Camber Outdoors. the national organization dedicated to achieving equality for all women in the outdoors, announced the continued evolution of its signature Camber Exchange program, including expansion to Canada.
Camber Exchanges are events that connect individuals in the active-outdoor industries who share interests, career objectives, and passion for the outdoors. Sponsored by CamelBak, Bell, Giro, and locally hosted by Camber Outdoors partner companies, Camber Exchanges also provide an opportunity for hosting companies to showcase their employer brand to community members.
“Year over year we have continued to build the Camber Exchange program to elevate the vision of Everyone’s Outdoors through community engagement,” said Deanne Buck, executive director of Camber Outdoors. “We see value in expanding programming throughout new cities in the U.S. and into Canada with the support from our partner companies and Camber Exchange sponsors. Through Camber Exchanges, we are able to give leaders at our partner companies a platform for why and how they’re prioritizing women’s leadership as a business imperative.”
The first 2018 Camber Exchange took place on February 20 in partnership with Outdoor Afro, an organization dedicated to celebrating and inspiring African American connections and leadership in nature, and was hosted at the Mountain Hardwear headquarters in Richmond, CA.
The first Camber Exchange to occur outside of the continental U.S. will be hosted by Arc’teryx, a Peak Partner, located in North Vancouver, British Columbia on March 1, 2018.
“We are thrilled to partner with Camber Outdoors to host the first of many Canadian Camber Exchanges, and support their important work to foster an inclusive and diverse outdoor industry,” said Jennifer Martin, director of people and culture at Arc’teryx. “We’re looking forward to bringing together our local industry friends to give them a warm Arc’teryx welcome.”
Camber Outdoors is slated to host 25 Camber Exchanges in 2018, which will take place in different locations across the continental U.S. and Canada. With increased interest and participation from individuals and partner companies, Camber Outdoors has grown its Camber Exchange series year over year. In 2017, the organization hosted 20 events in 17 U.S. cities with more than 1200 attendees.
Finalizing the Camber Exchange calendar is still underway and will be posted to the Camber Outdoors website on an event-by-event basis.
Camber Outdoors member companies interested in hosting a Camber Exchange, please contact Camber Outdoors Partnership Manager Sallie Hoefer, sallie.hoefer@camberoutdoors.org.
Founded in 1996, Camber Outdoors (formerly OIWC) envisions a future of “Everyone’s Outdoors.” It is the only national organization dedicated to achieving equality for all women in the outdoors, from backcountry to boardroom, through innovative and thought-leading programming and initiatives, including Thought-Leader Keynotes, the CEO Pledge, Pitchfest, Camber Exchangesx and a cross-industry/company Mentoring Program. Over 170 corporate and 4,000 individual members support Camber Outdoors.
