Who We Are
2024 OIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
Thank you to our former and current board leaders, OIA members, and fellow outdoor enthusiasts for your leadership in our member-led collective. Learn more about this year’s new and returning OIA Board of Directors nominees below.
Jon Chong, Patagonia Chief Technology Officer
What relevant business experience do you have that aligns with the requested skillsets and experience that the board is currently seeking?
I am passionate about the opportunity to serve on the OIA Board and believe that I bring experience and skills in areas of focus and importance for the OIA. I am a technologist and technology professional and have spent my career understanding the needs of businesses, their customers and employees, and then designing and implementing technology strategies and solutions to address their needs. I believe that as the OIA Board looks to drive key initiatives such as membership and a product roadmap, I can provide a perspective around how technology, data, and taking a member-focused approach can help map the path forward. I do not believe in one-size-fits-all approaches, and if given the opportunity, I look forward to learning more about OIA and its members and working with the board and staff to chart the course ahead.
Background:
Jon is the chief technology officer of Patagonia and joined the company in late 2021. Before joining Patagonia, he was VP digital capabilities for Kohler Co, the leading bathroom and kitchen company. His prior experience spans technology leadership roles in consumer- focused companies across Australia, China, and the U.S., leading global teams across aspects of technology, including digital, data, and innovation. He has a passion for leading through change, developing people, and helping companies transform and respond to the world around them.
Growing up in Australia during times of drought and a hole in the ozone layer brought him an acute awareness of the impacts of humanity on our world. As such he feels privileged to work for a company and in an industry that understands the responsibilities of businesses to their stakeholders and the environment.
Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, hiking, running, as well as basketball and reading. However, with two young children, he currently has less time to indulge in his interests than he would like!
Sarah Matt, Toad&Co Chief Revenue Officer
What relevant business experience do you have that aligns with the requested skillsets and experience that the board is currently seeking?
I have enjoyed serving on the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Board for the last three years – working alongside industry peers and the committed OIA staff to build value for association members. In today’s world, creating community and collaboration is more important than ever. OIA’s role as a convenor, educator, and voice of the industry presents an exciting opportunity to be a force for positive change. Being a part of that movement and helping to drive industry momentum is an honor.
Background:
Sarah spent the first 15 years of her career in New York City at leading B2B and B2C marketing agencies working with best-in-class brands, including Bank of America, Diageo, Godiva, Morgan Stanley, Tiffany and Company, and United Technologies, among others.
In 2013, as an independent consultant, Sarah moved to California, at which time she began working with Horny Toad to guide its rebranding and subsequent relaunch as Toad&Co. Since joining Toad&Co, Sarah has overseen marketing, creative, e-commerce, and wholesale sales. Today, she sits on the executive leadership team as the company’s Chief Revenue Officer. Sarah’s passion is people – from consumer understanding and brand connection to leading teams and volunteering in her community. Sarah attributes her success to a strong belief that outlook drives outcome, combined with a solution-oriented disposition and personable approach.
Jason Parkin , Compose[d] Founder, President and CCO
What relevant business experience do you have that aligns with the requested skillsets and experience that the board is currently seeking?
I’m a passionate advocate of using business as a force for good and primarily prioritize solutions for sustainability and climate action. Since founding Compose[d] in 2010, the company has become a standout among purpose-driven agencies. It is an active Certified B Corp®, 1% For the Planet member, Clean Creatives signatory, and brand alliance partner with both SeaTrees and Protect Our Winters.
Additionally, I understand the louder voice that businesses have with legislators and have been highly active on pushing for policy initiatives using the weight of our business. In addition to lobbying with OIA at the Capitol Summit, I’ve been an active representative of Compose[d] at B Lab fly-ins on both a state and national level, as well as with New York Businesses for Climate Justice.
I’ve been active with OIA as both a member of the Climate Action Corps and Clean Chemistry & Materials Coalition, surfacing one of the renewable energy options recently shared, and speaking about how companies can effectively communicate their sustainability initiatives particularly when it comes to PFAS and always providing the business reason along with it. Lastly, I understand that, without successful businesses and a thriving industry, we won’t be able to tackle these problems that we need to address.
Background:
Jason Parkin is a passionate advocate of business as a force for good, prioritizing solutions for sustainability and climate action. Since founding Compose[d] in 2010, the company has become a standout among purpose-driven agencies. Always looking for ways to have an outsized impact, Compose[d] is, to date, the smallest company in the country to sign a fixed-price Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPAs) with Ever.green, which, along with a collective of other (much larger) businesses, has led to the repowering of the Ocotillo Wind Farm in Big Spring, Texas, where the grid is still predominantly powered by fossil fuels.
Professionally, Parkin has over 25 years of experience specializing in creative strategy, interactive/user-centered design, and animation. He is a founder and former design director of Motionbox, a personal video-sharing company that was acquired by HP Snapfish in 2010, where he helped create a then-new and now widely used interface for viewing online video. His work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Webby’s, the MIN Best of the Web Awards, OMMA, and the One Show Interactive Awards.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jason lives in NYC, but splits his time in Warren, Vt., with his wife, Nicky, and their dogs, Shiloh and Ryder. He’s a former USCF Category 3 bicycle racer and now enjoys a slightly more leisurely approach to cycling, snowboarding, ice hockey, hiking, trail-running, and climbing.
Janice TenNant, Merrell Global Brand President
What relevant business experience do you have that aligns with the requested skillsets and experience that the board is currently seeking?
I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for this OIA Board position for a second term. It has been a lifelong passion of mine to increase participation of diverse populations in the outdoors by combining my degree in physical and health education from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, with my over 18 years of brand marketing experience across such well-recognized brands as Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Huggies, and Merrell.
If elected as a returning OIA Board member, I would bring to the board a consumer-driven strategic marketing perspective to help the organization assess and research the changing landscape, identify key strategic pillars of growth, and develop action plans to help drive both growth and greater awareness of OIA.
With a proven track record of doing this successfully for consumer brands and nonprofit organizations, I know I can help OIA navigate today’s complex issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; climate change; and funding alternatives. For those of you not familiar with me, I leave you with these words:
“Working with Janice, the team feels inspired to push ourselves to the limit of creativity and solutions that solve true business issues.” — Shelbie Stewart, former SVP, Executive Group Director, Geometry Global
Background:
Janice Tennant was appointed the global brand president of Merrell in May 2023. Merrell’s purpose is to share the simple power of being outside with everyone – no matter who you are, where you came from, who you love, or how you move.
Janice is a senior global executive with more than 15 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies who strives each day to help people and brands reach their potential. Serving as Merrell’s chief marketing officer from 2020 to 2023, Janice was recognized by the Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO Top 50 List in 2023. In 2022, she was named Marketing Leader of the Year by the Women in Content Marketing Awards – leading the Merrell team to be named Brand of the Year by the Footwear News Achievement Awards. She has been listed as one of Forbes Magazine’s “CMO NEXT 2021: 50 Innovative Marketers Transforming Business” and Ad Age’s “2021 Leading Women.”
Janice is recognized for her drive for results, her love for building high-performing teams, and her dedication to mentoring young professionals. She is a founding member of Black Executive CMO Alliance and sits on the board of the Outdoor Industry Association. When she is asked why she does what she does, she will say that it’s for her two sons.
Jeff Tooze, Columbia Vice President of Global Customs & Trade
What relevant business experience do you have that aligns with the requested skillsets and experience that the board is currently seeking?
As a founding member of the OIA Trade Advisory Council (OIATAC), I’m proud to be serving my 20th consecutive year on the council, including the chair seat for six of those years. OIATAC’s key role in government affairs has a proven track record for successfully influencing changes on trade-related policy and legislation, while at the same time protecting domestic manufacturing interests. Through this, OIATAC has delivered significant benefits to improve OIA members’ bottom lines, primarily by reducing or eliminating import duties on products specific to our industry and which are not produced domestically at commercial levels.
As a member of the board, I can offer the team a unique global trade perspective to OIA’s government affairs efforts. My engagement could help leverage trade policy in the shaping of OIA’s strategic initiatives with the goal of delivering tangible value back to the members. Such value may include the reduction of duties/taxes; preventing or reducing the impact of adverse governmental action; promoting sustainability in global supply chains; and providing global trade resources that are equally accessible to all OIA members.
Background:
Jeff is a thirty-six-year career global trade professional. The past 24 years have been with Columbia Sportswear Company, where he currently serves as their vice president of global customs & trade. In his role at Columbia, Jeff deals with issues and opportunities around the globe regarding trade policy, trade remedies, trade agreements, tariffs, supply chain security, and trade compliance benchmarking and best practices. Additionally, Jeff’s role is critical in the development of Columbia Sportswear’s multinational trade compliance and duty-reduction strategies. He also spends a fair amount of time working in trade-related government affairs in the U.S. and around the world.
Jeff is active in several industry organizations, including the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Footwear Distributors & Retailers Association, and Retail Industry Leaders Association, and he serves on the World Federation of Sporting Goods Trade Committee, Coalition for Economic Partnerships in the Americas Steering Committee, and the Outdoor Industry Association Trade Advisory Council where he previously served as chairperson for 6 years.
Prior to joining Columbia, Jeff owned and operated a small international freight forwarding business and worked in a variety of management and consulting roles in trade compliance and logistics. He has been a licensed customs broker since 1988.