BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Nonprofit DEI advocacy group Camber Outdoors will close in August after 28 years, the board of directors and leadership team announced on Saturday.
In a news release announcing the decision, the closing was because of "continued industry headwinds combined with the fact that outdoor industry companies are moving beyond the focused workplace tools that Camber Outdoors traditionally has provided."
Camber Outdoors has worked on behalf of underrepresented outdoor industry groups, starting as the Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition in 1996. Ten years later, the coalition was rebranded Camber Outdoors and expanded focus to workplace DEI tools.
"We are incredibly proud of the progress made over nearly three decades," said Tiffany Smith, Camber Outdoors CEO. "The landscape of DEI in the outdoor industry has transformed dramatically, and it has been an honor to be a part of this journey. We celebrate the growth of numerous grassroots and industry-wide organizations that Camber worked closely with and that are now leading DEI efforts.
"From the Outdoor Industry Association, PeopleForBikes, Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors to the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, these groups and others are driving significant change. Our legacy is the vibrant network of organizations and leaders now championing this cause."
The group's highlights include:
- More than 200 organizations and 15,000 individuals participated in annual Camber programming. More than 1,200 mentors and mentees took part in the Ann Krcik professional mentoring program since inception and 50 interns from underrepresented groups were placed in the past three years.
- 74% of its partners utilized resources focused on an inclusive hiring process while the workforce's demographic has shifted from 17% underrepresented groups in 2020 to 41% in 2023, according to the 2023 Camber Survey System conducted with the Claremont Evaluation Center.
"It has been an honor to help the outdoor industry make strides toward building a more diverse workforce and better serving the increasingly diverse outdoor recreation participants," said Reggie Miller, president of the Camber Outdoors board of directors. "Since joining the board in 2019, I am pleased to see real commitment to the work, progress being made by many industry leaders, and a wide range of consultants and industry organizations supporting this work. Now is the time for these organizations and workplaces to carry this forward."
