About

Elyse’s understanding of the significance of the connection between the natural world and the self is deeply rooted in her experiences growing up in rural Wisconsin. At the age of two weeks she embarked on her first canoe trip down the Wisconsin River with her parents, a journey that would be repeated hundreds of times throughout her childhood.

At 16 Elyse began her career in the Outdoor Recreation Economy as a paddlesport instructor in the summers and a ski/snowboard technician in the winters. In her undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-Madison she honed her facilitation skills as a student facilitator for Adventure Learning Programs, and her time at Madison also birthed the idea for OUT There Adventures (OTA).

As she traveled across North America, landing in the Prince William Sound for a number of years, she took the idea for OTA with her and in 2013 relocated to Seattle to launch the endeavor in earnest.

In 2014, after receiving its 501(c)3 tax designation, Elyse poured all of her energy into launching and growing the organization. Along this path, she has been fortunate to be able to work alongside the industry’s preeminent thinkers, leaders, organizers and builders. With a focus on connecting the dots from past to present, Elyse’s work centers less on inventing or re-inventing the wheel and more on strategically unpacking our collective history in service of illuminating more just and equitable paths forward.