Kim Bailey began working for Outward Bound USA as the Vice President of Program in May 2008. This extraordinary opportunity is allowing Kim to combine her passion for youth development, experiential learning and engaging people in outdoor activities. She oversees all programming for Outward Bound countrywide, but with specific focus on expanding Outward Bound Centers that are mostly based in urban communities.

Prior to working for Outward Bound, Kim was appointed to the position of Manager of Parks and Recreation for the City & County of Denver in September 2003 by Mayor Hickenlooper. As a member of the Mayor’s cabinet she was charged with overseeing one of the largest public park systems in the country. With 29 community based recreation centers, 1,800 plus acres of urban parks, 14,000 acres of mountain parks, two bison herds, a 63 million dollar budget and over 650 full time employees she managed all aspects of managing a system of public parks, open space and recreation facilities. She worked hard to create synergies between community partners, launched an extensive playground master plan that challenged the residents of Denver to think more broadly about public places of play and was a champion for new parks and open spaces across the City. Before going to Denver, she was Region Manager for the Chicago Park District where she was responsible for overseeing the District’s recreation programs, facilities and grounds totaling about 1,400 acres on Chicago’s Southeast side. She managed a $20 million annual operating budget, 650 year-round employees, and a regional management staff.

As an area manager for the Chicago Park District, Kim was responsible for ensuring the quality of leisure and recreation programming, facility and ground maintenance, staff recruitment and development, community outreach and the monitoring of capital improvement projects. Kim’s previous roles with the Chicago Park District also include serving as a field-based program specialist and staff training facilitator.
Bailey received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northeastern University, a master’s degree in counselor education from New York University, and has extensive hours in doctoral level courses focusing on education policy and urban planning and design.