Shanti Hodges is the founder and visionary of Hike it Baby. With the help of Jessica Carrillo Alatorre, she brought the organization from being a small hike group she founded in 2013, to a national non-profit supporting thousands of families to get on trails together. She founded the group after looking for a way to get outside with other parents in her area. She quickly realized that her experience in media and marketing could help spread the idea around the country and create a way for families to help each other get outside, even if Shanti wasn’t in their neighborhood. She gains inspiration to charge on with the organization through hiking and adventuring with her adventure buddies, her son Mason and husband Mark. They reside in La Verkin, UT but can be found hiking all over the map throughout the year. Shanti is also the author of “Hike it Baby: 100 Awesome Outdoor Adventures With Babies and Toddlers”>. You can follow her adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

James is a freelance journalist and an independent media producer. In a career that spans more than 20 years, he specializes in telling stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. Working in the outdoor industry since 1989 as a guide, outfitter, independent sales representative, writer, and photographer his experience includes a broad range of expeditions that include mountaineering, rock climbing, backcountry skiing and kayaking. James has written extensively for a range of publications, including news media, outdoor industry and adventure, academic, and public interest. He is the author of the book “The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors”, and the co-writer/co-producer of the documentary film An American Ascent. He is also an accomplished audio storyteller, with radio production credits including Wisconsin Public Radio, the Public Radio Exchange, American Public Media and Public Radio International. He is the producer of a blog and podcast series that focuses on adventure culture called The Joy Trip Project. Currently as a faculty assistant at the University of Wisconsin Nelson Institute For Environmental Studies James teaches a summer course for undergraduate students on diversity, equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation and public land management called Outdoors For All. He also sits on the boards of directors at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and The Ice Age Trail Alliance. James lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two lovable dogs, Mekela and Sasha.

Courtney has spent over a decade leading research projects for local, state, and federal agencies, with an expertise in the design and execution of behavioral research across the lifespan–all with a focus on integrating nature exposure into a salutogenic healthcare approach for people and communities. A NOLS graduate, an avid rock climber, a long-distance road biker, and a standup paddle board enthusiast, as well as a Type 1 diabetic, Courtney uses her personal experiences to inform her research practices. After earning a PhD in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from NC State University, along with a BS and MS in Parks and Recreation Management from the University of Missouri, Courtney launched Health & Technology Partners (HTP), a social science research consultancy dedicated to improving wellbeing through cooperative partnerships with healthcare providers, communities, and natural resources. While serving as the Executive Director for HTP, she also volunteers her time as the Research Fellow for Park Rx America, sits on the Advisory Council for the SHIFT Emerging Leaders Program, and is adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri. While she is a proud born and bred Midwesterner who currently calls Wisconsin home, she is always planning her next outdoor adventure. Visit www.HealthAndTechnologyPartners.com to learn more about her work bridging nature, people and communities, and healthcare.

Originally from Sierra Leone, Bintu relocated to the UK at the age of 14, where she pursued her education and indulged in extensive travel. In 2018, she made a direct move to Beaverton, OR, and feels blessed to call it home. Married with two beautiful daughters, Bintu’s interests include cooking, spending time with family and friends, and exploring new destinations. 

Passionate about community engagement, Bintu is deeply involved in the Beaverton community. She is the social officer for the Islamic Community Center of Hillsboro, chairs the Beaverton Committee for Community Involvement, serves as the social coordinator for the Charlais Community Network, and actively volunteers at her daughter’s elementary school. Bintu’s dedication extends to her professional life, where she works in Risk and Compliance at Providence Health and Services. She has a degree in accounting and a masters in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of East Anglia. She is also a 2023 graduate of the Leadership Beaverton program organized by the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce. 

When asked why she wants to offer her support and expertise as an advisor to OutGrown, Bintu says, “ I am passionate about getting people of color outdoors to ensure that the healing power of nature is accessible and enjoyable for all. Historically people of color have faced systemic barriers that limit their access to outdoors spaces, OutGrown is an organization that breaks these barriers. My involvement with OutGrown to get more people of color outdoors is driven by a deep-seated belief that everyone deserves the right to experience the freedom, joy, and healing that comes from connecting with the natural world.”

Eva Valadrian (she/her) is a Pacific Northwest native who has worked as a multicultural marketing and communications strategist for over a decade. She co-founded Valadrian Creative and Consulting, a DEI consulting firm and media production house, where she works on actionable strategies for building partnerships across difference for private, non-profit and governmental agencies in the public lands sphere. 

Eva is a GIS Specialist focused on using spatial data to illuminate inequities in access to outdoor spaces, allowing the data to inform strategy development to create a more equitable, diverse and inclusive outdoor community. She is part of the two-parent team behind Northwest Family Daycation, a community-based program serving families from underrepresented communities created in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and for the past several years has worked as a consultant to the Hike it Baby staff team, developing new programming, communications, and strategy. Most recently, she stepped onto the Board of Directors for the Intertwine Alliance, where she serves as Vice President.

Eva is a mother of four living in a mixed-race partnership, a traveler, a dancer, and a passionate naturalist. She firmly believes that being outside in natural spaces as a child sets the stage for a lifetime of outdoor adventure, and plants the seeds for conservation, stewardship, and a sense of belonging in those spaces.

Mauricio Valadrian was a member of HiB’s nonprofit Board of Directors from August 2018 through December 2021, including nearly two years as the Chair of the Board. He continues as a member of the Advisory Board, supporting communications and program strategy. Mauricio is a first-generation Colombian immigrant and father of four, who worked as a Spanish Language broadcast professional for two decades, and for the last six years, has worked as a JEDI (Justice Diversity Equity & Inclusion) Consultant and Multicultural Communications strategist in partnership with organizations in the private and governmental sectors nationally and across the world.

Colin grew up adventuring outside on the slopes of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the waters of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, and the peaks of the Green Mountains in Vermont. Currently serving as the head of eCommerce for Turtle Fur, an outdoor and snow sports accessory company based in Vermont, he leads digital marketing, online presence, and operational initiatives. Colin believes that access to nature is a right of all people and leverages his experience in technology and marketing to help strengthen and expand the Hike it Baby community. He sees Hike it Baby as a powerful opportunity to instill a love of nature and time outside from an early age, connecting people to the healing power of the outdoors.

With over 15 years of experience in the media and Outdoor industries, Sharon is sales and revenue leader who oversees notable outdoor media brands.

As the SVP of Sales at Outside, Sharon is focused on delivering results that impact the organization and its audiences. Sharon has managed and built numerous growth-based portfolios ranging from $20-90 million in revenue and teams of up to 145. She is a strategic thinker, a team and culture builder, a business partner, and a product developer who strives to find new solutions and tools to move our business forward in sustainable ways. Driven by integrity, accountability, and innovation - Sharon is a lifelong learner who loves to solve problems and take on challenges.

Beyond work, Sharon is a mom to two kids (8 & 11) and an athlete that loves to travel. If she can run and swim on her travels around the world, even better!

Dr. Sheri L Hill (she/her) uses neuroscience, relationship-based Infant Mental Health reflective practice, and her interdisciplinary professional background to maximize community capacity to cultivate nurturing environments that support health and well-being for young children, their families and their caregivers. Prompted by her time as Early Childhood Senior Manager (Woodland Park Zoo), Sheri’s expanded focus includes addressing climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals via nature-based approaches.

She believes:
 In centering equity and inclusion by reconciling our relationships with nature via  family and provider
engagement, mindfulness practices, nature-based play and learning.
 Actively cultivating resiliency, joy, and delight is essential for advancing equity, inclusion and healing
from trauma and toxic stress.
 Change must confront structural racism and empower communities.
 Change must be grounded in community engagement, voice, and shared leadership.

Sheri is an: Infant Mental Health Policy Mentor - Endorsed®; Founding Member, Academy of ZERO TO
THREE Fellows; Faculty, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ Child Abuse & Neglect
Institutes; Advisory Board Member, OutGrown, a national non-profit helping families with babies and young
children get outside; and, a highly regarded trainer locally, nationally and internationally. Also, she is an actively certified (ASHA & WA Department of Health) Speech-Language Pathologist. Sheri has provided clinical services across the lifespan including home visiting early intervention services in Washington State.

Sheri has obtained a: Post-Graduate Certificate, Infant Mental Health, University of Washington School of
Nursing; PhD, Developmental Psychology, UW; and MEd, Speech-Language Pathology, University of Virginia.

Formerly, Dr. Hill served as: Deputy Director, Sound Pathways (non-profit serving pregnant/parenting women and individuals struggling with SUD/homelessness); Birth to Five System Building Project Manager, BSK Levy Development, King County; and Faculty Lead on Policy, Barnard Center on IECMH, UW SON.

Sheri is passionate about: spending time in nature, especially her garden; saying “Yes! To Inclusion” of children and families with disabilities; supporting LGBTQ+ families; and most of all, being Tia Sheri to her three god-children.

Leah is a Certified Public Accountant who works for an outdoor camping company as their controller. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, daughter, and a yellow lab. Leah has been a board member for two terms, deeply supporting our financial development with her accounting and finance expertise. She continues to support OutGrown's finance committee as an ongoing advisor.