More Emerging Leaders Program stories

WTA's Emerging Leaders Program celebrates a successful fifth season

May 09, 2025

"Overall, the past 5 years of the program show a huge testament to investing in early professionals, and there is so much to teach about the outdoors: trail work, backpacking, snowshoeing and more."

Introducing WTA’s 2025 Emerging Leaders Program cohort

Feb 13, 2025

We’ve spent January welcoming our 2025 Emerging Leaders Program cohort to WTA, and we’re excited to introduce them!

Checking in with Emerging Leader Alums

Past participants of WTA's Emerging Leaders Program chat about what they're up to now and how their time in the program has helped inform their careers so far.

Intentional spaces

WTA’s Emerging Leaders find professional connections in the outdoor community. By Angelic Friday

A bounty of seaweed: How foraging can connect us to ancestral food practices and trails

A foraging trip offered a connection to the land and sea — and my own and other cultures. By Riley Collins

WTA's Emerging Leaders Program ends on a high note

May 16, 2024

"It has been fulfilling to see where ELP alumni interests propel them on their endeavors after completing this program."

WTA welcomes 2024 Emerging Leaders in the outdoor industry

Jan 30, 2024

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.

How WTA is Building a Path to Outdoor Jobs With Leadership and Collaboration

Sep 26, 2023

WTA's Emerging Leaders Program, which helps increase access to jobs in the outdoor sector, is heading into its fourth year. We're now accepting applications for the 2024 cohort. And we're looking back at what the program has accomplished so far.

WTA’s Emerging Leaders Program is Creating a Welcoming Space to Learn and Grow in the Outdoor Community

Charlie Lavides faced hurdles entering the outdoor industry. WTA's Emerging Leaders Program granted them an opportunity to foster and find community on Washington trails. By Charlie Lavides

Young Trail Crews Lead the Way at Urban Glendale Forest

Apr 28, 2023

WTA youth volunteers and Emerging Leaders Program cohort members join forces to build a community trail. By Allie Tripp

Historic State Funding Wins for Trails, Equity After a Decade of Work

Apr 26, 2023

WTA and hikers helped secure some incredible, and lasting, wins for ongoing trail funding in the 2023 state legislative session. WTA's Emerging Leaders Program in partnership with Washington State Parks was also funded, along with a number of other important projects and programs around the state.

Using Trails to See the Bigger Picture

Jun 08, 2022

Bri Ross, a member of WTA's Emerging Leaders Program, has long been interested in using recreation ecology to understand the natural world.

Empowering One Another: A Personal Reflection on My Experience With WTA's Emerging Leaders Program

Apr 26, 2022

I recently finished 12-week's in WTA's Emerging Leaders Program, a paid development opportunity for individuals who are historically underrepresented in the outdoor industry. Now, as I'm moving onto a permanent position at WTA, I'm looking back on what I learned and the power of the connections I made.

Building Space for Everyone on Trail

This BIPOC trail crew faces racism, but they’ve also found the power of being together in community | By Zach Toliver