OIA Announces 2015-2016 Board of Directors

Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced its newly elected 2015-2016 board of directors. The board also selected its officers, naming Gordon Seabury, CEO of Toad&Co, as chair. He is joined by Travis Campbell, president and CEO of Far Bank Enterprises, as vice chair and treasurer; Nora Stowell, vice president of sales at Amer Sports, as vice chair; and Catherine Walker, senior vice president & general counsel at REI, as secretary.

In 2014, the board reduced the number of board positions in an attempt to create and maintain an engaged board that is flexible, effective and efficient. In addition, after reviewing other associations’ best practices, OIA revised its bylaws to eliminate the requirement that a majority of elections must be contested. The new bylaws allow the board to identify, recruit and nominate the strongest and best slate of candidates that meet the organization’s needs at any given point in time and to put that slate of candidates to a yay-or-nay vote of the membership, says OIA.

“The effectiveness of OIA is linked closely to having a diverse and representative board that includes individuals with a variety of skillsets and expertise. The governance practices require regular assessment and evaluation of the relevant skills needed to meet the organization’s strategy.” said Seabury.

Newly elected board members include:

Joe Butler, owner, Black Creek Outfitters
Rue Mapp, founder and CEO, Outdoor Afro
Tracy Mayer, COO, Backcountry North
Lisa Pike Sheehy, vice president of environmental activism, Patagonia

Continuing OIA board members include:

Todd Bradley, co-founder, C4 Waterman
Travis Campbell, president and CEO, Far Bank Enterprises
Darrell Denny, senior vice president, Emerald Expositions
Bob Holding, co-founder, Waypoint Outdoor
Mike Joyce, president and CEO, PrimaLoft, Inc.
Jennifer Mull, CEO, Backwoods
Mark Satkiewicz, president, SmartWool
Gordon Seabury, CEO, Toad&Co
Nora Stowell, vice president of sales, Amer Sports
Jim Zwiers, senior vice president, Wolverine Worldwide, Inc.
Catherine Walker, senior vice president and general counsel, REI

Term-ending OIA board members include:

Peter Bragdon, senior VP of legal and corporate affairs, Columbia Sportswear Company
Carolyn Brodsky, president, Sterling Rope Co. Inc.
Darren Bush, owner, Rutabaga Paddlesports
Fred Clark, CEO, Thule
Scott Kerslake, CEO, Prana
David Kulow, owner, All Terrain
David Labistour, CEO, Mountain Equipment Co-op
John Lacy, executive vice president of global product and North American sales, Burton Corporation
Jill Layfield, CEO,
Backcountry.com
Ed McAlister, owner, River Sports Outfitters
Sue Rechner, CEO, Confluence Outdoor
Ed Schmults, CEO, Wild Things, LLC.
Kim Walker, founder and president, Outdoor Divas