Mark Vermeal

Mark Vermeal is a nationally recognized expert in the field of risk management and safety with 20 years of experience as a senior-level administrator in educational non-profits. As the former Vice President of Safety for Outward Bound USA, Mark drove the safety management systems for Outward Bound’s $44 M national network of eleven regional schools serving over 42,000 students and 145,000 participant days, annually. Mark has implemented strategies that have enhanced a culture and climate of safety at two of the nation’s largest outdoor organizations: OBUSA and the Student Conservation Association. As the Director of the Wilderness Skills Program at the White Mountain School, Mark developed a ground up, nationally recognized outdoor education program that integrated experiential education and wilderness skills instruction with a rigorous academic program. When working as a Wilderness EMT, Mark managed emergent situations, and with a Master’s degree in education, he has been a wilderness medicine instructor and a classroom teacher in anatomy and physiology. He is a certified American Mountain Guides Association Rock Instructor and Single Pitch Instructor Provider with rock, ice, and alpine guiding experience, both abroad and domestically. Currently he serves on the Outward Bound International Risk Management Committee, Outward Bound Canada Board Risk Oversight Committee, the American Alpine Club Education and Standards Committee Task Force, and the Steering Committee for the Wilderness Risk Management Conference where he has also been a presenter since 2007.