Bruce Ward, a co-founder of Choose Outdoors, is stepping down from his position as president for a role as senior adviser, making way for Michelle Barnes to be the interim president of the company. Barnes, a former vice president of the Outdoor Industry Association, will serve during Choose Outdoors’ search for a new president, which starts this spring. The company has also expanded its board of directors, adding Todd Litzman, president of Brandwise; Jeffrey Olson, a consultant in natural resource management; Elizabeth Simon, sales engineer at Rogers Corporation; and Steve Wilson, marketing director at Waste Management-Recycling. Royal Robbins, a founding board member, is the chairman. Choose was founded in 2009 and since then its activities have included promoting collaborations to expand outdoor recreation throughout the U.S., helping get inner-city youth out into nature; providing grants to nonprofits that support outdoor recreation; and fighting the bark beetle in the Rocky Mountains.
