Reimagining the outdoors, together.
Outdoorithm Collective is empowering urban families to reconnect with our public lands. Together, we’re co-creating a community of belonging in the outdoors.
Our Team
Sally Steele, Co-Founder
Sally Steele is an experienced nonprofit executive, ordained faith leader, and outdoor enthusiast committed to fostering social impact, equity, and inclusive community. With a proven track record in organizational development and strategic planning, she has dedicated her career to addressing inequities and empowering marginalized communities. As the co-founder and CEO of Outdoorithm, Sally brings extensive leadership experience from her tenure at City Hope San Francisco, where she served as Co-Executive Director, focusing on cultivating a culture of belonging for San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents and managing a $1.9M budget. Sally is a relentless advocate for equity, having served in parent positions in the Oakland Unified School District as the Vice President of Equity for the Glenview PTA and on the Brewer School Site Council which gives input on the school’s use of federal funds. In addition to looking for ways to connect families with the outdoors, Sally enjoys yoga, trying new recipes, gardening and backpacking.
Justin Steele, Co-Founder
Justin is an accomplished business executive and outdoor adventurer with a strong track record of creating social impact. As a co-founder of Outdoorithm, he contributes extensive business acumen gained from a decade at Google, where he led the Google.org Americas team. In this role, he managed $120 million in annual philanthropy and championed initiatives centered on job skilling, racial equity, and leveraging technology for social impact.
Justin holds joint masters degrees in business and public administration from Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Virginia. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a commitment to community service and leadership, including five years in a leadership role at the youth-focused nonprofit job training program Year Up. When he's not working to get more families outdoors camping, Justin enjoys home automation (he’s installed over 450 smart devices and counting), backpacking, fly fishing, outdoor photography, cycling, bread making, and meat smoking.
Michelle Austin, Board Member
Bio coming soon!
Kay Fernandez-Smith, Board Member
Kay brings over 25 years of experience leading social impact programs, philanthropic initiatives, and policy advocacy efforts. As President and Founder of Tala Strategies, she works with purpose-driven leaders to advance racial equity and drive social change. Kay has led national anti-poverty programs and policy efforts in housing, community and economic development, education, gender justice, and criminal justice, forging partnerships across philanthropy, corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors.
Kay holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. She also serves on the boards of PolicyLink and Mercy Housing California. Based in beautiful Oakland, she enjoys hiking and biking with her husband and two teenagers on the weekends. As an earth sign, Kay loves being in nature to ground and make her feel rooted to all living things. She has rediscovered her childhood love of camping and the outdoors through Outdoorithm Collective.