Today’s episode features Access Fund’s new executive director, Heather Thorne. Heather joins Access Fund with nearly 30 years of climbing experience and nearly 15 years after she began climbing, advocacy helped save one of her favorite crags. Coming from a long background working in the tech industry, she aspires to apply a scientific approach and use a high level of creativity for how the organization approaches opportunities and challenges.
Heather hit the ground running in her new role. Whether it’s traveling to meet with other advocates or local organizations in Access Fund’s orbit, or getting up to speed with fixed anchors in Wilderness areas, or other aspects of Access Fund’s core programming, she is applying that scientific method to lead the organization forward.
6:09- Heather’s intro
10:20- Athlete to advocate
14:30- Parallels between the tech industry and outdoor advocacy
19:29- Heather's work travels
25:04- Updates on fixed anchors in Wilderness areas
25:25- Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA) process
35:14- The Mentorship Campaign
44:31- Climber stewards + general outreach and education
50:55- Reflections on the Outdoor Alliance board retreat
54:34- What's next for Access Fund & Heather's vision
Heather’s intro: accessfund.org/latest-news/access-fund-announces-heather-thorne-as-new-executive-director
Wilderness climbing and fixed anchors: accessfund.org/latest-news/a-major-breakthrough-for-americas-climbing-legacy
Mentorship campaign: accessfund.org/latest-news/join-us-in-mentoring-responsible-climbers
Access Fund’s Impact Map: accessfund.org/impact-map
Outdoor Alliance: outdooralliance.org