Supporting More Women in Outdoor Leadership Roles

In January, Jerry Stritzke, CEO and president of REI and other 13 other industry CEOs (including Washington-based Outdoor Research) made headlines by signing onto a pledge to accelerate women’s leadership in their companies. In addition to the pledge, developed by the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC), Stritzke announced a $1.5 million grant to "spark innovation and mentor women entrepreneurs" in the outdoor industry.

From the corner office to the forest floor

While industry CEOs are working to build the ranks of women in their companies, Washington Trails Association continues to forge a larger place for women leaders on the trails of Washington and beyond.

The long history of women in leadership at WTA goes back to our founder, hiking guide author Louise Marshall. Nearly fifty years later, we continue to count extraordinary women among the ranks of our board, office staff, field crew and volunteer leaders. There's still a lot of work to do to move the needle on the gender gap in outdoor professions, from environmental scientists to wilderness rangers.

From our all women Backcountry Response Team trips to creating empowering outdoor experiences for young women with all-girls youth Volunteer Vacations, WTA hopes to help foster the trail skills, leadership and mentoring community essential for a healthier gender balance in outdoor professions.

Related resources

• Help give teen girls the skills to move mountains. Learn about the volunteer and leadership trip opportunities for young women this summer (scholarships available).
• Read about one woman's experience on her first Volunteer Vacation with WTA around the Wonderland Trail.
• Work for trails. Check out our open positions, on trails and off.

One component of building empowering opportunities for young women on trail included Youth Volunteer Vacations led by women crew leaders.