manager for the GearTrends Network (www.geartrends.com, www.snewsnet.com ), a progressive media company for manufacturers, suppliers and specialty retailers in the fitness and outdoor industries.
Daisy graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA with a BA in English and minor in Spanish. She has worked for Sports and Recreation Inc. in the sporting goods industry as a special events coordinator, as a non-profit executive for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as a marketing manager for the Melitta USA coffee company, and worked with the Outdoor Retailer and Fly-Fishing Retailer Trade Shows and Magazines.
Daisy enjoys competing in mountain bike races as an expert rider, enjoys multi-disciplined events, trail running, philly cheese steaks, climbing, Dairy Queen, recreational paddling, chocolate chip cookies and keeping up with her boys. She looks forward to new adventures, challenges and experiences.
As the OIWC Program Director, Amy works closely with the Event, Outreach, Membership and Professional Development committee chairs, along with the OIWC Director, to help the organization reach their goals and execute their strategic plans.
Amy is no stranger to the outdoor industry. Prior to joining OIWC, she was known for her position with leading on-line retailer, Backcountry.com. With the organization for six years, Amy worked her way up to become their Softgoods Division Manager overseeing the product mix within Accessories, Footwear, Men’s Clothing, Women’s Clothing and Youth Clothing. Prior to joining Backcountry.com Amy worked in the GIS Industry. Her professional career also includes significant involvement with the OIWC as a volunteer, events committee chairperson and a board member. She graduated from the University of Utah with degree in Geography with an emphasis in GIS.
Amy lives in Heber City, Utah with her husband and little girl. She lives in the mountains for a reason as it allows her to hike, camp, fish, ski and play outside her back door. Amy also enjoys yoga and spending time with her daughter, and tries to live by her favorite quote: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. As you simplify your life, the universe will be simpler. ~Henry David Thoreau.
Megan has recently joined the team at Overland Equipment in San Francisco as their Sales and Brand Development Manager. Previously, she worked at Adventure 16 in West Los Angeles as a Retail Sales Associate. A relative new comer to the outdoor industry, “Pursue your passion with your profession” was the perfect expression that led her to the Outdoor Industry Women’s Coalition. A background of 9 years in marketing and advertising unrelated to the outdoor industry was looking for a sense of personal fulfillment. To be able to match a career path with her love for the outdoors and share that enthusiasm with others is a dream come true.
Past endeavors include Project Management for a marketing agency that produced promotional toys for Burger King, Kraft Foods and The Kellogg Company; Advertising sales for CitySearch.com; and hosting promotional events for PowerBar.
Off the clock, Megan enjoys scuba diving, hiking, skiing, triathlons, and volleyball. A bit of a nomad for adventure, past residences cover Los Angeles (her hometown), Florence, Chicago, Aspen, and Tempe (a graduate of Arizona State University.) Two places you won't find her unless she's lost a bet: Karaoke and Vegas!
Lisa Morrison is a strategic marketing consultant, working primarily with
retail, sport and technology clients. Lisa specializes in developing and
executing integrated marketing plans that contribute to the success of an
organization through targeted programs that reach the right audience and
convince them to act.
Prior to heading out on her own, Lisa coordinated the Canadian Equestrian
team and managed the national coaching program at Equine Canada, the
Canadian equestrian federation. Before that, she worked for a number of
software companies in various marketing and management positions and ran her
own equine photography business for 12 years.
A lifelong horsewoman, Lisa competed at the international level in three-day
eventing. These days, Lisa's equine focus is on developing young horses.
When not riding, Lisa gets a kick out of hiking the local hills, skiing
badly and snowshoeing with her dog. An avid traveler, Lisa also enjoys
active adventures in exotic places, such as Egypt, India, Central America,
Australia and New Zealand.
As the current Marketing Director for Ski Vermont/Vermont Ski Areas Association, Kathy Murphy's life has always been about pursuit: defining an opportunity, strategizing how to accomplish the vision, and creatively challenging herself to exceed the norm.
The outdoor and recreational sports industry in general, and specifically the winter sport niche, has been Kathy’s personal and professional passion for nearly three decades and her roles have included brand management, and marketing/public relations positions at K2 Sports/Tubbs Snowshoes, Bolton Valley Resort and Stowe in Vermont, with a 6 year stint at Colorado's Keystone Resort in between. Kathy's sports marketing background was further honed on the 'agency' side with such brand marketing and PR clients as Merrell footwear, Karbu/Jofa/Titan and Bauer hockey brands, and Champion Jogbra. At present, as Ski Vermont’s Marketing Director, Kathy is charged with creating global awareness for Vermont as a winter sports and leisure destination, championing alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, and all things winter on behalf of the association’s 20 alpine resorts and 39 nordic ski areas, and marketing partners.
Kathy loves the outdoors in all forms and across all six seasons in Vermont – summer, `stick', winter, `mud', spring, and fall.
Kristi is the National Advertising Director of Sierra magazine, published for the Sierra Club. She has been involved in the outdoor industry for the past 15 years and has worked for 24 years in the consumer magazine publishing industry for what she calls “smart books” (Citi Business Publications, Minnesota Monthly, Omni, Compute, Earth and Astronomy) overseeing the business, marketing and sales side.
Kristi’s love for the outdoors lead her to participate in the Outings Trip Leader training workshop and she recently become an official trip leader for the Sierra Club Outings Program organizing and leading Sierra Club members on snowshoeing, paddling, and hiking trips (her favorites). She is a long time contributor and volunteer for the OIA and the OIWC. She served on the Board of Directors of the Advertising Federation of America in charge of professional education and the Geological Society of America.
Kristi looks forward to continuing to help OIWC reach out, communicate, educate, inspire and have fun with others who work in this special industry.
Kristen Sagan is currently the Sustainability Manager at Columbia Sportswear. In this role she is driving the sustainability strategy and vision for the company.
Kristen received a degree in Accounting from The Ohio State University. After working for a CPA firm in Ohio, she moved west to experience the greater outdoors. She filled various accounting roles for Columbia over 10 years including Accounting Manager and Project Manager, before the transition to Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability in 2007.
Kristen practices yoga and enjoys hiking and reading to keep her sanity. She appreciates many things about Portland, Oregon including mild winters, non-humid summers, green foliage, conifer trees, colorful flowers, farmers markets, public transportation, bike lanes, delicious restaurants, yummy libations, independent thinkers, unique places, and great friends.
Diane is currently a technical designer, managing the performance outerwear category for both Eddie Bauer and First Ascent, Eddie Bauer's new line of technical mountaineer gear. Over the past couple of years, she has been fortunate to work in many areas including development for Eddie Bauer's 365 program, design for the launch of First Ascent in 2009, design/tech design for the ski resort uniform program and now she Part of the First Ascent development process is working closely with an elite group of mountain guides. Diane feels lucky to work with such inspirational people and appreciates the insights gained through the process.
Prior to her move to Seattle in 2008, Diane was designing for RailRiders Adventure clothing, an outdoor brand specializing in technical sportswear. Working in a small entrepreneurial environment was great experience and offered some unique perspectives into the product development process.
Diane got her start in outdoor industry at Eastern Mountain Sports- working on the retail side of the business and teaching basic rock climbing courses for the climbing school. Between her love of the outdoors and a degree in Apparel Design from the University of
Delaware, it was a natural progression into product development for the outdoor marketplace. In addition to her career, Diane has consulted on a variety of product design and graphic design projects.
Although always an outdoor sports enthusiast, Diane surprised her family (and herself) by becoming an active mountaineer and alpine climber once she moved to the Pacific Northwest. She has summitted numerous peaks in the PNW, including Mt Rainier and recently ventured into high altitude climbing with a summit of Imbaburra and Cotopaxi in
Ecuador. In addition to climbing, she also loves yoga, skiing, hiking,
and kayaking.
Mary Margaret Sloan is currently the northeast regional director for the
Student Conservation Association, a national conservation organization
which provides hands-on service opportunities for youth on public lands.
In that position, she develops new programs and partnerships across New
England and New York, and is based in SCA's national office in New
Hampshire.
She is the former president of American Hiking Society and is a
recovering attorney. She earned her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt
University and J.D. from Villanova School of Law.
Mary Margaret also serves on the board of the Waterman Fund and the
Tanzania Education Fund. She's an active hiker and climber, and novice
telemarker.
Stephanie Teleen is the owner of Jakfish (http://jakfish.com), a Vermont-based company which makes performance clothing for active pregnant women. In 2001, when she was pregnant with her first child, she tried to find maternity clothing that would allow her to stay active throughout her pregnancy. With no appropriate clothing available, she begrudgingly wore her husband’s giant sweatpants. She spent her maternity leave from
her job in marketing dreaming up a company that would make the kind of clothing she was looking for. Jakfish was finally born in 2007.
What jobs/experiences/characteristics led Stephanie to the launch of Jakfish? Here’s the short list, ice cream scooper, Spanish teacher, grant-writer, fundraising coordinator, marketing director, dissatisfied pregnant lady, lifetime athlete, and perpetual optimist. Stephanie loves being involved in OIWC because it is a super-cool group of women who are passionate about the outdoor industries and know that girls can play just as hard as boys.
When not working, Stephanie can be found chasing her 2 boys around the yard, kicking the soccer ball to her giant dog, running/hiking with friends, sitting in the treehouse, snowboarding at her favorite local mountain or laying in the hammock.
Megan is the editor of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, the trade journal for the bicycle industry. She ensures that the magazine is relevant, enlightening and informative to a global audience of bicycle retailers, distributors and manufacturers. She also directs editorial content in the Show Daily for Outdoor Retailer twice a year.
She feels lucky to have worked in the travel, ski, surf and bicycle industries alongside passionate people. She served as the marketing and communications manager for the Surf Industry Manufacturer’s Association. Prior to moving to California, she lived in New York City, where she wrote for travel trade magazines. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Megan lives in Irvine, California, with her husband, Andy, and their dogs, Jake and Sadie. When not riding her bike, she accompanies Andy on the golf course and tries to wear out her dogs on long walks.
Eryn is principal (aka design Sherpa) at Studio 22, a graphic design firm that specializes in working with companies in the outdoor and environmental industries. When she opened her firm in 2005, her goal was to work for companies whose missions she would support even if they weren’t clients. Integrating sustainable practices is top priority for Studio 22, and has been since the beginning. Whether working specifically with an environmental company or one with a traditional business model, the firm imparts their own values into the production of each piece. Eryn also really enjoys working with business owners to see their ideas come to life, and is passionate about connecting a client’s product to consumers by engaging them with a visual story.
Eryn has been volunteering her design skills to OIWC since 2008, later becoming part of the Marketing committee while establishing some new brand standards for the group. Her role on the Board of Directors began in late 2009 as the Graphics and Materials Manager, where she is eager to see OIWC move to the next level, expanding its reach to more women in the outdoor industries.
When she’s not in the office, she’s hitting the trail on her mountain bike or snowboard, climbing at the gym, hiking with her dog Derby and husband Chris, or enjoying a get-together with friends and family.
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