The board of directors of Choose Outdoors, a nonprofit organization that seeks to engage all Americans in stewardship of public lands through outdoor recreation, has elected Shelley O’Neill to its governing board of directors.


Shelley O’Neill comes from an avid scouting and camping family.  She started working at Philmont Scout Ranch during her summers between college semesters. After graduating from the University of Michigan, she returned to Philmont Scout Ranch and was offered a full-time position running the Philmont store.  O’Neill has a passion for scouting and for creating creative partnerships with a wide variety of corporate interests. She is married with two boys, is a den leader for Pack 68 in Cimarron, NM and spends as much time as possible outside with her boys.  They recently summitted their first 14’er.


“I have also been fortunate to spend most of my life outdoors thanks to my incredible parents that made it a priority in the raising of their family,” she said. “I continue to pass that down to my children and our most incredible moments as a family have been spent on top of a peak, in the middle of the river or just picnicking in one of our state parks”.

According to Choose Outdoors Board Chair Elizabeth Simon, “ Shelley brings passion, knowledge and networks that will be extremely helpful to our efforts to connect all people to the outdoors.”

Choose Outdoors Board of Directors also recently elected Kenji Haroutunian, vice president Nielsen Expositions, and Cam Brensinger, president, NEMO Equipment, Inc. as board members. 


Choose Outdoors has recently begun working with the Federal Interagency Council on Recreation and the National Association of Recreation Resource Planners on developing Recreation Co-Ops across the country based on the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Resource Project.

Additionally, it is assisting with the Children's Forest concept developed by the USDA Forest Service in California and Alaska, tying a variety of stakeholders together through an innovative multi-stakeholder effort to increase the public's awareness and appreciation of our natural environment.


Choose Outdoors, is a non-profit dedicated to promoting outdoor recreation and active lifestyles through support for public lands and waters; recreation infrastructure; and programs connecting Americans to the outdoors.  Recently, responding to a request by Undersecretary of Agriculture Harris Sherman, Choose Outdoors has begun to develop ways to increase public awareness about the mountain pine beetle epidemic and the impact it has had on forest health as well as to encourage private sector engagement in promoting the use of beetle killed wood and assisting with mitigation efforts. For more information about Choose Outdoors visit www.ChooseOutdoors.org.