It’s that time of year again—for the best and the brightest emerging leaders in our industry to apply to the OIA Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy (SYFLA). I’m asking you, great leaders in your own right, to encourage those employees whom you’d describe as passionate and driven to apply to be part of the fourth SYFLA class.
Many of us in leadership roles today had the good fortune of working with and learning from incredible leaders and founders in our industry. Those experiences and relationships helped shape my view of the outdoor industry, all that’s been accomplished and the opportunities yet to come our way. I was given an invaluable gift: a community from which to grow. I believe this is why I am where I am today. I encourage you to provide the same opportunity to rising stars at your company today by sending them a link to the program’s website.
The six-month program now has three successful years and classes of graduates under its belt. Click here to learn about SYFLA graduates and programming. This year, we will be selecting 35 individuals, 33 from businesses and two from nonprofits in the industry, to learn about the issues facing our industry and how to be effective, collaborative leaders and problem solvers. The program has been carefully shaped by conversations with many of you and with subject-matter experts in the areas of sustainability, advocacy and consumer and market research, as well as with skilled outdoor industry executives.
Specifically, we would like to invest in individuals who meet the following requirements:
- Director-level or below
- Minimum of three years in some sector of the outdoor industry
- Leadership potential, strategic thinking and a commitment to our industry
- Currently employed at an OIA member company
- To promote diversity, equity and inclusion among the future leadership in our industry, each class is roughly 50 percent female and 50 percent male. We ask you to consider nominating people who will promote an outdoor industry work force that more closely reflects the demographics of the U.S. OIA strongly supports diversity, equity and inclusion in the outdoor industry and is thus committed to building a more diverse SYFLA class year over year. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women and members of the LGBTQ community and other underrepresented groups.
If you’d personally like to get involved in the Future Leadership Academy, we’re always looking for great mentors. Please contact us if you’d be interested in mentoring someone in the 2019 class.
