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Founder + Executive Director

President of Board (non-voting)

Kara Lapso (she/her)

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Kara is a mom, adventurer, and lover of nature. She enjoys climbing, biking, hiking, yoga, and trail running. She loves going fast—flying down hills, zipping around turns, paddling white water. She also enjoys taking it slow to look at the bugs, the birds, the patterns, and colors. 

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She works remotely as an adjunct professor for the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work.

Board of Directors, Vice President

Brittany Robinson

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Brittany or “B” as many call her, is an Ohio native with a deep Southern cultural identity. She is a fierce community advocate for early childhood education, nature, and connecting underserved populations to vital resources.

 

A self-described statistical anomaly - Brittany has navigated significant life challenges - including racism, childhood adversity, and homelessness; to emerge with a perspective that treats every day as a unique gift. This mindset frequently leads Brittany outdoors where she enjoys visiting some of Northeast Ohio's best trails and metroparks.

​Board of Directors, Secretary

Alanna Wathen (she/her)

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Alanna enjoys trail running and hiking with her dog, backpacking/camping with her spouse, traveling the world, and fly fishing. She works as a physical therapist and has pursed outdoor certifications such as Advanced Wilderness Life Support and a Wilderness First Responder. Her interests include adaptive, outdoor recreation for those with mobility or accessibility limitations and educating others on the benefits of nature and healing in healthcare

Board of Directors, Treasurer

Gwennan Richmond (she/her)

 

Gwennan's love for outdoor spaces is deeply tied to her years as a whitewater guide, with six seasons on the New and Gauley Rivers in West Virginia and one season on the Shotover River in New Zealand. In addition to white water rafting, walking her dog Kepler, and working to restore her 1920s Craftsman home. 

 

She works for Conservation Legacy managing a non-profit partnership with the National Park Service, creating internship opportunities for young adults in the historic preservation field.

Board of Directors, Officer

Nicki Almes​

 

Nicki is an artist, animal lover, outdoor explorer, and a passionate advocate for accessibility. Having first-hand experience with disability and adaptations, she is dedicated to creating inclusive and adaptive environments through creative solutions. 

Board of Directors, Officer

Saira Galindo-Vazquez (she/ella)

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Saira is an educator working for Denver Public Schools in the dept of Social Emotional Learning. She is very passionate about equity, culture and language accessibility. She likes to spend time with her husband, cat, and dogs.

Board of Directors, Officer

Tonya Messam 

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Tonya is an environmental educator from the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio, whose passion for nature began in childhood through foraging with her grandmother and cousin. What started as a simple curiosity grew into a lifelong commitment to protecting green spaces and connecting urban communities to the environment.

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​Today, Tonya builds on those experiences by teaching youth horsemanship through Organic
Connects, MARE program, where she helps students develop riding skills to become a youth-led
equestrian search-and-rescue team. In her free time, Tonya enjoys hiking, kayaking, gardening,
baking, and playing the kalimba. In the future, she hopes to visit as many national parks as
possible and eventually create a cookbook centered on native plants and foraging.

Board of Directors, Officer

Hannah Kelling (she/hers)​

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Hannah grew up outside, roaming around 56 acres in Warren County with her fellow triplet siblings and a collection of labrador retrievers. (She's still most at home with a dog by her side.) Her first job after college was as a sea kayak, canoe, and hiking guide in Minnesota. That was ten years ago! Since then, she has worked for summer camps and university outdoors programs and local outfitters. She has spent 7 seasons as a guide and instructor with 41 North Coastal Adventures and is certified as a Level 4 Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor (OWCK) with the American Canoe Association. Since 2023, she has also worked full time as a Field Director for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, negotiating land protection transactions to preserve farmland and natural areas.

 

As much as she loves developing mastery in her pursuits, Hannah also loves to be a beginner. She has tried her hand at kayaking, canoeing, trail running, road and mountain biking, cross country skiing, climbing and more. She is a singer, an acrylic painter, a reader, a journaler, an Ultimate Frisbee player... She will try anything once, and she has trouble sitting still.  Most importantly, Hannah is a wife to her adventure partner, Josh Scott, and the mom of two labradors - Freya (chocolate) and Vin (yellow), and her happy family currently lives in Lakewood on the west side. 

Director of Events

Josh Mohr (he/his)

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Josh enjoys trail running, mountain biking, canoeing/kayaking, and rock climbing. Josh has over fifteen years of experience in large-scale event production, project management and experiential marketing. He currently has his own event production company, Terrain Experiential.

Director of Environmental Impact

Nathan Kreis (he/his)​​

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Nathan is happiest outside—whether he's biking, hiking, trail running, or heading off the grid for a backpacking trip. He lives in West Akron with his two kids, and together they’re always on the lookout for the next adventure (or at least a good snack).

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When he's not on the trails, Nathan brings over 15 years of nonprofit experience to the table. He currently serves as the Director of Strategic Projects at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, where he helps turn big ideas into meaningful impact.

Adventure Lead

Sarah Waite Fekete​​

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Sarah is a trauma-informed yoga practitioner, forest bathing guide, and Thai Massage practitioner who offers a variety of programs under her business, YouBloom LLC. Being of service to others in aiding them to blossom as a person is her calling in life- whether that be through body work in Thai Massage, offering nature based educational programs with parks, or leading yoga classes. She completed her 200 hour training five years ago and has since continued her education through trauma informed, chair, cancer care, restorative, assisted stretching, and fitness class trainings.

 

Sarah runs community programs through her LLC, YouBloom. 🧘🏼‍♀️🌳

Adventure Lead

Natalie Simmons (she/her)​​

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Natalie is a full time educational sign language interpreter at Cleveland Metro Schools. Part time she works for the conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She loves visiting all the different national park units and collecting all the Junior Ranger badges. So far she has collected 26 badges. In her free time she loves going for hikes and her favorite trails are the Tree Farm trail and Nelson Ledges Trails. 

Lead Birder

Megan Delong-Borick (she/her)

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Megan's interest in birds comes from working with a 4th grade science teacher to revitalize a neighborhood park into a no-mow meadow. After that, being outside finally clicked. As a plus size person and a self proclaimed big fan of cities, outdoorsy activities never really felt like her thing. But now, birds allowed kayaking, cycling, and taking walks to be more than they ever were before: a chance to see new birds, meet new people, and be comfortable in nature. Megan is certified as an Accessible Birding Outing Leader through Access Birding and has lead bird walks with Everyday Akron & OTC. Megan's favorite kinds of birding are mindful birding, bird walks, and sitting in her backyard birdwatching

Adventure Lead

Amelie Springer

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Amelie loves being outside, whether that’s taking it easy in her favorite local parks with her dog, Nova, or stretching beyond her norm through new adventures. Her favorite spots in NEO are Headwaters Park, for camping, and the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath for biking! She also enjoys floating on her paddleboard with a book and some snacks, backpacking with her family, and finding different ways to experience being outside. Amelie is especially committed to creating brave, welcoming spaces for people who may not always feel comfortable, confident, or seen in outdoor environments. She sees the outdoors as a place to foster connection, build community, and make space for everyone to belong.

Adventure Lead

Chrissy Bennett (she/her)

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Chrissy’s favorite place is to be anywhere outside. You’ll usually find her chasing some good old “type 2” fun or relaxing trailside in her hammock with a book and a cup of camp coffee. She loves being part of the outdoor community and fills her days with gravel and mountain biking, hiking, climbing, adventures with her dogs, and the occasional paddleboard session with great company.

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She met Kara from OTC at Rockmill Climbing Gym on a totally random night—an encounter that gave her the spark (and final push!) to open Take a Hike Resale Shop. Now you can catch her at local pop-up events or reach out anytime you’re looking for clothing or gear to help you get outside, explore more, and try something new.