So You Want to Be an Outdoor Leader?

In this conversation, Candace Brendler interviews Jeannette Stawski, the Executive Director of AORE, discussing her journey to leadership in outdoor education, the importance of credentials, the daily responsibilities of an executive director, and the significance of professional development and community building in the outdoor leadership space.

Jeannette shares insights on her experiences, the challenges of nonprofit management, and the value of writing as a form of professional growth. Jeannette Stawski discusses her journey as an executive director, emphasizing the importance of embracing mistakes, creating an inclusive organization, and navigating work-life balance. She reflects on her personal growth and the challenges of leadership, particularly in the context of outdoor education. The discussion also touches on compensation and the non-traditional hours associated with executive roles, concluding with a call to action for aspiring leaders to step forward and advocate for change in their communities.

 

This podcast was recorded in October 2024, prior to Jeannette's announcement of stepping down from AORE. 

 

Resources

• The Outdoor Leader, by Jeannette Stawski 

 

About Jeannette

Jeannette Stawski serves as executive director for the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE). She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and a Certified Executive Coach.  She was the director of Outdoor Adventures at the University of Michigan for eleven years and has worked as a professional outdoor guide, a wilderness medicine instructor, and NOLS instructor. She is currently the chair of the Coalition for Outdoor Access (COA) and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband and their two children.