About Us | Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy | OSU

The Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy is delivering a new kind of workforce development to meet the unique needs of the vast, extremely entrepreneurial, and rapidly growing outdoor recreation industry.

As a partnership of OSU’s Division of Extension and Engagement, the College of Forestry, and OSU-Cascades, the Center is fueled by both the resources of an R1 research university and deep ties with policy makers and industry leaders across the country.

Our work

Research: We are connecting industry and higher education to undertake research aimed at understanding outdoor recreation workforce needs.
Program development: We are uniting industry expertise, academic rigor, and innovative instructional design to deliver engaging and relevant training for every point along the learner’s career journey.
Industry engagement: We are partnering with industry stakeholders to identify and respond to workforce training, leadership development and research needs.
Higher education outreach: We are spearheading the creation of a national consortium designed to support and coordinate industry-responsive research & development at universities and colleges nationwide.

RELEVANT, ALWAYS

Everything we do is grounded in the practical needs of our industry partners and the learners we serve. We look for gaps to fill, weak links to strengthen and opportunities to identify and deliver the skills and applied knowledge needed to move the industry forward.

BUILD FOR TOMORROW

The Outdoor Recreation Industry is changing fast. It’s becoming more dynamic, technologically advanced and customer-centric. So we build change into everything we do: embracing innovation and experimentation, and equipping learners to thrive for years to come.

MAKE THE TENT BIGGER

The outdoors are for everyone, so we seek out opportunities to make the industry more welcoming to all people, especially members of underrepresented populations. We do the work to ensure that the pipelines and pathways we support result in a more diverse and equitable workforce.

REMEMBER WHY WE'RE HERE

Spending time outdoors makes people healthier and happier. It deepens their connections to each other, to their communities and to this beautiful world. Outdoor recreation makes life better for everyone, so a thriving outdoor recreation industry has benefits that extend far beyond its contribution to the GDP. That’s our big picture. That’s why we’re here.

BE THE CONNECTOR

The Outdoor Recreation Industry is uniquely entrepreneurial, with thousands of independent businesses serving the market in distinct ways that reflect the character of their communities. We connect the dots. Providing thought leadership and a core curriculum to make the industry as a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

SEE OUR VALUES IN ACTION

Explore programs

Interim Director

Kate (she/her) serves as the Interim Executive Director for CORE. She brings a professional background in both the private and public sectors. Through her work in communications, urban renewal, and workforce development she created transformative and outside-the-box public-private partnerships. Kate is a champion of projects and businesses—having helped the cities of Albany, Redmond, and Corvallis to focus on the creation of family-wage jobs, downtown revitalization, community visioning, climate action work, and strengthening the business environment. Kate is a native Oregonian with a strong belief in sustainability, recycling, and historic preservation. These beliefs led her to rehabilitate six historic homes in three cities. Kate completed her master’s degree in Public Policy at OSU in 2012. She serves as Past President of the Oregon Economic Development Association. Proof of her nerdiness, she is a licensed HAM radio operator (call sign KG7QXB). In her free time, you will find Kate out hiking with her dog Fergus in Central Oregon, or slogging (slow-jogging) half marathons.

Learning Design Manager

Daniel (he/him) manages the creative process from concept to completion for all of the Center’s programs and research products. He specializes in designing innovative, multimedia experiences that increase user engagement and end-product effectiveness. He is highly skilled in developing e-learning and other online assets ranging from content, media and video production to dashboards, toolkits, and online professional education courses. Daniel lives with his wife and son, and a small farm of animals, on Vashon Island, in the middle of Puget Sound, Washington.

Program Coordinator

Nikki (she/they) is a higher education professional from the Pacific Northwest with a BS in Sociology and another in Communication Studies. They began their career working in university systems at Central Washington University’s Center for Diversity and Social Justice, creating educational programs focused on Queer identities. Then, while navigating a career in the Oregon cannabis industry and seeing countless inequities as a white Queer woman in management positions, she returned to higher education to focus on workforce development, access, and justice. After two wonderful years learning with and from youth in the Multnomah County 4-H program, Nikki has now joined OSU’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy to continue to work towards developing increased access to upward economic mobility in the outdoor recreation space for those who have long been excluded from it. She loves living in Portland with her partner and pets, riding her horse through the trees, and spending time with her amazing niece, Ayla.

ANTONY VOROBYOV

Strategic Communications and Marketing Manager

Antony (he/him) joined CORE in July 2022, managing the team's brand and program marketing. Prior to his position at OSU, Antony completed his BA in Mass Communication at Miami University (2016) and commissioned through AFROTC as an active-duty USAF Force Support Officer. He served six years leading food, fitness, lodging, and morale operations; Human Resources teams; and organizational change management across three bases in the US and UK. Fueling his passion for communication and behavioral science, Antony received his MS in Strategic Communication from Troy University (2019) and MA in Behavioral Economics from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (2022). Antony lives in Bend, OR with his fiancé and his dog, enjoys hiking and skiing, and takes up community theatre on his spare time.

Lee Davis steps down as Executive Director

Lee Davis, founding executive director of Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy, is stepping down from his position. Lee, who has been with the university for over four years, will pursue new ventures and work more directly with the outdoor industry and agencies nationally.

Davis has been an integral part of OSU’s success in supporting the outdoor recreation economy and his leadership has helped advance the university as a hub for research and program innovation in this field.

Past Executive Director

Lee (he/him) brought a wealth of experience to Oregon State and was responsible for leading long-range and strategic plans for the Center. He is the past Executive Director of the Mazamas, a nonprofit education organization founded in 1894 with a mission of inspiring everyone to love and protect the mountains. Lee's commitment to the outdoor industry spans decades including both his professional and personal pursuits. In the last several years, Lee has led efforts to create Oregon’s Office of Outdoor Recreation (HB3350) and Oregon’s Outdoor Recreation Day (HB2143). He also helped to organize and build the Oregon Outdoors Coalition and has collaborated on federal legislation with Senator Ron Wyden’s office.