Quick Facts
Location
Bellingham, WA
Background
15+ years in nonprofit leadership, community building, and equity strategy
Current Role
National Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Outward Bound USA
Past Experience
Founder, OUT There Adventures & LGBTQ Outdoor Summit
DEI Lead, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP)
Consultant to brands and orgs like Merrell, TPL, NYC, and more!
Speaker & Facilitator
Available for keynotes, panels, and trainings on systems change, belonging, and queer leadership
Board Service
American Hiking Society
Big City Mountaineers
OUT There Adventures/LGBTQ Outdoor Summit
Wilderness Risk Management Conference
Personal Passions
Sea kayaking, gravel biking, and hiking with my family
Building play structures and stories with my toddler
Exploring identity, nature, and transformation through storytelling
Currently Dreaming About
A sea kayak expedition from Skagway to Seattle followed by a gravel ride from Seattle to San Diego
About Elyse
Strategist • Systems Builder • Community Steward
I’m a systems thinker, relationship builder, and justice-driven leader who helps organizations turn bold values into practical, durable change.
For over 15 years, I’ve worked across the nonprofit, outdoor, and social impact sectors—building national programs, guiding cross-functional teams, and designing inclusive infrastructure from the inside out. My work focuses on equity, belonging, and how we care for each other through systems, policy, and culture.
Currently, I serve as the National Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Outward Bound USA, where I lead strategy across a network of 10 autonomous Schools serving over 40,000 students annually. I'm also the founder of OUT There Adventures and the LGBTQ Outdoor Summit, and a former employee at Quality Bicycle Products, where I helped embed equity practices into manufacturing and distribution teams across the U.S. and Taiwan.
Beyond my staff roles, I’ve consulted with mission-driven organizations like Merrell, Trust for Public Land, and Conservation Legacy, supporting everything from ERG programs and equity audits to participatory grantmaking and internal training design.
Whether I’m facilitating conflict transformation with a team, designing an equity-informed hiring toolkit, or helping shape a national summit, I bring clarity, compassion, and joyful rigor to the work.
When I'm not collaborating with changemakers, you'll find me paddling cold coastlines, gravel biking remote backroads, or playing outside with my family in the Pacific Northwest.