Meet the Crew: Emma Wilson, staff

Students, staff and volunteers at our first kayaking adventure of the school year might have noticed a new face on our programming team. Emma Wilson is our new Saturday Explorer program manager!

"It's an honor to join Adventure Crew," she said. "I've personally found a lot of healing, inspiration and important lessons in nature. It is essential for the whole community -- but particularly young folk -- to get as much outside time as possible. This organization makes those experiences possible for kids, which can open so many new pathways to them discovering their own self sufficiency, courage, ability to play -- and they get to have fun along the way."

Emma was born and raised in Cincinnati and graduated from Walnut Hills High School, one of the Cincinnati Public Schools that Adventure Crew serves. A lifelong lover of the environment, she has almost a decade of experience leading youth engagement programming, particularly with a conservation and ecological stewardship focus. Her recent background includes working for Cincinnati Parks and Groundwork Ohio River Valley.

"I have a strong sense of justice; providing equal access to marginalized communities is a deeply held belief of mine and it guides everything I do," Emma said. "Adventure Crew's mission resonates with me strongly because I am a product of a program that focused heavily on diversifying outdoor spaces, so it's extremely important to me to now take on the role of facilitating that same mission for others."

When she's not at work, Emma can be found volunteering her time removing invasive plants to help preserve natural areas in Northside, where she lives with her partner and two cats.

"I hope to pass on some of the lessons I've gained related to plants, ecology, stewardship, etc." to Adventure Crew teens, she said. "In this way, students will not only be stepping into nature; they will gain knowledge of how to take care of it for future generations so that they can enjoy and learn from it, too."

She also loves traveling, hiking, kayaking and archery, and she's been working on her slingshot skills. "There's always room for growth, especially outside," Emma said. "I can't wait to see you there!"

Welcome to the Crew, Emma!