Outdoor Recreation Industry Office director leaving post for foundation job

DENVER —  Outdoor Recreation Industry Office director Nathan Fey is leaving his post next month to lead water and land conservation efforts for Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor created by New Belgium Brewing Co. founder Kim Jordan. 

The Mighty Arrow Family Foundation was formed after Jordan sold ownership of New Belgium to its employees. It funds initiatives in areas such as climate change, food systems, land and water stewardship, and social justice.

“It has been a privilege to serve as director of OREC for the past three years,” Fey said in a prepared statement. “I am excited for the opportunity to directly support organizations that are doing important work to advance policies in areas that I have long been passionate about. I am grateful to have championed the outdoor industry in Colorado and nationally, and for the many projects we’ve supported through OREC that have made a real impact on our state.”

One of Fey’s accomplishments while leading OREC, according to a state news release, was the development of the University of Colorado’s Masters of the Environment, a degree program for students interested in advancing the outdoor industry economy.

“The partnership that Nathan facilitated with CU has given our team a tool that will be used for years to help diversify and grow our rural communities,” Glenn Plagens, director of the Business Support and Rural Opportunity office at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, said in the release.. “We appreciate this legacy project that he has helped to create for all of us.” 

OREC has not announced a successor for Fey.

Fey joined OREC in 2018 after a stint as regional director of the Colorado River Stewardship Program at American Whitewater, where he was responsible for program development, fundraising, grant writing and growing the network of affiliates.

He also served as a public policy adviser for Berbur LLC, where he co-created the governance structure for the Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation industry, including Member Pledge, Regional Partnership Guidelines and the Advisory Council protocol.

“I’m a sixth-generation native of Colorado, and I spent a lot of time with my parents and grandparents exploring the state’s backcountry as a kid,” Fey told BizWest when he was hired as OREC director. “A consistent theme of my life has been rivers. Whether that’s rafting with my family or fly fishing, it was the waterways that drew me into the outdoor recreation space.”

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