Robin is the Admissions and Outreach Director for BOLD & GOLD in Seattle
We believe in participants until they believe in themselves.
I love the age group that we work with because they are coming into their own and discovering themselves.
Partnering with families in the development of their young person is very important to me. The kind of work we do helps them with their emotional intelligence, their academic achievement and most importantly to become a better version of themselves. I love getting youth connected to the outdoors – I think it’s the perfect place to discover more about yourself.
We were one of the forerunners of inclusion work in the outdoors and that is inspiring to me because I believe that young people need to learn to work with others that have had different experiences and in the process learn that you really aren’t that different. Participants become dependent on one another, they find a trust that has to be built and make genuine and deep connections – sometimes to the astonishment of their parents.
I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and spent my summers fishing and crabbing in the inlets of Chesapeake Bay. After getting an art degree with a focus on sculpture, I moved to Seattle, where I eventually made my way to Passages Northwest, a girl centered outdoor organization that later became GOLD.
I commute to work by ferry across Puget Sound every morning and love starting my day seeing marine life. I also volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium where I am a beach naturalist and marine science interpreter –which means I gets to feed the octopus every Wednesday, one of my favorite activities. My other favorite outdoor activities include rock climbing and gardening. I’ve been married for over 30 years and have 5 children, 1 dog, and a personal understanding of the challenges and opportunities of finding the right opportunities for each child.
