About A-DASH
We are river and training professionals collaboratively inspiring and supporting organizations to eliminate workplace discrimination and harassment through policy assessment, training and organizational change. Our name A-DASH (Anti-Discrimination and Sexual Harassment) reflects the group’s focus on a behavior and culture commonly accepted and tolerated in many organizations. This focus does not diminish the importance of the larger or other equity issues, but instead seeks to create a fine point on this area as part of a portfolio of tools and methods available to organization leaders.
The A-DASH Collaborative know rivers through our diverse experience working on and for rivers. We are educators, trainers, business owners and non-profit leaders.
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Our Collaborative includes representatives from River Management Society, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Engage Coaching and Consulting, and Respect Outside.
Mission
River and training professionals collaboratively inspiring and supporting organizations to create discrimination and harassment-free environments through policy assessment, trainings, and organizational change.
Vision
Rivers and other outdoor spaces where all people can work, play and belong.
Who We Serve
We serve outfitters and guides who share the world of rivers with clients. We serve field office staff who represent our treasured public lands and others who provide valuable products and services to help the public enjoy rivers and outdoor spaces safely.
A-DASH supports leaders, individuals and managers interested in changing the culture and conversation around sexual harassment in the outdoor spaces where employees and customers live, work and play.
We provide resources for professionals keeping up with the changing expectations of organizational culture surrounding diversity and sexual harassment, who are ready to add effective workplace practices to their personnel policies. Importantly, A-DASH and its instructors not only know their craft, they are personally familiar with river and outdoor culture. ​​
Our Approach
As conversations about sexual harassment and sexism continue in society and in outdoor industries, it can be hard to know where to start to make changes in your organizational policies and culture.
A-DASH offers:
Opportunities to discover findings from research focused on sexual harassment in the whitewater community.
Acknowledgement of each client’s needs and interests in cultural change.
Hands-on training (in-person and virtual) in small group breakout, and role play - providing tools outfitters can use to initiate culture change in their organizations.
Pre-Assessment, Experiential Training, Post-Assessment, Iteration and Improvement
A-DASH programs are useful for managers, owners and human resources professionals keeping up with the changing expectations of organizational culture surrounding diversity and sexual harassment who are ready to add effective workplace practices to their personnel policy. Importantly, A-DASH and its instructors not only know their craft, they are personally familiar with river and outdoor culture. ​​
Our Trainers
A-DASH connects you with experienced and trusted trainers who provide training and coaching for your team.
Jim Miller & Gina McClard
Trainer
Respect Outside founders Gina McClard, J.D., and Jim Miller recognized the need for employee trainings designed for the kinds of bold and adventurous individuals who make their home in the outdoors industry, and so they endeavored to develop a curriculum based on a philosophy of respect, trust and equity and in the workplace.
Gina McClard has been on a mission to end sexual and gender-based violence for more than three decades. As a licensed member of the Oregon (1997) and Illinois (1994) State Bar Associations, she has used her career to champion for the rights of women and underserved groups as a victim’s advocate, legislative consultant, and legal counsel in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. From her time at a research outpost in Antarctica to her founding of Red Earth Rising, a nonprofit providing critical resources and support services to women and girls in Ugandan refugee camps, her passion for justice and her adventurous spirit have taken her down many of the paths less traveled. She brings with her an intimate and in-depth knowledge of the culture and legalities of sexual misconduct and violence, as well as decades of experience in how to mitigate and address misconduct in the workplace and beyond.
Jim Miller is a graduate of California State University and a lifelong lover of the outdoors. His thirty-year career as a member of the outdoor recreation industry includes raft guiding for Mountain Travel-Sobek, marketing and retail training initiatives for brands such as Yakima Racks and Werner Paddles, ownership of a multi-unit retail specialty store, and consulting to manufacturers and retailers in the outdoor and action-sports areas. In his time in the industry, Jim has seen a number of game-changing initiatives implemented which have driven outdoor companies to the forefront of social awareness and work-life culture. These industry values are what first attracted him, and it is these values which he seeks to advance by creating real change in the ways people of different genders relate and interact while at work.
Our Team
A dedicated collaborative with roots in river management, education, communication and policy design.
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Risa Shimoda
Risa leads River Management Society programs and the organization’s unique community of federal and state agency staff, private industry members, educators, river trails and watershed professionals and the publics they serve. She is proud of to have initiated the River Training Center which offers professional development workshops, networking and trainings for river managers; the River Studies and Leadership Certificate offered at nine colleges and universities; the National Rivers Project; and a growing library of hydropower licenses and settlement summaries for lay stakeholders. Risa co-founded the Outdoor Alliance, Cross Watershed Network, and World River Center, parent organization for the International Whitewater Hall of Fame. She has served on the boards of the Conservation Alliance, American Whitewater, and Nantahala Outdoor Center and chairs the USA Freestyle Kayaking Committee.
Maria Blevins, Ph.D.
Maria Blevins is an Associate Professor of Communication at Utah Valley University. Before academia, Maria was a whitewater rafting guide on the New and Gauley rivers in West Virginia and on the Snake River in Wyoming. She also served as the Madison River Manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Her love of river running, and the river community inspired her to research sexual harassment in the whitewater industry. The goal of her research and involvement in A-DASH is to make river running an inclusive community for all people.
Bekah Price
Bekah Price leads communication efforts for the River Management Society including website, social media and traditional media outreach. She spent several years guiding on the Nolichucky River in Tennessee and North Carolina and served as office manager for an outfitter there. Her background in journalism and public relations combined with experience as a river guide bring a unique skillset and perspective to the mission of A-DASH, where she supports website development and outreach. Through her work with A-DASH, she hopes to create more inclusive and equitable opportunities for all who work on and for rivers.
Bryant Baker
Baker has facilitated outdoor experiences as a guide and instructor for over two decades, currently working as the River Operations Manager for ACE Adventure Resort on the New and Gauley Rivers of West Virginia. Baker has a passion for empowering others with knowledge and skills, leading multiple instructional courses through the International Rafting Federation and the American Canoe Association. When not instructing and guiding rafting experiences, he and his wife Laura put on ultra-marathons in New River Gorge National Park through their race company including the Rim to River 100, the first and only 100-mile trail race in WV. They are also involved in expanding access to outdoor adventures for local high school youth in their region through their non-profit organization, Adventure Appalachia. In his management role at ACE, Baker is always looking for ways to better train and support his staff, helping to foster an environment and culture of empowerment, inclusivity, and engagement. As a member of the A-DASH collaborative, he looks forward to continuing to learn while also offering insights into current trends and happenings in the commercial river guide community.