OIA welcomes new board leaders in 2025 including Stacie Bruno of Revelyst and Ken Ratterree of KEEN, with Keith Reis of Sanitas Sales Group and Susan Viscon of REI re-elected.
Continue readingMeet the 2025 New and Returning Leaders of the OIA Board
Meet the New and Returning OIA Board Members
October 4, 2023
As the outdoor industry’s member-led collective, OIA catalyzes meaningful change in every element of the industry. To set our businesses and industry up for future success, we rely on a clear strategy and value-based collaboration. Our board of directors helps shape OIA’s strategic plan. The individuals on the board, through their seats at the governance table, support the success of every member company across four critically aligned areas of market research, sustainability, government affairs, and inclusive participation.
This summer, four new and three incumbent members were elected to the OIA Board of Directors by the OIA membership. We are proud to present the new directors and reacquaint you with the returning directors, who comprise a diverse group of leaders that represent the broad interests of OIA’s member companies and who have a depth of industry knowledge, as well as fresh, progressive ideas.
To our former and current board leaders, OIA members, and fellow outdoor enthusiasts, thank you for your participation in this year’s election and for treading the path with us!
New Board Members
“I am honored to be entrusted with a seat on the board of OIA. I’m looking forward to collaborating with fellow board members and the organization at large and contributing my experience, passion and dedication to the cause. Through our shared mission of promoting sustainable economic growth and climate positivity, we can create meaningful change in the outdoor industry.”
– Keith Carrato, Gerber Gear Vice President/General Manager
“I never fit in the box that the outdoor industry was confined to. Now I’m brought on to help redefine what the outdoors is, and who it belongs to, and why.
I’ve never fit in the “box”; because the box was never intended to fit people like me. I’m in this industry, with my family. We are building a staircase to include and elevate; collectively, considerately, and communally.”
– Jahmicah Dawes, Slim Pickins Outfitters Owner and Founder
“I am honored to join the OIA Board of Directors and work alongside an esteemed group of industry leaders. Together, we have the opportunity to shape the future of outdoor inclusion, conservation, and innovation to better serve the industry. I cannot wait to contribute my passion and expertise to this incredible community.”
– Diana Seung, tentree President
“After twenty years in the outdoor industry, I am deeply honored to join the board of directors for Outdoor Industry Association. I look forward to putting in work on many subjects, but my passion lies in DEI and specialty retail. Diversity isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a vital driver of innovation and progress. It must be a priority for our industry to remain relevant.
Additionally, I firmly believe that the backbone of our industry is the outdoor specialty retailer, and as an association we should be a robust resource for them.
Together, we can work to ensure that the industry is known and accessible to all, fostering a stronger, more inclusive community that benefits our businesses and the diverse array of consumers who cherish experiences outside.”
– Troy Sicotte, Mountain Hardwear President and Global General Manager
Returning Board Members
Alison Hill is the CEO of LifeStraw, a global company providing safe water through technological innovation and product design. For the last 14 years, Alison has built the LifeStraw brand through retail, humanitarian water programs, and emergency preparedness and response.
“I look forward to continued leadership on the OIA Board and working alongside new and remaining board members to ensure our industry thrives in the ever-changing consumer and market landscape.”
– Jennifer McLaren, Altra Brand President & GM of VF NORA Key Accounts
“It’s an honor to continue serving as a leader on the OIA Board of Directors. I look forward to continuing to support OIA in its efforts to build an ecosystem of thriving businesses, people, and planet while increasing the value we deliver to our emerging businesses and other nonprofits.”
– Kevin Winkel, Wayward Founder
Letter from New OIA President Kent Ebersole
Dear members and fellow catalysts,
I’m so pleased to be able to share the news of my appointment to the role of President for the Outdoor Industry Association with you. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and close partnership with our Board, my dedicated staff and passionate committee members who have supported my onboarding journey over the past 7 months. Like many of you, it’s my passion for the outdoors and desire for value-based collaboration that I believe will set OIA up for success for this year and into the next decade.
I have one crystal clear priority that motivates me every day. As OIA President, I will ensure that OIA continues to be the industry’s catalyst for meaningful change. We’re an incredibly broad reaching member-led collective that stands for positive progress in every element of the industry. But we have evolved since then to be much clearer about the value of our core pillars.
OIA’s industry-defining research is a force for change allowing you to better understand the markets and the consumers you care about. In 2023, we are launching 3 new research products & services, including new consumer reports, specialty sport reports, and consumer panels.
OIA’s tireless government affairs team is a force for collective action. There are now 16 State Offices of Recreation (OREC), and we look forward to welcoming 2 more states by the end of 2023. We won’t stop until we achieve the creation of 50 bipartisan state offices, working together to protect and sustain our water, air, land, and wildlife for current and future generations. Equally, in 2023 and until it passes, OIA is committed to seeing America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA) through, the single biggest piece of federal legislation that will increase outdoor opportunities by funding infrastructure and economic opportunities for gateway communities and underserved populations across the nation.
OIA is a force for sustainable growth. Since 2019, over 100 members have joined the Climate Action Corps committed to the work of reducing industry-wide greenhouse gas emissions. In 2023 and beyond, we are focused on enlisting at least 80% of the outdoor industry to meet an aggressive but achievable goal of becoming a climate positive industry by 2030. In addition, we are launching a brand-new program and working group, the Clean Chemistry Coalition, to swiftly meet the needs of retailers, manufacturers, and distributors for implementing a thoughtful and phased approach to eliminating PFAS and other harmful chemicals from outdoor products.
OIA is a force for inclusion. Through the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative, we continue to make multi-year investments in 13 community programs and countless leaders who already know what they need to harness the benefits of spending time outdoors. In addition to our work of shaping equitable access through legislative means, and upholding OREC’s guidance of partnering with tribal members as co-managers of natural resources, OIA is evolving inclusion initiatives through internal culture and collaborations and creating a diverse pipeline of people who can see themselves as our industry’s next product designers, testers and sustainability champions. We know that we will always have work to ensure the outdoor industry represents and serves all backgrounds and voices. But as a catalyst, we are committed to iterating for the vital success of the outdoor industry.
Finally, I see OIA as a force for connection. We are doubling down on valuable products and services and introducing new programs and offerings. We are modernizing operations and changing how we deliver membership experiences so that the information and services you want and need are timely, highly relevant, and personalized to your business. We are doing this so that you, our members, can be catalysts in your own right—sustainability champions, product innovators, community builders, climate change agents, or business leaders.
Notwithstanding the current economic climate, I believe that one of the reasons we lost momentum is because we didn’t connect the dots on how our work supports your business and the communities you care about. But this is what catalysts do—we “connect the dots, set things in motion, and learn continually”*. The nature of catalyst work is complex and much of it is invisibly and swiftly happening behind the scenes. We are pivoting to meet the needs of your business today but always with an eye on the future horizon.
While OIA has been charting this map for a minute, 30 minutes of years to be exact, we’re going to need your boots on the ground to help tread the path. To those of you who have been members for years and years, thank you for continuing to align your business commitments with our values. For those of you that have recently joined OIA, let me be the first to extend a very warm welcome. Your voice and support are just what this industry needs to make better and do better.
Together, we are a member-led collective and the industry’s catalyst for meaningful change.
Kent Ebersole
President
Outdoor Industry Association
Member Press Releases
OIA Member Press
Remembering Patricia Rojas-Ungar
OIA was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our former Vice President of Government Affairs, Patricia Rojas-Ungar. She was a passionate and inspiring advocate for the outdoors and our members and she will be sorely missed.
A long-time government affairs executive and devoted wife and mother, Patricia passed away in Washington, DC, on August 26, 2021. She was 47 years old.
Alma Patricia Rojas-Ungar was born December 2, 1973, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to Elvira Guerra and Jaime Rojas. Patricia earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Houston in 2001.
Early in her career, Patricia worked helping children in Brazil, then continued on in Houston working with inner-city youth at I Have a Dream-Houston as a project coordinator. Her interest and passion for the public sector led her to work in both the United States Congress and Senate, followed by a successful career spanning 20 years in lobbying and government affairs where she advocated on behalf of issues close to her heart. She held senior roles in The U.S. Travel Association and the Outdoor Industry Association and most recently was a vice president at Strategic Marketing Innovations, Inc.
Patricia’s efforts earned her recognition as a top lobbyist from The Hill, Washingtonian Magazine, CEO Update and Association Trends. In 2011, she was named by the Washingtonian as one of DC’s Top 40 Under 40.
“During her time at OIA, Patricia brought a clear passion for advocacy to work every day, and it’s no wonder she was recognized by her colleagues in D.C. as a top lobbyist,” said OIA Director of Government Affairs Rich Harper.
We grieve with family, friends and colleagues and send our condolences to her husband and children.
Donations in Patricia’s memory can be made to a GoFundMe to support her children and to the UN Refugee Agency.
You can read her full obituary here.