The Daily - February 1, 2019 - 30

Ideas
B I G

A C T I O N

Camber Outdoors executive
director Deanne Buck continues to drive the mission of the
organization to advance the
idea of "Everyone's Outdoors."

Real
Commitment
FOUR YEARS AGO, THE MEM-

ber-powered nonprofit Camber
Outdoors introduced the Camber
CEO Pledge, the first and largest
of its kind, with the intention of
advancing gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
for outdoor companies. To date,
80 companies have signed on and
made a commitment, including
REI Co-op, W.L. Gore, Specialized
Bicycles, Brooks Running, and Evo.
That's in addition to Camber Outdoors' 200-plus corporate partners
and more than 7,000 individual
members. In June, the organization
expanded its scope. The new CEO
Outdoor Equity Pledge, revealed at
the Keynote Breakfast this morning, is an integral part of the evolving mission and role of the organization. Beyond the pledge, Camber
Outdoors introduced the Workplace
Equity Working Group last summer,
and this summer it will expand its
Pitchfest beyond women to include
other underrepresented groups.
(Held at Summer Market, Pitchfest
gives entrepreneurs the chance
to get their business ideas off the
ground.) Executive director Deanne
Buck sat down with The Daily to
talk about workplace equity and
Camber Outdoors' larger vision.

/ SNOW SHOW 2019

What is the mission of Camber
Outdoors?

The vision is simple: Everyone's
Outdoors. We feel that we are
uniquely situated to make this a
reality through our mission: Equity in the Outdoors, from Boardroom to Backcountry.
How do you see equity, inclusion, and diversity evolving in
the outdoor industry?

Companies in the outdoor industry
share a common cultural thread of
passion for the outdoors and being
active. This allows them to collaborate around shared values, like sustainability, conservation, and access
to the outdoors. Equity, inclusion,
and diversity are no different. To
truly move toward an equitable and
inclusive work culture where diversity of identities and perspectives
thrives will take a collective effort.
People often move jobs to advance
their careers. Statistics show that
80 percent of the time, women will
not leave a company unless the one
they move to is equally committed
to equity and inclusion. The same is
true for people of color. By embracing equity, inclusion, and diversity at
both a company and industry level,
we will set ourselves apart.

What scares people about these
changes? How do you ease
those concerns?

Change is hard, but it is a reality
and a constant. We ensure that every person feels part of the solution
and sees how they can contribute
to equity and inclusion. We focus
on bright spots and try to duplicate
them rather than examining what's
wrong. People want to be good
leaders; they want to advance in
their careers; they want to contribute to the success of their companies. Research shows that greater
diversity of perspective and experience on teams makes for better
decisions and stronger teams. We
believe that every person can be
an inclusive leader. The goal is to
increase the pie.

What motivates you to keep
doing this work with such passion and commitment?

Camber Outdoors is the culmination of my life's work: women
and ethnic studies minor in
college; activist who worked
in politics; law student with
a passion for corporate and
entrepreneurial law; river raft
guide, climber, runner, and skier
who happened to land a dream
job in conservation and policy.
And at the core of my being, I
have a belief in equity. Camber
Outdoors brings together all of
these facets. It is easy to stay
motivated when I work with
incredibly smart, vulnerable,
thoughtful, and values-based
leaders and partners.

TAKE ACTION
This morning from 7 to 9 a.m. in room MR401, Camber Outdoors brings together four industry leaders-Wendy Yang,
president, Performance Lifestyle Group, Hoka One One, Teva,
Sanuk; Amy Roberts, executive director, Outdoor Industry
Association; Kim Miller, CEO, Scarpa North America; and Jim
Weber, president and CEO, Brooks Running-to talk about the
evolution of the Camber CEO Outdoor Equity Pledge and how
outdoor brands can make workplace equity a priority. Businesses and individuals can join Camber Outdoors as members,
donate, and sign the pledge at camberoutdoors.org.

CO U R T E SY CA M B E R O U T D O O R S

Through initiatives that create real change-including its new CEO Outdoor Equity Pledge,
Workplace Equity Working Group, and Pitchfest-Camber Outdoors is making a difference
in advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity in
the outdoor space. By Doug Schnitzspahn

http://www.camberoutdoors.org

The Daily - February 1, 2019

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