There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes brain power that goes into planning your favorite programs, be it public, family-friendly, or custom outings. Learn about those who work inside so you can get outside.

This week we’ll be interviewing Karen Wood, our shared Chief Financial Officer.

1. Briefly tell us about your background: where did you grow up, where did you go to school, and what brought you to Venture Outdoors?

I grew up in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, VA. After college (at William & Mary in Williamsburg), I moved to Eugene, Oregon in the mid 80s where I started my first accounting job and became active in various environmental causes.

 » Read more about: Getting to Know Our Staff: 15 Questions with… Karen Wood  »

By: Grace Groeger, Communications Intern

I decided to hit the ground running and just dove into any program with an opening my first week with Venture Outdoors. I started scrolling through the activities calendar and saw an opening for Women on the Water (WOW), and I thought to myself, that’s the one I’m doing. I couldn’t be more excited about signing up for my first program; my friends were sick of me already for bragging about how awesome my internship is only a week in.

There I was bright and early down in Pittsburgh on the home opener for the Steelers trying to find parking.

 » Read more about: Women On the Water: My first adventure with Venture Outdoors  »

By: Jacob Tumminello

Put-in-Bay is a small village located on South Bass Island just north of Sandusky, Ohio. The town was constructed in 1830 and originally named for only the bay in Lake Erie. Although the name may imply a man-made creation, the islands were naturally created by the geographic evolution of the earth. I had the privilege of exploring this strange little island getaway on a trip with my family and was surprised by how much there is to do in such a condensed place.

After stepping off the ferry that took us from Sandusky to the island,

 » Read more about: Put-in-Bay, An Island Getaway in your Back Yard  »

Summer Tree ID

By: Samantha Sektnan, Communications Intern

Attending the “Summer Tree ID” program was a great way to start off being a part of the Venture Outdoors community. Taking an easy stroll in Frick Park as we learned tips and tricks to identify the trees around us was something I never imagined myself doing before joining this organization, but I am definitely glad I did it. As someone with literally had zero knowledge on how to identify trees, local ecologist Henry Schumacher – who led the trip – had a lot of work on his hands in order to teach me the basics..

 » Read more about: MY FIRST PROGRAM EXPERIENCE WITH VENTURE OUTDOORS  »

By: Alexander Downing

Since August 2014 I’ve worked as an attendant at Kayak Pittsburgh’s North Park location. This means I’m one of the smiling faces in the green shirts pushing boats into the water and handing out PFDs and paddles. It also means I get to look out on the beautiful North Park Lake for hours on end. As it turns out, that’s been the most memorable part of the job and the catalyst for a change in how I view nature.

As a kid, the primary role nature played in my life was as the location for sports.

 » Read more about: Venturing Outdoors: How I Learned to Appreciate Nature by Working at Kayak Pittsburgh  »