Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced that Executive Director Amy Roberts will leave the organization at the end of September to join The North Face as Senior Director, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility. The OIA Board will begin the search for a new executive director immediately.
Roberts will remain at OIA through the end of September and will support the search process and transition of her role.
“Amy has served OIA in various capacities over the past decade including leading the industry’s government affairs and sustainability efforts before taking on the executive director role in 2015,” said Nora Stowell, OIA board chair and W.L. Gore fabrics sales and marketing divisional leader. “She led OIA during the difficult trade show move to Denver, and with great finesse and skill, she developed a renewed organizational strategy focused on the three pillars of business sustainability, advocacy and outdoor participation. She built a strong team at OIA to support the development and execution of these efforts. During her tenure, Amy drove the OIA brand through the ‘Together We are a Force’ campaign which led to increased membership, satisfaction and engagement in OIA’s efforts. We are forever grateful for Amy’s service, steady leadership and dedication to the industry,” said Stowell.
“I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to serve the outdoor industry and to be a part of the wins that the OIA team has achieved including securing more funding for parks and trails, establishing state offices of outdoor recreation, building tools to help our members drive sustainability in their own businesses, and launching our revised Thrive Outside participation strategy,” said Roberts. “More than anything, I am thankful for the hardworking OIA staff and the support and engagement of our membership. I look forward to helping the board and staff welcome new leadership for an organization I have had the pleasure to serve.”
The OIA Board will retain an executive search firm to assist with identifying a new executive director who can continue the work of the association and will share more information about that process with the industry in the coming weeks.
Roberts was appointed executive director in July 2015, replacing Frank Hugelmeyer. Prior to OIA, she was the director of sustainability and a member of the executive leadership team at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). Prior to joining MEC, she worked as the vice president of government affairs for OIA. Robert also serves on the boards of The Conservation Alliance, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
Photo courtesy Outdoor Industry Association
