BOARD CHAIR MESSAGE: NEW BOARD MEMBER WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS


Greetings AORE Community,

Speaking on behalf of our current leadership team, we are excited to welcome five new members the AORE Board of Directors (terms starting in January 2020). As many of you know, the Board has been working diligently over the past 18 months to develop a new strategic framework. We are confident that our newly-elected board members will provide key insights and contribute knowledge from their individual areas of expertise needed to guide our Association effectively. Let me introduce you to these passionate volunteers.
 
A long-time volunteer leader within the Association, Sasha Griffith brings her ability to create connections within the outdoor community as well as a commitment to helping others make a first-time connection to the outdoors. In addition to serving AORE in a variety of capacities, Sasha also has served as a member and chair of the ACCT Membership Working Group.
 
Serving a one-year term, Victoria Lopez-Herrera has experience navigating new strategic plans given her work on the 2017 NIRSA Strategic Planning Taskforce. Victoria can use her previous non-profit leadership experience to guide board governance and development.
 
Another long-time volunteer within AORE, Joey Parent has worked diligently to expand the impact and reach of his current program at Virginia Commonwealth University and looks forward to contributing his knowledge and expertise in the areas of marketing and communication to help move AORE forward.

Serving a one-year term, Dani Ruffing brings a much-valued voice to AORE’s leadership team as the Student Board Member. Dani recognizes that students are our industry’s future professionals, and she wants to use her role on the board to provide the board with perspectives and feedback from our student members.
 
As we celebrate the work of outgoing board member Tom Adams, we are excited to welcome another state director of recreation to AORE’s Board. Rachel VandeVoort currently serves as the Director for the Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation; with Rachel’s guidance, we look forward to exploring ways that AORE might partner with state offices of outdoor recreation in the future.
 
You’ll have an opportunity to meet our new Board Members at the annual conference—we’ll introduce these members at the Town Hall, Annual Business Meeting, and Awards Banquet.


Cheers,



Kellie Gerbers
AORE Board Chair