Board &Team

Board

BRUCE WARD, PRESIDENT

Bruce is a longtime outdoor enthusiast and passionate advocate for finding meaningful ways to connect all Americans to our public lands. He has decades of experience working as a consultant for various companies focused on public/private partnerships and increasing support for outdoor recreation. Some of his contributions include serving as a founder of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA), respected as one of the most successful grassroots organizations of its kind; the first President of the Washington, DC based American Hiking Society, where he was responsible for consolidating various aspects of that national non-profit into a professional and effective advocacy organization; and as the first National Coordinator of National Trails Day, he helped lay the foundation of what is now one of the most successful celebrations of the outdoor experience coupled with a message of volunteerism. Bruce also co-chaired the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Resource Partnership and was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for Rural America.

Bruce is a proud member of Rotary International, serving as President of the Rotary Club of Conifer and current member of the Mile High club in Denver, as well as an assistant Scout Master. He lives in Denver, Colorado. Prior to moving to Denver he lived in Pine, Colorado and had been evacuated from his home three times due to catastrophic wildfires.

SUE BARKLEY, SECRETARY

Sue Barkley is an outdoor enthusiast – hailing originally from Southern California beaches! She has a long history as a volunteer with Rotary International and is especially interested in Rotary’s youth programs, promoting responsible recreation and contributions to provide clean water and productive agriculture. With her strong background in fundraising and marketing, Sue attends events, constantly promoting the Mission and ideals of Choose Outdoors. The mountains around Bailey, Colorado are “home”, where she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and lots of grandchildren.

BRIAN KELLEGHAN, VICE CHAIR

Brian is a lifetime outdoorsman, climber and scouter starting in Chicago land and now living in Colorado since 1984. He has been contributing to outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor industry markets as the business owner and product inventor for Bison Designs LLC. During 32 years of product development for the outdoors, Brian has created over 200 patents filed for, active, or expired in the outdoor industry. Recognized for his full gamut experience with patents, Brian has been a guest speaker for the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington D.C. and twice in Denver. Product markets first created include pictorial webbing, Bison Chalk Ball chalk dispensers, custom shaped character carabiners, and paracord bracelets with internal survival tools. Also, married with three sons and three daughters in scouting, Brian has been teaching scouting skills learned as an Eagle Scout, Asst. Scout Master, and as District Scout Chairman. Taking scouting skills outside the BSA organization, Brian has joined with Choose Outdoors to bring youth to their first experiences in camping, climbing and canoeing. Brian and Bison Designs are relentlessly seeking ways to support sustainability and environmentally friendly organizations. Bison has been supporting The Access Fund and a member of OIA for the life of the organizations.

TOM MORTON, BOARD CHAIR

Tom is a consultant specializing in housing developments He has over 30 years of experience in directing the design and development of over a dozen large residential and mixed use master planned projects. Communities built under his direction have received both local and national recognition for their design approach as well as their sustainability. His education as a landscape architect coupled with 10 years of experience as a design consultant have proven to be the foundation of his approach to the development of new communities.

HARRY SCARBOROUGH, LEGAL COUNSEL

A graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Oregon School of Law, Harry is a lifelong outdoor enthusiast with a special passion for promoting sustainable, mixed use of our nations forests. Over his nearly 20 year legal career, Harry has represented a broad range of individual, corporate, and non-profit clients, including Western state landowners focused on restoring, preserving, and enhancing access to wild and open spaces. Harry is particularly proud of his four-year involvement with Choose Outdoors and looks forward to continuing to provide pro bono legal services in support of Choose Outdoors’ mission to promote access to and use of our public lands.

Our Team

JODI MASSEY

Minneapolis-based consultant specializing in communication, project management, and experiential marketing. Over the past 20 years, she has worked with high-profile brands such as Best Buy, Coca-Cola, and NASCAR and more recently on behalf of the National Park Service and USDA Forest Service through non-profit partners Mississippi Park Connection and Choose Outdoors. Jodi loves to solve to big challenges, such as figuring out how to get a 70-foot tree from Anchorage to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C, and bringing people together, such as enticing thousands of hearty Minnesotans to get outside and celebrate our infamous winter season. Jodi currently serves as Communication and Sponsorship Director for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative and as Bruce’s go-to problem solver. Jodi received a BA in Communication and Management Studies from St. Olaf College and a Master of Arts in Leadership from Augsburg College. She is active in the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club, having led youth literacy and clean water initiatives. She and her husband, Patrick, travel as much as time and money allow, which is slightly less than it used to be with four-year old twins at home.

JAMES EDWARD MILLS

James is a 2014 Fellow of the Mountain & Wilderness Writing Program of the Banff Centre in Alberta Canada. As a freelance journalist and an independent media producer in a career that spans more than 20 years he specializes in telling stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving and practices of sustainable living. He has worked in the outdoor industry since 1989 as a guide, outfitter, independent sales representative, writer, and photographer. He is the author of the new book “The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors”. He has provided photography and social media support for the U.S. Capitol Christmas since 2015. James is a contributor to several outdoor-focused print and online publications such as National Geographic Adventure, Rock & Ice, Alpinist, SUP, Elevation Outdoors, Women’s Adventure, the Clymb.com, Park Advocate, High Country News, Appalachia Journal, The Guarding, Outside Magazine and Land & People.

OLIVIA TINNEY

Olivia has been a part of the Choose Outdoors team sine 2016, and is dedicated to engaging the next generation of youth in the great outdoors. She enjoys storytelling through photography, videography, and writing, and has a passion for all aspects of the outdoor industry. When she’s not writing or photographing for Choose Outdoors, you can usually find this Florida native out on the trails in the foothills of Boulder, CO.

PAULA WARD

Paula is a landscape architect experienced in large scale trail and park planning to intimate residential design. She credits her education with the ability to look at the big picture while considering the small details. Paula, who is married to Bruce Ward, worked alongside Bruce as the founder and co-Executive Director for the non-profit Continental Divide Trail Alliance for fifteen years. Here she created innovative programs to engage youth and the public, worked closely with federal land managers, managed grant and volunteer programs and headed up strategic planning, budget and financial matters.

KATE RAISZ

For co-executive producer Kate Raisz, choosing outdoors is in the blood. Her grandfather was a forester for the state of Connecticut and her family proudly owns a 100-acre woodland in Massachusetts. Professionally, Kate is an award-winning media producer, director, and writer with thirty years of experience making films, interactives and immersive experiences for museums and broadcast television. Her expertise lies in translating complex ideas from science and natural history into compelling and dramatic media pieces for the general public. Clients include PBS, History Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Nebraska State Museum, Ellis Island National Immigration Museum, Biomuseo Panama, Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Inner Space Center, NOAA, New England Aquarium, and Aquarium of the Pacific.

ADAM RUBACK, WEBMASTER

Adam Ruback is a web designer and developer that has been creating website since 2001. He launched the web design company Double Down Productions when the web first started and has been creating and managing websites ever since. Adam is based in Porland, Oregon and has clients througout the United States. In addition to being a programmer Adam has an environmental enginerring degree and is very interested in helping the environment.

JENNIFER BILLS, ACCOUNTANT

Certified Public Accountant. Jennie has served as Choose Outdoors CPA since it was founded in 2008