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Erica Nelson
Erica is currently based in Ute Territory known as Crested Butte, Colorado. She is the co-founder of REAL Consulting, an Orvis-Endorsed fly-fishing guide, and the host of the Awkward Angler Podcast. She has over 10 years of experience in outdoor guiding and instructing: whitewater rafting, skiing, rock climbing, backpacking, hiking, and snowshoeing courses and workshops. She is an ambassador for Brown Folks Fishing (BFF), which cultivates community for people of color in fishing and its industry through a lens of equity, justice, and inclusion. In 2019, REAL Consulting co-created the Angling for All Pledge in partnership with BFF. Erica is currently serving as the Board Chair for Women’s Wilderness and is a Board Member for High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA).
Check out the recent New York Times article about Erica.
photo credit: Katy Mooney
Caitie Caroleo
A lifelong angler, outdoor enthusiast, and brand fan, Caitie was thrilled to have an opportunity to join the Orvis team and move to Vermont 3 years ago. Previous work in the outdoor industry afforded Caitie opportunities to travel and have some great fly-fishing experiences, but if you ask her, the absolute best spot is a shallow lake in South Jersey, full of pads and stumps, and filled to the brim with painted turtles, largemouth, perch, and monster pickerel—best navigated by her father, in his 60-year-old Sears jon boat. Caitie is extremely passionate about working for a brand like Orvis, that is working to make fly fishing, wingshooting, and the outdoors in general a more inclusive space.