WTA welcomes 2024 Emerging Leaders in the outdoor industry
The fourth Emerging Leaders cohort is gearing up for 14 weeks of trail maintenance work and professional development, their schedules packed with on-the-ground field projects, meetings with local outdoor community members, professional workshops and more.
In its fourth year, the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) cohort is gearing up for 14 weeks of trail maintenance work and professional development. This program is designed for a diverse cohort of individuals — including Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) individuals and other shared identities — who want to form an inclusive community and build leadership skills to support future career interests in natural-resource stewardship and outdoor recreation.
Your 2024 ELP cohort! Photo by MJ Sampang.
WTA aims to lower the barriers to entry into the outdoor industry for members of communities generally underrepresented in the outdoors by providing this paid opportunity and a supportive and safe community. The cohort's schedules are packed with on-the-ground field projects, meetings with local outdoor community members, professional workshops and more.
On-the-trail Experience
The ELP cohort will spend the majority of their time working in the field, developing trail maintenance skills as a team. During this iteration of the program, they’ll spend 2 weeks at a time working on trail — sometimes camping out near the worksite to get as much time on trail as possible — starting with smaller projects and gradually work their way up to bigger projects.
Among their many projects on the docket, they’ll be building a new trail at Dosewallips State Park and a turnpike at Deception Pass State Park. They’ll also take on projects at Wallace Falls State Park and various King County Parks and Seattle Parks. And each member will have the opportunity to get crosscut saw training and wilderness first aid certifications.
By the end of the program, each cohort member will have a good idea of what professional trail work looks like and gain the experience needed to continue a career in trail work if they choose to.
Community-building and networking
Not only will the cohort spend time in the field, but they will also meet with several community leaders and WTA partners during their time with the program.
The ELP cohort will meet with several organizations, and land managers like Washington State Parks. Photo by MJ Sampang.
They'll meet with many organizations, including The Bronze Chapter, Outdoor Asian, Y-WE, Northwest Avalanche Center, Campfire Coffee Co., Golden Brick Events and WTA’s Outdoor Leadership Training team and BIPOC board members. They will also get to meet the founder and creator of the Earth Gym and culture educator from the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, as well as various staff from a variety of State Park’s departmental team that contribute to the impact and growth of their systems.
The cohort will also meet with WTA staff members, whom they will work on their independent projects with, as well as rangers and staff from land managers like the Forest Service and Washington State Parks.
Professional development PrOJECTS
With the rest of their time in the program, the cohort will be given the opportunity to develop their professional skills. Each member will choose an independent project that supports WTA’s work to make trails more accessible to more hikers.
The cohort will learn skills like how to give a tool talk, and some may choose an independent project that allows them to use that skill. Photo by MJ Sampang.
Some projects from previous years include a BIPOC youth trail work party organized by a pair of cohort members, adding several new urban hike write-ups to WTA's Hiking Guide and writing for "Washington Trails" magazine, including both a personal piece centering ELP identities and an informational article about recreation ecology.
WHERE PROGRAM ALUMNI TAKE THEIR LEADERSHIP
This is the fourth year of the program, and it’s been exciting to see where our alumni have ended up through the years.
Post-program, three cohort members joined WTA as full-time year-round staff, several members have joined WTA as part-time or seasonal staff — including several who became members on our Lost Trails Found professional trail crews, and a few who worked as crew leaders and assistant crew leaders — and many have gone on to work in other positions in the outdoor industry, including with some of WTA’s community partners.
WTA is very excited to support this contingent of BIPOC prospective leaders, and to see where ELP takes the cohort this season and what they are able to accomplish together.
Meet the ELP STAFF
Angelic | she/her | ELP project coordinator 
Growing up in the Puget Sound region, Angelic has always enjoyed being out in nature. It brings her comfort to turn off and be in tune with the outdoors. She enjoys sharing space in the outdoors with friends and family. Her passion for being outdoors has led her here and she enjoys being an advocate and helping create this safe space for these individuals to grow. Angelic is looking forward to getting to know this year's cohort and aiding in their success while they grow over the next 14 weeks.
Michelle | she/her | ELP crew leader
Despite spending the first 18 years of her life in the big city of Beijing, nowadays you will most often find Michelle out in nature. Following her passion for working outside has led Michelle everywhere from guiding family walks in her local parks to leading a crosscut crew 15 miles in the backcountry. As a 2023 ELP alumna, Michelle is looking forward to returning to the program in 2024 as a crew leader and fostering a revolutionary BIPOC space.
MJ | she/her | Community Partnership and Leadership Development coordinator
The outdoors makes MJ feel heard and comforted. She finds comfort in the ocean mama, marshy marshes and feeling whole outside. She also enjoys sharing outdoor spaces with friends and the birds. Each year, the Emerging Leaders Program hopes to spark joy and excitement through meeting BIPOC community leaders, and she's looking forward to getting to know this group of motivated individuals, building their leadership skills and guiding them in their professional career interests.
Meet the cohort
Riley | they/them
Riley is a mixed Filipinx Washingtonian with roots in Seattle. They’ve spent the last few years working at organic vegetable, flower and herb farms, forming their relationship to the land. They love swimming in glacial lakes in the summer, hiking through the winter and foraging for local plants for food and fiber year-round. They are constantly on a journey to become a steward of the land and are excited to continue through trail work and BIPOC community building at WTA!
Teddy | he/him 
Originally from California, Teddy came to Seattle seeking trans community and outdoor education opportunities that center BIPOC experiences. Teddy is proudly trans and neurodivergent, and appreciates ELP’s career development opportunities so he can continue supporting disabled, queer and BIPOC communities in the outdoors. In his free time, you can find Teddy making music, journaling or working on his Japanese.
Valeria | she/her 
Raised in the beautiful Washington state, Valeria holds a deep appreciation for the environment. Whether indulging in a leisurely beach walk, finding solace in a healing forest sit spot or embarking on a challenging hike, she cherishes diverse outdoor experiences. Throughout ELP, she aims to continue her efforts in empowering communities to be advocates of stewardship, with a primary focus on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces.
Yadi | she/her
Yadi was born and raised in East Los Angeles, eventually moving to Washington after studying criminology and justice at Humboldt State. She enjoys how the outdoors makes her feel alive and reconnects her with the beauty and simplicity of that life. Being outdoors reminds her that the human experience is interconnected with all living things. She’s looking forward to learning from and alongside amazing leaders in ELP.
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