Camber Outdoors announced this week the departure of co-CEOs Emily Newman and Renita Smith, both of whom will step down as leaders of the Boulder, Colorado-based nonprofit on April 1. Newman and Smith have been with the organization since 2019 and 2021, respectively.
In Newman and Smith’s absence, Camber board member Russ Hopcus will assume the role of interim-CEO as board co-presidents Reggie Miller and Michelle Wardian initiate a search for the group’s next leader.
“Under Emily and Renita’s leadership, Camber has sustained incredible momentum and has never been stronger,” said Hopcus in a release. “In order to maintain our momentum, Camber will leverage our industry-leading data, our remarkable partners, and our mission-driven team to bring about lasting change in the outdoor industry.”
Hopcus told ϳԹ Business Journal that the next chapter for Camber involves building on the strategic plan developed by Newman and Smith, which includes five key objectives to be tackled in the next three to five years: amplifying the narrative of Camber’s mission; catering to Camber partners with new programming and initiatives; assessing the group’s core needs through its latest impact survey; creating a more diverse pipeline of professional talent in the outdoor industry; and continuing to find ways to strengthen Camber as an organization.
Whoever assumes the role of CEO, Wardian added, will be responsible for maintaining the momentum created by Newman and Smith over the past several years in building out a world-class team at the organization.
“The team is really the future,” Wardian said. “The new leader will be additive. It’s kind of a victory lap in some ways for the team that’s been created.”
In searching for a new CEO, Camber’s chief development officer, Tiffany Smith, said the group is “looking for a leader who has a forward-thinking strategy, and who is able to model that day to day.”
The CEO search, led by the succession committee of the Camber board, will be nationwide, the organization confirmed, and is expected to conclude sometime in the second quarter of this year.