pow-new-board-members

Conrad Anker, Ryan Gellert, Joani Lynch, Dr. Anne Nolin and Winston Binch join POW board of directors.

(Press Release)

(Pacific Palisades, Calif.) – Protect Our Winters (POW), the organization engaging and mobilizing the winter sports community to lead the fight against climate change, announces the appointment of several new members to its board of directors.

“The momentum for POW is at an all-time high,” states Chris Steinkamp, executive director of Protect Our Winters. “This winter the NRDC/POW Jobs Report made national news, Burton announced a major partnership with the organization, we launched the POW Riders Alliance, and Jeremy Jones visited the White House to deliver a letter signed by 75 pro athletes and was honored as a Champion of Change last month. Now, the addition of these individuals to our board will further elevate our effectiveness in unifying the winter sports community to address the threat of global climate change.”

The new board members include:

Conrad Anker is a legend in the climbing and mountaineering community, where he is renowned for tackling challenging routes throughout the Americas, Himalayas and Antarctica, including multiple first ascents. He is the leader of The North Face climbing team. Conrad lives in Bozeman, Mont., and sits on the board of the Conservation Alliance and the Leadership Institute of Montana State University. Conrad is also vice president of the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation.

Ryan Gellert is brand president at Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., where he oversees all global brand functions for the company. Ryan holds a BSBA in finance from University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a MBA from Florida Institute of Technology. Ryan also holds a Juris Doctor from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. Gellert is an avid backcountry snowboarder and an active climber for over 15 years, having climbed in Asia, Europe, North America, Australia the Middle East and South Africa.

Joani Lynch is a 20-year veteran in the winter sports industry. In her current role as director of communications for Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Joani is responsible for developing and implementing integrated marketing initiatives for the resort and oversees all communication efforts on behalf of Mammoth Mountain and its ancillary businesses, including public relations, social media, advertising, creative services and corporate sponsorship. Fans of Mammoth Mountain may also recognize Joani as the resort’s spokesperson, appearing regularly on KTLA, the Weather Channel and elsewhere. Joani also sits on the board of directors for the Friends of the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center.

Dr. Anne Nolin is a professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University where she heads the Mountain Hydroclimatology Research Group. Her research interests focus on snow and ice in the climate system, particularly with regard to water resources. She has published articles on “at risk” snow in the Pacific Northwest, glacier melt contributions to rivers from Oregon to the Andes, and new ways of mapping snow and glaciers from space. She received her Ph.D. degree in geography from the University of California-Santa Barbara in 1993 and from 1993-2002 she worked as a research scientist at the University of Colorado, spending several field seasons on the Greenland ice sheet. She is a member of the NASA Science Team for the MISR and teaches courses in snow hydrology, climatology, and satellite remote sensing.

Winston Binch is partner and chief digital officer at Deutsch LA, where he’s responsible for agency-wide digital strategy and vision, operations, and business and invention development. Prior to Deutsch, Winston worked at CP+B as Partner/Managing Director, Interactive, where he led digital strategy, operations, and agency business development, where his efforts helped the agency win Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes three times over a five-year span. Winston’s work has been recognized by international award shows and publications such as Cannes Cyber Lions, Andys, One Show, Clios, London International Awards, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, AdAge, Adweek, Creativity, Travel + Leisure, Ski Magazine, and Communication Arts.

The new board members join professional athletes Gretchen Bleiler, Chris Davenport and Jeremy Jones, Auden Schendler, vice president of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, Matt McClain, chairman of the board for Protect Our Winters, Naomi Oreskes, professor of History and Science Studies at the University of California, San Diego, Penn Newhard, partner, Backbone Media, Christina Thomure, climate action manager, UC Santa Cruz, and executive director Chris Steinkamp on POW’s Board of Directors.