Outdoor Diversity Alliance

Teresa explores how collective action is helping create a more inclusive and welcoming outdoor community.

Earlier this summer, we took a significant step forward by forming a strategic planning committee and a dedicated working group to develop a business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion tailored to the outdoor industry.? This important work wouldn’t be possible without the leadership, commitment, and expertise of our advisory board, member companies, and community advisors. Thanks to their dedication, we’re on track to share ODA’s first strategic plan and business case this October. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed—your collaboration has been invaluable. Whether it was tackling tough questions, participating in countless Zoom calls, diving into research, reviewing drafts, fine-tuning language, or simply keeping your word, your efforts are appreciated. Special thanks to our strategic planning leads: Ashley (Bartlett) Woodman, ODCP, Ashley Laporte, Lestarya Tuadi Molloy, and Erin Sprague; and to our business case working group members: Dan Walker, Carla Fox, Jenna O'Brien, Molly Inderhees, and Anna Skinner. Your commitment is helping to shape the future of the ODA, and we couldn’t be more grateful!

Decathlon USA discovered ODA through mutual connections, and within a week, they signed on as our newest member! Decathlon is committed to achieving 50% gender diversity company-wide and 40% in leadership roles by 2026. To foster an inclusive culture, they offer a range of workshops and programs, including Inclusive Leadership Workshops, Allyship & Belonging workshops, and Gender Dialogue sessions. As the world's largest sporting goods retailer, Decathlon's dedication to diversity and inclusion makes them a valuable addition to our collective. Welcome, Decathlon USA!

We are honored to announce On as our newest member company!? On brings a long history and extensive experience working on matters of diversity and inclusion. The On team is passionate about this work and eager to collaborate with ODA's members to bring equity work to scale across the industry. Read the case study linked in the comment below to learn about On’s approach.? Welcome, On!

Last week, ODA’s member companies,? community advisors, and advisory board members gathered in person for the first time. We spent a full day together at the KEEN HQ strategizing, sharing ideas, building trust, and having vulnerable conversations. Teresa made sure we all laughed a lot too. We created a shared vision for what an equitable outdoor industry looks like, feels like, operates like, thinks like, and sounds like. We aligned around shared priorities and talked about how ODA can bring this work to scale. ODA's role is to provide the support and structure our members need to do this work together.?We’ll keep the conversations moving forward by helping our members and community advisors build a strategy to influence the industry, and creating more opportunities for our members to talk about shared challenges, lessons learned, and successes. Huge thank you to our community advisors Lestarya Tuadi Molloy and Pamela Slaughter for sharing your insights and experiences with us. Shout out to KEEN for hosting us, and Marcelo Bonta for helping us dream. We couldn’t do this work without you. Thank you to all of our participants, your commitment to ODA and advancing equity in the industry is clear - Teresa Baker, Alicia Chin, Lestarya Tuadi Molloy, Pamela Slaughter, Erin Sprague, Kirsten Blackburn, Genevieve Long, Mindy Montgomery, Ashley (Bartlett) Woodman, ODCP, Elissa Banker Brown, Molly Inderhees, Dan Walker, Emily Eppler, Theresa McKenney, Claire Aha, Jen Flaxman, Jennifer Wright, Jewon Wee, and Josie Norris.

Welcome to the Alliance, Thread Creative!? Thread is a full-service copywriting studio based in Portland, Oregon and long-time partner to many outdoor industry companies. As a certified B Corp, they meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. We’re excited to get to know them during our fist in-person gathering in Portland on April 30. Thanks for your support, Thread! ?

The Outdoor Pathway Scholarship application deadline is this Friday, March 29! We are looking for full-time or part-time students from underrepresented communities who are pursuing an education in the outdoor industry or environmental field. Awardees will receive $5,000 over two years, mentorship, and assistance with job placement following graduation. Please share this opportunity with students in your network to help us find exceptional young leaders! Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Together Outdoors

It is with great pleasure that we welcome BOA? as our newest member!?Our recent conversations with BOA have sparked new ideas about how we can collectively learn from past experiences and prioritize the voices of underrepresented communities. We've learned a lot about BOA's internal work around inclusivity and appreciate their humility and unwavering dedication to continuous improvement. Welcome, BOA!?

In less than five months since our launch, the Outdoor Diversity Alliance (ODA) has grown to include 16 members!? We’d like to thank the following outdoor companies and organizations for believing in the power of collective action to shift how we address systemic inequalities -?KEEN, Protect Our Winters, REI, Cotopaxi, Smartwool, NEMO Equipment, Moosejaw Mountaineering, Granite Gear, Outdoor Industry Association, Peak Design, Snowsports Industries America, Independent Stock Plan Advisors LLC, Outdoor Foundation, The Futurist Project, Burton Snowboards, and Thread.

On March 20, we will be hosting our first virtual member meeting to begin building relationships across our network and discuss how we can center community expertise and advance equity in the outdoor industry. With each new member, we strengthen our collective impact. Email us at [email protected] to become a member and join the conversation.