Independent Risk Advisory For Schools & Outdoor Programs
Helping organizations become more resilient & impactful through contemporary risk management solutions.
Featured Blog Posts
Services
RISK ASSESSMENT
PROGRAM REVIEW
CURRICULUM & TRAINING
INCIDENT PREPARATION
PROGRAM DESIGN
INDEPENDENT ADVISORY
About
Stuart Slay is a risk management consultant, and an educator at heart.
Informed by safety science, I’m on a mission to help modernize thinking and practice in outdoor programming. There’s much work to be done in this area, and I’m passionate about partnering with organizations to identify practical solutions that are uniquely built for their needs and constraints.
I’m also interested in global perspectives. In fact, I’ve spent the majority of my career outside my home country. I learned “mountain Spanish” while on the job, ski guiding in Chile (vaya a la cumbré!) and I learned to read Korean by reading maps to plan group itineraries. Now, I’m working on Mandarin… starting with Where is the bathroom? and, More Xiao Long Bao, please!
My experience spans a range of program types. These include outdoor and adventure education, schools and university programs, conservation and service learning, global and adventure travel, recreation-based outfitters and operators, and provincial governments and federal agencies. Based between Taipei, Taiwan and Seattle, Washington, I design and improve risk management systems for programs that work across local, national, and international contexts.
All the great folks I partner with have three things in common:
They’re passionate about the power that facilitated, outdoor experiences can bring to enhance people’s lives and bring about positive change in the world.
They know safety isn’t guaranteed in the outdoors, and they also know that risk-literate organizations and staff are essential in meeting their mission.
They’re open to new ideas and want to deepen their professional expertise.
My Interests & Credentials
-
Master’s – Adventure Education – Prescott College
Bachelor’s – Outdoor Leadership & Instruction – Western State College of Colorado
-
Organizational Culture consulting l Hofstede Insights
Crisis Communications l Crisis Ready Institute
Crisis Leadership I Risk Resolve
Approaches to Learning Skills Category III l International Baccalaureate
Professional Educator Social Science Gr. 6-12 l Florida
AIARE Level III Avalanche Forecaster l American Institute Avalanche Research & Education
AvPro Avalanche Forecasting & Control Operations l American Avalanche Association
-
J. Jackson, S. Slay, S. Tarter. (2024). Present-day Impact of Climate Change on Outdoor Organizations (in press). Journal of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.
S. Slay, D. Mitten, C. Dallat. (2024). A Cultural Risk Assessment of Led Outdoor Activities. Coalition for Education Outdoors Research Symposium. Ashville, NC.
S. Slay. (2023). What’s Next? 30 Years of the WRMC. Adventure Risk Research Symposium. Portland, OR.
B. Madden & S. Slay. (2023). Exploring the Impact of Wildfires on Outdoor Adventure Programs. Adventure Risk Research Symposium. Portland, OR.
S. Slay. (2022). Towards Global Inclusion & Belonging. in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Field Guide. Eds. Rita Yerkes, Denise Mitten, Karren Warren. Association for Experiential Education.
C. Dallat, D. Mitten, D, Ajango, S. Slay. (2022). What about Us? Second Victims in Outdoor Education Programs. Ambleside, UK.
D. Mitten, C. Dallat, S. Slay, D, Ajango. (2022). Impact of Serious Incidents on Practitioners: Early data summary. Burlington, VT.
S. Slay & D. Mitten. (2021). Literature Review: Cultural factors’ influence on risk. Symposium for Experiential Education Research.
S. Slay. (2020). How Cultural Perceptions Influence Risk: A cultural risk assessment. Prescott College.
S. Slay. (2020). Ten Guiding Principles for Transference of Outdoor Education for the Betterment of Society (J. Lee. Trans.). Ediun News. Seoul, South Korea.
S. Slay, C. Dallat, D. Mitten, P. Salmon. (2020). Transcending Paradigms: A cultural risk assessment. Adventure Risk Research Symposium.
-
2024. Association for Experiential Education (AEE) International Conference. Estes Park, CO. Building Climate Change Resiliency for Outdoor & Experiential Programs I Building Your Staff's Toolkit for Mental Health & Ethical Care.
2024. Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC). Salt Lake City, UT. Opening Address.
2024. Adventure Risk Research Symposium (ARRS). Salt Lake City, UT. Climate Change Impacts Upon Outdoor Organizations.
2024. Coalition for Education in the Outdoors Research Symposium (CEO). Asheville, NC. A Cultural Risk Assessment of Led Outdoor Activities.
2023. Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC). Portland, OR. Opening Keynote & Reflection on 30 Years l Presentation of the Reb Gregg Leadership Award to Dr. Nina Roberts’ family I Gen-Z (pre-conference).
2023. Adventure Risk Research Symposium (ARRS). Portland, OR. What’s Next? Thirty Years of the WRMC.
2022. Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC). Burlington, VT. Are Your Board & Leadership Prepared for a Critical Incident…or Worse? I How to create an AcciMap (pre-conference).
2021. Symposium for Experiential Education Research (SEER). Virtual. Cultural Factors’ Influence on Risk.
2020. Adventure Risk Research Symposium (ARRS). Virtual. Transcending Paradigms: A cultural risk assessment.
2019. Korean Council of Overseas Schools (KORCOS). Seoul, South Korea. Meeting Students Where They Are: Wellness, Relationships, & Recognizing our Sense of Place.
2018. Mussoorie Mountain Festival. Uttarakhand, India. Outdoor Education in South Korea: Finding a sense of place.
-
• Founding Member - Wilderness Climate Action Lab
• Chair - Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) Steering Committee
• Accreditation Reviewer - Association for Experiential Education (AEE)
• International Baccalaureate
• American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education
• American Avalanche Association
• National Ski Patrol
• American Mountain Guides Association
Partner Insights
“Stu is a true gem when it comes to working with International Baccalaureate programmes. He is incredibly knowledgeable about IB learning frameworks and risk management planning. Without a doubt, he is a huge asset to a school looking to take its real-world application of learning to the next level.”
– Barbara Wrightson
Director of Teaching and Learning
Chadwick International School
pres. International School of Tanganyika
"Stu is incredibly adept at responding to sensitive and complicated critical incidents with calm, collectedness, and heart. His support and guidance have changed the way I do my job. I continually refer back to working with Stu and know exactly who to call on when working through how we plan for incident response."
– MK Repetski
Youth Programs Coordinator
Alaska Region Parks
