As a partnership of OSU’s Division of Extension and Engagement, the College of Forestry, and OSU-Cascades, the Center is fueled by both the resources of an R1 research university and deep ties with policy makers and industry leaders across the country.
Interim Director
Kate (she/her) serves as the Interim Executive Director for CORE. She brings a professional background in both the private and public sectors. Through her work in communications, urban renewal, and workforce development she created transformative and outside-the-box public-private partnerships. Kate is a champion of projects and businesses—having helped the cities of Albany, Redmond, and Corvallis to focus on the creation of family-wage jobs, downtown revitalization, community visioning, climate action work, and strengthening the business environment. Kate is a native Oregonian with a strong belief in sustainability, recycling, and historic preservation. These beliefs led her to rehabilitate six historic homes in three cities. Kate completed her master’s degree in Public Policy at OSU in 2012. She serves as Past President of the Oregon Economic Development Association. Proof of her nerdiness, she is a licensed HAM radio operator (call sign KG7QXB). In her free time, you will find Kate out hiking with her dog Fergus in Central Oregon, or slogging (slow-jogging) half marathons.
Learning Design Manager
Daniel (he/him) manages the creative process from concept to completion for all of the Center’s programs and research products. He specializes in designing innovative, multimedia experiences that increase user engagement and end-product effectiveness. He is highly skilled in developing e-learning and other online assets ranging from content, media and video production to dashboards, toolkits, and online professional education courses. Daniel lives with his wife and son, and a small farm of animals, on Vashon Island, in the middle of Puget Sound, Washington.
Nikki (she/they) is a higher education professional from the Pacific Northwest with a BS in Sociology and another in Communication Studies. They began their career working in university systems at Central Washington University’s Center for Diversity and Social Justice, creating educational programs focused on Queer identities. Then, while navigating a career in the Oregon cannabis industry and seeing countless inequities as a white Queer woman in management positions, she returned to higher education to focus on workforce development, access, and justice. After two wonderful years learning with and from youth in the Multnomah County 4-H program, Nikki has now joined OSU’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy to continue to work towards developing increased access to upward economic mobility in the outdoor recreation space for those who have long been excluded from it. She loves living in Portland with her partner and pets, riding her horse through the trees, and spending time with her amazing niece, Ayla.
Administrative & Operations Coordinator
Dakota Nelson (he/him) joined CORE in December 2021. Dakota is responsible for University administration and internal operations within CORE. Dakota received his bachelors in Economics and an MBA from the University of LA Verne, and has worked in business administration in both the private and public sectors. He started at OSU in 2019 and joined the CORE team at the end of 2021. He lives in Albany with his wife and daughter.
The Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy is dedicated to advancing research and curriculum development, technical skills training and leadership programming for the U.S. outdoor industry.
We'd love to hear from you. Contact us at outdooreconomy@oregonstate.edu.