Business Advocacy Network

Caroline Brammer

Gossamer Gear

Caroline runs all things creative at Gossamer Gear in Austin, TX, directing photoshoots and managing communications. She moved from NYC to work for the ultralight pioneers, having completed a 700-mile stint on the PCT using their One Shelter. Although her career has stumbled into creative production, her undergrad at UNC was focused on international relief work. Wearing multiple hats is exciting when one of them is TCA.

MJ Carroll

HEST

MJ Carroll is the VP of Brand at HEST, leading brand strategy, partnerships, impact and community initiatives. With 17 years of marketing experience in the outdoor and ski industries, she focuses on connecting storytelling, business, and conservation. MJ also started HESTIVAL, HEST’s annual brand gathering centered on music, car camping, and community; in support of public lands with The Conservation Alliance.

Rick Crawford

Emerger Strategies

I’m Rick Crawford—husband, father, nature nerd, and a fly fishing–obsessed sustainability consultant. I’m also the founder of Emerger Strategies, host of The Sustainable Angler podcast, and the founder of the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance. My life’s work is to help as many businesses as possible adopt sustainable business practices to protect the planet we all love.

After earning my MBA in Sustainable Business from Marylhurst University in 2011, I spent several years working in the renewable energy and green building industries. But something was missing: the connection to wild places.

So in 2016, I decided to marry my two passions—fly fishing and sustainability—and launched Emerger Strategies. Today, we partner with fishing and outdoor brands across the country, guiding them on their sustainability journey and helping them make the business case for sustainability.

Whether it’s reducing costs, meeting retailer sustainability requirements, or building deeper loyalty with customers who care about conservation—we make sustainability simple, credible, and profitable.

Georgina Del Vecho

Fenix Outdoor

Georgina Del Vecho (she/her) serves as Fenix Outdoor’s Sustainability Analyst. Fenix Outdoor is the parent of several outdoor brands, including Fjällräven, Royal Robbins, Hanwag and Devold. As the Sustainability Analyst, she is responsible for managing the environmental data that informs the group’s sustainability strategies and targets. Prior to joining Fenix Outdoor, she worked at a grassroots environmental nonprofit in Southern California focused on restoring waterways and enacting clean water policy in the state. She loves hiking, horseback riding, and camping on our public lands.

Emily Eppler

NEMO Equipment

Raised on Cape Cod, my life has always revolved around the ocean—from championing fishermen’s rights and right whale conservation to pursuing marine biology studies on the West Coast before I returned to New England. My career shifted into customer support, and since March 2020 I’ve served as Customer Service Manager at NEMO Equipment, guiding camper support through the pandemic and beyond. When I’m not at work, I love skiing and hiking with my husband and two kids, experimenting in the kitchen, and taking every chance I can to dip my toes in the sea.

Sascha Gallagher

Osprey

Sascha Gallagher (she/her) serves as Osprey Packs’ Community Specialist. She brings over 15 years of experience with community service and support to this position, managing the company’s philanthropic and community partnerships. Originally from the Midwest, Sascha earned her BA from the University of Pittsburgh before completing certificates in Graphic Design and Photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. She has spent the past decade exploring the landscapes of the Southwest—five of those years in Southwest Colorado, where she currently lives with her husband and rowdy pup. Sascha enjoys spending time hiking, hunting, and kicking back in her hammock.

Yuri Hauswald

GU Energy Labs

Yuri Hauswald grew up on a small farm in rural Petaluma, California, where adventure was found in the open hills and hard work was learned through daily ranch chores. Those early experiences shaped a lifelong love of the outdoors, movement, and community connection.

After playing lacrosse for UC Berkeley and earning a degree in American Literature, Yuri discovered mountain biking while teaching English at a prep school in Pennsylvania – and it quickly became his life’s passion. Yuri’s been a GU Energy Labs athlete for 21 years, and in the office the past 13, wearing all the marketing hats, his latest being Elite Athlete Manager for the past eight years.

Inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame in 2023, Yuri continues to be a leading voice for the sport’s growth and inclusivity. When he’s not racing or advocating, you’ll find him road tripping with his wife Vanessa and their dog Angus—or mentoring the next generation of athletes.

Mia Helminiak

Nomadix

Mia Helminiak is the Director of Community Engagement at Nomadix, where she leads the brand’s sustainability initiatives and community impact strategy. A world traveler, the daughter of an immigrant, and an immigrant herself, she brings a deeply personal understanding of community, stewardship, and shared responsibility to her work.

Nomadix has been a proud member of The Conservation Alliance since 2020, channeling that commitment into meaningful partnerships with grassroots organizations protecting wild places. This dedication to environmental stewardship has earned Nomadix nominations for REI’s Vendor Partner of the Year three consecutive years running and for the Leadership Award at the 2024 1% for the Planet Summit. Mia lives in San Clemente with her husband and their two children.

Chris LoConti

Wyld

Chris joined Wyld, a cannabis brand, back in 2020 with prior experience in the industry on both the retail and wholesale side. A year later, he started Wyld’s Environmental Sustainability department, which would eventually evolve into their Corporate Social Responsibility department and lead to the launch of the Wyld Works program.

His areas of focus are greenhouse gas emissions reporting, managing Wyld’s environmental nonprofit partnerships, volunteer initiatives, renewable energy and carbon credit procurement.

Originally from Utica, NY, Chris has spent over the last decade living in and exploring the Pacific Northwest. He enjoys hiking, camping, volunteering, and supporting local live music in his free time.

Tanner Marvel

AutoCamp

Tanner Marvel (he/him) joins TCA’s Business Advocacy Network with a proven track record of leading teams in the design and execution of marketing strategies that drive brand affinity. He brings years of hands-on advocacy experience, supporting boots-on-the-ground campaigns for Chuckwalla National Monument and Dolores River Canyon Country. Most recently, Tanner helped guide AutoCamp’s decision to join TCA—advancing the brand’s commitment to protecting the places we inhabit and marking a milestone as the coalition’s first hotel member. Previously, he led event programs at 1% for the Planet, including the annual Global Summit and Sessions series, both of which have featured TCA priority campaigns. In addition to leading field marketing strategies at AutoCamp, Tanner is a member of Business For Good San Diego and serves on the Marketing Committee for the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau.

Tanner lives in San Diego, California (unceded homeland of the Kumeyaay) with his wife and dog where they explore the geological diversity of California, from the coast to high desert and peaks of the Eastern Sierra Nevada. He holds a B.S. in Business Marketing from Sonoma State University and will soon earn his Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification, so we can all feel just a bit safer when adventuring in the remote environments we strive to protect for future generations.

Jess Powell

Black Diamond Equipment

Over the last 8 years, Jess has held many different roles at Black Diamond Equipment leading her to her favorite role yet: Advocacy & Sustainability Manager. Working with the team at Black Diamond is the same as working with a team of passionate advocates, and we are proud to be partnering with The Conservation Alliance to advocate for the protection of the beautiful areas central to our lives as individuals and to our success as a company.

Jess’ passion for the outdoors has led to a long career in the outdoor industry in positions such as a rock climbing and canyoneering guide, a Recreational Therapist, and various sales positions prior to her current role. She has also spent time volunteering on the board of her local climbing organization, The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance. Like many others, Jess discovered who she was in the outdoors, and attributes much of her success to the integration of these spaces into her daily life.

Khristina Rhead

Superfeet

Khristina is a Los Angeles–based outdoor industry professional and the Southern California Field Experience Representative for Superfeet. Her advocacy background includes volunteer work with the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club, the 350 chapter in Portland, and the Sunrise Movement Los Angeles chapter. A dedicated hiker, camper, and climber, she cares deeply about protecting public lands, strengthening water management, and ensuring the outdoors is welcoming and accessible to people of all backgrounds.

Joy Seward

RecPak

Hi, I’m Joy Seward, founder of RecPak.

RecPak is an ultra lightweight meal designed for long days in the mountains. It saves weight, space, and time when you are moving through the backcountry. Each pack delivers 700 calories and 42 grams of protein. Just add water, shake it, and drink.

My background comes from expedition work in the outdoor industry. Over the years I have spent months in the field teaching wilderness travel and leadership courses, guiding students to live and travel under the stars. Those long days in the mountains taught me something simple. Proper nutrition matters when you are on the move.

RecPak was built to solve that problem. It is fast, efficient nutrition for people who need to keep going.
Because RecPak was born from time spent in wilderness, protecting the places we recreate matters to us. That’s why we joined The Conservation Alliance’s Brands for Public Lands program.

Margo Stoney

High Mountain Creative

Margo is a Montana-based creative who is dedicated to using graphic design to save the planet. She runs a design studio called High Mountain Creative where she collaborates with conservation and environmental nonprofits to develop visual storytelling pieces that raise awareness, increase impact and make environmental causes easier to understand and more accessible to everyone.

In her free time, Margo likes to snowboard, hike, and travel to new places while looking at wildlife and sketching in her notebook along the way. She lives in Missoula with her husband, Isaac, and Border Collie, Rico.

Sala Tran-Huu

Smart Shipping Supply

Sala Tran-Huu is a soon-to-be college graduate passionate about environmental policy and the role businesses can play in advancing sustainability. At Smart Shipping Supply, Sala leads efforts to identify and manage 1% for the Planet partners while overseeing the company’s digital presence. Driven by a belief in collaborative, systems-level change, Sala is excited to help bridge business innovation with environmental impact.

Jenny Vierling

Tailwind Nutrition

Jenny Vierling’s journey into the outdoor industry began at the finish line of the Leadville 100, where she filmed her husband, Jeff, with his head in a trashcan. Convinced there had to be a better way to fuel endurance athletes (one that didn’t involve spreadsheets or end in gut bombs) Jenny and Jeff began researching and testing what would become Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel.

From the start, they were committed to building more than just a product. By manufacturing locally and investing in their rural Colorado economy, they aimed to create a true community asset. Fourteen years later, Tailwind is still manufactured in Durango, and tested on the local trails by Jenny and Jeff, along with local athletes. Before launching Tailwind Nutrition, Jenny held senior marketing roles at companies including Microsoft, Mercury Payment Systems, and Syndicom.

Freeland Wegner

Mayfly Outdoors

I come to the TCA Business Advocacy Network as the Financial Planning and Analysis Associate of member company Mayfly Outdoors, where I develop financial reporting and provide data-driven insight to support industry leading fly fishing brands Ross Reels, Abel Reels, and Airflo Fly Lines amongst others. I’ve applied an undergraduate degree in Economics and Supply Chain Management in various sectors of the outdoor industry over the past 10 years. First as a fly fishing guide followed by 6 years in sales operations and forecasting roles with Osprey Packs before accepting a position with Mayfly in April 2025.

Having supported a multitude of organizations advocating for the protection of the public lands and the species which thrive in healthy ecosystems, I am eager to join in TCA’s efforts and support 2026 priority campaigns.