Nettie Pardue

Executive Director

Nettie Pardue's (she/her) roots go deep at Outward Bound beginning as an instructor 21 years ago. She currently serves as the Executive Director at Outward Bound California and has over 20 years of global experience working for Outward Bound in 13 countries.  In addition to Outward Bound, she has worked in the peacebuilding and conflict resolution field with Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding the United World College and SEEDS Community Resolution Center where she acted as facilitator and trainer for communication, conflict resolution, mediation and cultural competency courses. Nettie has a Master's in Applied Behavioral Science and has presented at conferences in the US and abroad.  

In her early 20's she worked for one of the Kurt Hahn United World Colleges in NM. Working with students from over 80 countries cultivated a sense of the power of outdoor experiential learning and how it can be transformative to underserved and underrepresented populations. Today, she brings experiential outdoor learning to diverse communities. As Executive Director she hopes to inspire and provide access to more staff and students to get outside! 

She is climber / mountaineer (favorite route - Sun Ribbon Arete in the Palisades), kayaker (whitewater and sea) skier, and long-distance runner, completing more than six 100 mile races in the US and Canada. Nettie thrives in pushing herself to overcome my personal limitations and I am always looking for the next NEED (new experience every day).

BJ Allen

Director of Student Services, Director of Equity

BJ (she/her) came to OBCA with a background in clinical social work and a specialty in animal assisted interventions. Her work with experiential therapy and humane education led her to seek a role where she could support programs that foster people's inherent resilience, create a space to learn from one another across differences, and cultivate meaningful connections.

Her investment in this role at OBCA is rooted in the belief that all people have a right to the resources they need to thrive, and that the systemic barriers to access faced by folks with non-dominant identities need to be addressed. She is grateful to work within a community of dedicated, passionate individuals who continually seek to evolve and strengthen our ability to provide relevant, responsive, and responsible programming for all of our participants.

Outside of work, BJ loves to run and hike and spends much of her free time engaged in outdoor adventures across the Bay Area with her partner, kids, and the family dog.

Emma Rapp

Director of Advancement

Emma (she/her) never saw herself in a direct service role - all her career and strengths finders growing up told her to be a teacher but she forged a different path, instead dedicating her career to supporting the work of educators as they change the lives of students.  A serial career monogamist, she came to OBCA 7 years ago after 7 years in administration, fundraising, and volunteer organizing at Playworks, based in San Francisco.

Programs like Outward Bound formed her as a leader, channeling her energy and persuasive powers for good.  She can remember vividly on a 10-day canoeing expedition in Maine at the age of 13, learning, through trial and error, her ability to tank or motivate the group depending on the leadership tack she took.  These days her preferred methods of challenge and discovery include snowboarding, all-female backpacking trips, triathlons, and shaving her commute down to as close to an hour as possible.

Jason Schmidt

High Sierra Program Director

Jason (he/him) started working for Outward Bound in 2007 at the North Carolina Outward Bound School before heading west in 2009 to instruct in his favorite place on earth, the High Sierra. He then followed the seasons working in Appalachia, Everglades, rivers in North FL and AL, Joshua Tree, Bay Area and always returning to the mountains of California. 

Jason is a proud AmeriCorps alum who was drawn to Outward Bound during that time for OB's commitment to service. His favorite OBCA tasks revolve around service: he participated in the Service Bus, managed a beloved OBCA program, the Youth Leadership Corps, organized staff involvement at the yearly Yosemite Facelift.

Sara Grimmer

Finance and Operations Coordinator

Sara (she/her) is the Finance and Operations Coordinator of OBCA. In 2017, Sara started as a Logistics Coordinator in the Bay. After learning the nuts and bolts of Bay Area programming, she has transitioned into the role of Finance and Operations Coordinator to better understand how the organization operates in the nonprofit world.

Sara's first introduction to Outward Bound was through her mother, whom completed a month long backpacking and rock climbing course through Colorado’s San Juan mountains in 1974. Growing up with a family that loved backpacking and camping, Sara fell into outdoor education where she led outing trips throughout high school and college. The positive impact the outdoors has had in her life, and seeing how the outdoors brings people together, has driven her to work towards making the outdoors more accessible for all. 

Yolanda Clark

Human Resources Manager

Yolanda started her journey with Outward Bound California in December 2019. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration at John F. Kennedy University, where she also completed MBA program work. She’s inquisitive, innovative, and a critical thinker. Academia and learning environments have always intrigued her. For fun, she enjoys bike rides, traveling, shopping, exploring cultures, and food. For discipline, she works out 2-3 times per week.

With over 15 years of Human Resources experience, Yolanda is a proven HR professional and practitioner. To raise her two sons, and work from home, she’s devoted several years to consultancy work. Thus, she’s coached numerous small to midsize businesses and leaders in areas of Employee Relations, Performance Management, Training and Development, Compensation & Benefits, Staffing, Retention, and myriad business strategies. Prior, Yolanda worked in various industries and HR capacities. All of these experiences contribute to her rich perspective and valuable skill set that she brings to OB with eagerness to make a positive difference.

Emily Ford

Student Services Associate

A decade ago, Emily (she/her) was a participant on an Outward Bound climbing course that ignited her career in the outdoors. Since then, she has guided multi-day river trips through southwest canyons, instructed thousands of students in the rugged North Cascades mountains, and supported international community-based conservation programs. She believes that people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities have a fundamental right to access outdoor spaces, where they can grow a deeper connection to nature, to themselves, and to their communities.

As a part of OBCA’s Student Services team, Emily spends most of her time communicating with future students and their families, preparing them for positive and fulfilling course experiences. She also collaborates with the program teams to design safe and individualized support for every student. Outside of the office, Emily enjoys birdwatching, climbing, biking, and spending time on the water.

Rosy Woodruff

Insight Program Manager

Rosy (she/her) came to Outward Bound with a decade of facilitating and training ropes course programs in the Bay Area and across California. She estimates that she has planned and implemented over 1000 individual ropes course programs. As a student at San Francisco State University, Rosy was introduced to outdoor education in her first semester and was hooked - having never realized that you could make it a career. 

Her work and passion for connecting people to the outdoors and experiential education don't end there, she has also led backpacking and sea kayaking programs along the Point Reyes Seashore, and is the Conference Convener for the West Coast Region Association for Experiential Education. Rosy is organized, driven and passionate about seeing growth in others and is looking forward to the challenge of getting the new OBCA Challenge Course off the ground! 

While she is not developing challenge course systems and programs, you can find Rosy out for a weekend in the redwoods, baking elaborate treats for her friends and family, or laying in the hammock with a ball of yarn and a crochet hook. 

Jessica Haist

Staffing and Hiring Manager

Jessica (she/her) hires all field staff positions for OBCA including instructors, interns and logistics coordinators and schedules all return field staff at all 3 OBCA locations. Jessica started as an instructor at our High Sierra Basecamp in 2006 and has worked her way through many positions over the years including course director and staff trainer.

Originally hailing from Ontario, Canada, Jessica was called to the mountains of Western Canada to pursue her passion for rock climbing and being outside. She then worked her way south, working with youth and adults in the Sierra and receiving her Master's Degree in Adventure Education from Prescott College. She has now settled down in her beloved Sierra Nevada's in Mammoth Lakes with her husband where she enjoys climbing, skiing, and biking in the mountains year-round.

Erin Thacher

Communications Coordinator

After five years of supporting logistics at OBCA's High Sierra basecamp, Erin (she/her) moved into the world of storytelling and communications. She brings a deep knowledge of OBCA's wilderness programs, an eye for graphic design, and a learner's mindset. While she will always feel most at home chatting with students over a plate of food, she is honored to collect and share their stories with the world. 

She is a transplant to the mountains from the flatlands of Kansas. Before her time at Outward Bound California, she had never slept under the stars. Although it took her a few years to develop what she calls "mountain legs," she now loves to travel the world in search of mountains and street food.

Lindsay Blake

Student Services Manager

Lindsay (she/her) started at OBCA as a member of the student services team in January 2017. She is currently the Student Services Manager and is grateful to have found such supportive and amazing people to work with!

Lindsay’s love of the outdoors truly began in 2001, when she challenged herself to try something new and signed up for a 10-day backpacking trip on Washington state's Mount Adams as part of college orientation. She was pushed way out of her comfort zone and loved the whole experience! Helping students and their families prepare for their own meaningful and transformative experience is something she now enjoys in her role at OBCA.

In her time off, Lindsay enjoys getting away from her desk and computer screens! Currently she's enjoying kayaking and day hiking with her family, and is doing her best to instill in her child a sense of wonder and love for nature.

Eli Fox

Outreach Coordinator

"It feels really wonderful to be working for an organization such as Outward Bound." - Eli Fox (he/him) When he was 14 years old, he had the opportunity to go on a 21-day multi-activity course in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  On that trip, like so many people, he felt a new sense of pride and accomplishment which only arises when completing the rite of passage that is Outward Bound.  At that point, he learned from his instructors that working in the wilderness is a viable career path, so he set out on it, and 12 years later he now works for Outward Bound California! 

He could not be happier, as it is extremely fulfilling to be offering similar transformative experiences to what he went through and seeing the different lessons and experiences these young adults (and adults and veterans) are taking away today.  

Sean Altman

Bay Area Associate Program Director

Sean (he/him) is the Associate Program Director for the Bay Area program at OBCA and helps manage staff training and development along with program leadership. Sean is also involved with the development of curriculum-rich outdoor programming for our program partners.

He grew up exploring much of California's natural spaces with his family, climbing in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and running rivers in Idaho. It wasn't until college that he understood that he could make "the outdoors" a career and graduated with a degree in Outdoor Education. Sean has worked in many aspects of outdoor programming including wilderness therapy programs in Oregon and managing a summer wilderness program in Yosemite before coming to Outward Bound in 2016. "Being a part of the shaping of our future has always been a driving force for me to work with youth in the outdoors."

When he's not working with instructors and students, he loves to work with his hands whether it's cooking, woodworking, gardening or restoring classic cars.

Matt Patchell

Development Officer

Matt (he/him) is a member of the high-energy team that helps to fund the Outward Bound California mission by engaging members of our community in our work.

Matt loves trail running, road cycling, hiking, food, reading, and exploring Bay Area neighborhoods and trails with his partner Ruth. Their college-age kids Zach and Nina are sources of pride and inspiration.