Vienna Christensen
For over 100 years, The Mountaineers has enriched the outdoor community by helping thousands of people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We take pride in that legacy and want to honor our volunteer leaders who make it all possible.
This year we are rebranding our Leadership Conferences to be more inclusive of all our branches. We are excited to offer two in-person days of professional development - The North Sound Leadership Conference, and The South Sound Leadership Conference - dedicated to thanking, inspiring, and empowering The Mountaineers current and aspiring volunteer leaders. Both conferences will offer an equivalent line-up of content and presenters, expanding our reach and giving volunteers the flexibility to select the program most convenient for them. All are welcome to attend either conference!
Additionally, we will have esteemed author and executive director of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, Jeannette Stawski, as our keynote speaker for both conferences. A copy of Jeannette’s recently published book, The Outdoor Leader will be provided to all conference attendees.
The Mountaineers Leadership Conferences will be held in person on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at the Seattle Program Center and Saturday, March 22, 2025 at the Tacoma Program Center. Each conference is an engaging and exciting day of leadership development for our community of outstanding leaders.
The conference includes esteemed outdoor professionals as well as seasoned leaders from our own Mountaineers community. A series of interactive sessions will explore the many facets of leadership – from risk management through the lens of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles, to building resilience and grit as a leader, to learning from near misses, and more. We hope to see you there!
North Sound Leadership Conference - December 7, 2024
Join us at the Seattle Program Center for a series of interactive sessions that will explore the many facets of leadership through our three session tracks:
- Empowered Leadership: Elevate your leadership skills through exploration of real-world scenarios and understand how practical experiences shape effective leadership strategies and skills.
- Risk Management: Delve into strategies and best practices for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks through expert insights.
- Culture of Belonging: Learn how to foster dialogue and inspire concrete steps towards building diverse, inclusive, and equitable spaces.
View our current line-up of presenters for the North Sound Leadership Conference and check out our current list of North Sound Leadership Conference breakout sessions.
South Sound Leadership Conference - March 22, 2025
Join us at the Tacoma Program Center for a series of interactive sessions that will explore the many facets of leadership through our two session tracks:
- Empowered Leadership: Elevate your leadership skills through exploration of real-world scenarios and understand how practical experiences shape effective leadership strategies and skills.
- Culture of Belonging: Learn how to foster dialogue and inspire concrete steps towards building diverse, inclusive, and equitable spaces.
View our current line-up of presenters for the South Sound Leadership Conference or check out our current list of South Sound Leadership Conference breakout sessions.
Learn More
For nearly a decade, we've been hosting an annual Leadership Conference to support and empower our volunteers. We also host regular trainings as part of our Leadership Development Series. Check out all of our past learnings, including access to many of the course materials, in our Leadership Development Series archive.
Register for one or more of this year’s Leadership Development Series sessions.
