CWA Blog Archive-CWA Announces New Board Members

CWA Announces New Board Members

Pdf Summary

The CWA announced the appointment of two additional representatives to its Board of Directors: Michele Lang, Owner/Operator of Insight Climbing &amp; Movement with two locations in Washington, and Mike St. Laurent, President/COO of Triangle Rock Club with five locations in the Carolinas. The announcement frames the additions around the CWA's recognition that its ever-expanding industry calls for additional voices to ensure insight, guidance, and strategic initiatives align with member needs. Lang and St. Laurent are highlighted for bringing unique perspectives from differing business models and for representing the drastically different regions the CWA serves, a smaller two-location operation in the Pacific Northwest and a larger five-location company in the Southeast. Their backgrounds add further breadth. Before opening her gym in 2013, Lang held leadership positions in large corporations, nonprofits, and start-ups across fields including software engineering, organic farming, and education, an unusually diverse professional history. St. Laurent has been involved in the indoor climbing industry since 2007 and previously served on the CWA's Research Advisory Committee and Industry Practices Committee, bringing established CWA experience. Executive Director Paula Horwitz is quoted emphasizing that as the industry grows, it's important for the CWA to solicit insight and expertise from a wide range of perspectives, and expressing confidence that Lang and St. Laurent will bring fresh ideas and perspectives. The throughline is that the CWA deliberately expanded its Board to capture a wider range of perspectives reflecting the industry's growth and diversity. By adding operators who represent different business scales (two locations versus five), different regions (Pacific Northwest versus Carolinas), and different backgrounds (Lang's cross-industry leadership, St. Laurent's long CWA committee service), the organization aimed to ensure its governance reflects the varied realities of its membership. The announcement signals the CWA's commitment to inclusive, representative leadership as the industry matures, bringing in voices equipped to guide strategy in ways that account for the differing needs of gyms across business models and geographies.

Asset Caption

The CWA appointed two new Board members: Michele Lang of Insight Climbing & Movement (two Washington locations) and Mike St. Laurent of Triangle Rock Club (five Carolinas locations). Chosen to add perspectives across differing business scales, regions, and backgrounds, they reflect the CWA's commitment to representative leadership as the industry grows.