Jimmy is a passionate advocate for the outdoors and conservation. Originally from Sonoma Valley, California, Jimmy grew up fishing, hunting, and playing baseball. He later moved to Oregon to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering and to immerse himself in the outdoors. Over the years, he's gained a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature and the importance of preserving it for future generations.

But Jimmy's love for hunting and the outdoors wasn't just a personal interest - it was a passion he wanted to share with his community. He founded Hunters of Color as a way to bridge the gap and make hunting and conservation accessible to more people. As a person of mixed heritage and culture, with a Latina/Venezuelan mother and Pacific Islander/Filipino father, he is proud to promote diversity and inclusion in the outdoors through HOC.

HOC is more than just a passion project - it's a culmination of Jimmy's desires to uplift and give back to his community. He knows firsthand the transformative power of the outdoors and wants others to experience it as well. With his leadership and the support of HOC's members, Jimmy is creating a brighter, more inclusive future for hunters of all backgrounds.

Contact: jimmy@huntersofcolor.org

Lydia is a co-founder of Hunters of Color and a thought leader in the outdoor and conservation space. She is wolf clan from the Kanien’kehá:ka, commonly known as Mohawk, and holds a degree in History from Oregon State University. Lydia has dedicated her life to nonprofit administration and advocacy, serving as a passionate advocate for Indigenous communities, their culture, and empowerment to lead in the outdoor and conservation space.

While Lydia did not grow up hunting, HOC co-founders Thomas and Jimmy encouraged her on her journey, establishing HOC's proof of concept for the Mentorship Program. Lydia's compassion for animals, the planet, and people drives her dedication to HOC's mission, which she believes helps restore the onkwehonwe (First People) balance with nature through hunting, caretaking, and land sovereignty.

Lydia is a sought-after speaker and leads seminars on Indigenous history and antiracism. She uses her platform to uplift and empower Indigenous voices and communities and to highlight their deep connection to the land and the importance of conservation. In her spare time, Lydia enjoys reading autobiographies, camping, and fishing, which she views as an integral part of her connection to the outdoors and her cultural heritage.

Contact: lydia@huntersofcolor.org

Thomas has mostly been recognized through his accomplishments on the football field. He played at the University of Oregon and finished his career at Oregon State University. After dealing with many injuries, he finally decided it was time to take his next step in life. Thomas has become a passionate outdoorsman, and worked on getting HOC off the ground in 2020 with co-founders Jimmy and Lydia, and has since began working on another career path. We are so grateful for our co-founder and wish him the best of luck in his new pursuits!

Crystal Egli grew up in rural Vermont, and has always been an avid outdoor recreator. She grew up hiking, biking, camping, boating, and both water & snow skiing. After attending film school at Emerson College, she decided to move to Colorado to pursue a work-life balance that included a much higher percentage of backpacking and fishing. She worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife where her coworkers convinced her to take up hunting. She is now an enthusiastic hunter, a Hunter Education instructor, as well as a mentor to a novice young woman. In 2019, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) honored her with the Stephen Kellert award for “Outstanding service in advancing connections between humans and the natural world to all peoples in a diverse and inclusive manner.” In 2020, she co-founded Inclusive Journeys with her business partner, Parker McMullen Bushman. Together they are working to create a new digital Green Book, which will be an online resource to help people of marginalized identities find safe and welcoming businesses and locations.

Contact: crystal@huntersofcolor.org

Daniel Lucio is a lifelong community organizer and hunter from Texas. His career has focused on creating social, economic and environmental equity and justice. He has served on a number of nonprofit boards that range on everything from conservation to ending homelessness. Most recently, he served as co-chair of the Sierra Club's Public Lands Movement Taskforce, which was tasked with making the case for diversity and inclusion in the organization's public lands programs. He earned a Bachelors of Psychology and a Masters of Public Administration with a focus on Environmental Science. Daniel is currently a Senior Operations Manager for the Social Impact Team at Indeed.

Contact: daniel@huntersofcolor.org

Kami is Wyoming-born, but grew up in New Mexico for most of her life. She is a strong Dine woman with a passion for the outdoors and identifies as an "Adult Onset Hunter," and her passion for the outdoors started at a young age by having experiences including rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, pack trips by horse in the Gila Wilderness, fishing and canoeing in the Arctic Circle in Alaska and much more. Her passions now include hunting waterfowl, upland, small game and big game throughout the Western part of the United States as well as becoming a new bird dog handler. Kami is very active within the conservation community to include a Leadership role with Artemis Sportswomen, Logistics Board Member for New Mexico BHA and volunteers with Impact Outdoors. When Kami is not working hard on conservation, education and public policy she works full time as a Paramedic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Contact: kami@huntersofcolor.org

Will Jenkins is a lifelong hunter with a special interest in mentorship and getting new people of all backgrounds into the outdoors. He was a founding board member of the Minnesota Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) and was eventually hired as the Great Lakes Outreach Coordinator for BHA where he worked to build structure and grow the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan chapters. He's also been involved with fundraising and events for BHA and Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters and was a mentor in MN DNR's Adult Learn to Hunt program. In addition to his mentorship and conservation work Will has also been a freelancer in creative marketing for the outdoor industry for 10 years. He is the co-founder of Try Upland, an online mentorship community, and owner of TheWilltoHunt.com.

Contact: will@huntersofcolor.org