BIRMINGHAM – Four Huntsville business leaders have been selected to Innovate Alabama’s recently established Council on Outdoor Recreation and to the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable.
Darrell Ezell, director of Diversity Equity & Inclusion at the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology, has been appointed to the council’s private sector representative.
Themika Sims, director of Graham Farm; John Kvach, executive director of the Singing River Trail; and Michael Norman, store manager at REI, have been selected for the 19-member Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable.
“Made up of some of our state’s strongest outdoor recreation experts, the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Roundtable brings together centuries of combined knowledge in the outdoors to provide strategic recommendations on the application of outdoor recreation to enhance Alabamians’ quality of life and support economic development in rural and urban communities.” said Commissioner Chris Blankenship, chair of the Council on Outdoor Recreation. “We are thrilled to welcome these advisory members who will ensure that all regions of the state and outdoor recreation sectors have a seat at the table as we develop these recommendations.”
The council and advisory roundtable was set up to advise the Innovate Alabama board of directors on strategies to achieve three primary goals, including expanding Alabama’s outdoor recreation industry; enhancing the state’s attractiveness for a skilled workforce; and yielding substantial returns for both rural and urban communities for the enjoyment of current and future Alabamians.
“We are seeing great success by aligning innovation with our outdoor recreation efforts,” said Kvach. “Thanks to Alabama’s unique outdoor landscape and outdoor recreation assets, we have the potential to strengthen regional bonds between rural and urban communities to create a thriving statewide innovation ecosystem.”
Innovate Alabama is leveraging the entire state’s outdoor assets, such as local and state parks, landscape diversity and other natural resources, to showcase and cultivate Alabama’s unique offerings.
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