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American Alpine Club is Looking for New CEO

The current CEO, Phil Powers, announced that he is stepping down

The following is a press release from the American Alpine Club by Shane Johnson.

The American Alpine Club (AAC) Board of Directors is excited to commence the search for the organization’s next CEO, who will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for the AAC’s staff, program expansion, and mission and vision execution.

As the national unifying body for the climbing community, the AAC has 75 chapters and sections across the country and is now over 25,000 members strong. This community of AAC members includes representation from every state, crag and climbing gym in the United States.

This is a rare opportunity for the right individual to take the helm of a historic organization at a pivotal moment when climbing is growing in popularity faster than ever before. The CEO must be a demonstrated leader who understands best practices for organizational excellence and is adept at forging relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be an advocate and ambassador for the climbing community with policymakers and supporters, and will bring a deep understanding of and connection to this community.

As the CEO plays a vital role for the national climbing landscape, it’s imperative that our search be thorough, informed, and inclusive as we seek to build a deep and diverse pool of candidates. To achieve this, the committee has taken some critical steps:

1) Retained Koya Leadership Partners, a national executive search firm with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion, and deep experience in the outdoor industry and conservation sector.

2) Engaged a wide array of stakeholders including donors, community leaders, non-profit partners, and staff to provide input into the CEO role and guidance regarding potential candidates. Those discussions helped frame the position profile and will guide the search.

The profile for the CEO position can be found at the Koya website here.

Please share the profile with any candidates you feel should be considered. To make recommendations, please email the Koya team at lcornelssen@koyapartners.com. The search is currently active, Koya is recruiting a robust pool of candidates, and we plan to have the process completed by this summer.

Thank you for your support of the American Alpine Club.

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We’re proud to introduce some of our 2020 Climbing Awardees! Each year the Club recognizes climbers with outstanding achievements in conservation, climbing and mountaineering. This is Jamie Logan. She's taking home the Underhill Award, one of the highest honors the Club bestows. It’s awarded to those who have demonstrated the highest level of skill in the mountaineering arts and who have achieved outstanding success in the various fields of mountaineering endeavor. Jamie is one of the greats in North American free climbing. She made the first free ascent of the Diamond of Longs Peak and the second American ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, among other accomplishments. We are honored to recognize Jamie for her storied career in climbing! #aacgram of Jamie on the first free ascent of the Emperor Face of Mount Robson taken by Mugs Stump on Tsuu T’ina, Secwepemc, Aseniwuche Winewak, and Ktunaxa land.

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