Meet Our Team

Meet Our Founder

Atabey’s Outdoors Founder and CEO, Raquel Gomez, is a New York City native with roots tracing back to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Raquel fell in love with nature and the outdoors at a young age while visiting her dad’s side of the family in the Dominican Republic.

When reminiscing about the origins of her love of the great outdoors, Raquel recalls a time with her cousins at “El Campo,” the river where everyone from town gathered. In typical childlike behavior they splashed around and played as expected. But, for Raquel this was a moment of realization. She was surrounded by the jungle, the giant green palm trees, and the beautiful mountains. Not only that, but she was in her element with people whom she shared a culture with. From the bachata to the local vendors, who walked in the river selling food and the individuals whom she held close to heart; she knew this was home. This was where Raquel knew she belonged. Nature, the outdoors, and all it had to offer would become her stomping ground.

Raquel’s childhood admiration for the outdoors blossomed into adulthood and became her passion. She participated in and worked for organizations that specialized in creating outdoor experiences for both youths and adults. But she realized that many of the girls and women she worked with did not look like her. This caused some disconnect for Raquel. She didn’t feel as she did that time back home in the river at “El Campo” with her cousins in the Dominican Republic. While her love for the great outdoors was still present, not seeing other people of color in these outdoor spaces prompted Raquel to take matters into her own hands. Raquel was determined to create a safe space for people who looked like her to experience, learn about and enjoy the outdoors and the activities she loved so much.

So, in 2020, Atabey Outdoors was born!

Atabey Outdoors is a 501c3 non-profit organization in Phoenix, Arizona that prioritizes providing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) girls ages 8-12 with access to outdoor activities that are systemically not available for this demographic. Our organization strives to provide not only access to a wide variety of outdoor activities but knowledge on wilderness safety. Our goal is to empower Atabey members to grow their own intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, confidence, and leadership abilities when it comes to venturing into the great outdoors.

Atabey’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is represented in our team, which consists of primarily 100% Women of Color (WOC) and Non-Binary Persons of Color but is growing to include all People of Color (POC), thus strengthening, and building lasting relationships with the BIPOC community across the Valley.

Meet Our Team

  • Aliyah Magee

    Digital Marketing Specialist

    Aliyah is born and raised in Dallas but has been enjoying living in Phoenix since 2018. She graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 2021 with a degree in Journalism & Mass Communication and a certification in Special Event Management. Aliyah is currently the Digital Marketing Specialist for Atabey Outdoors, a non-profit on a mission to build access for BIPOC kids and adults to recreate outdoors in safe spaces. When Aliyah isn’t creating social content for Atabey, she works part-time at a local flower shop or is taking her pup, Luna, on a long walk.

  • Sam Winans (they/them)

    Web Content Manager

    They uphold thorough rumination for people’s needs and businesses to reach their full web optimization. Sam is driven by Atabey Outdoor’s commitment to ensuring BIPOC girls and nonbinary youth have access to outdoor activities and adventures.

  • Portia

    Website Content Assistant

    Hi there! I’m Portia, a writer from New York City. The Website Content Assistant Intern for Atabey Outdoors. I moved from NYC to the Valley for a change. Also, I wanted to get outdoors more, so finding Atabey Outdoors was what I needed to propel that. The mission of the organization is something I wanted to be aligned with and contribute to in any way that I could.

  • Kai Amani(they/them)

    Lead Adventure Guide

    My name is Kai Amani(they/them) and I am the Lead Adventure Guide for Atabey Outdoors. For over a decade, I’ve worked in service to the youth, intentionally providing safe emotional, spiritual and natural spaces for them to thrive in. I was born and raised in South Carolina and have since lived in many different states from coast to coast. Each state opened up the door for me to grow closer to my adventurous, nature loving, Spirit supported Self. I love where my journey has led me and am grateful for opportunities to channel my knowledge as an Adventure Guide.

  • Chloe

    Adventure Guide

    What’s up y’all! I’m Michole aka Chole and I’m an Atabey Outdoors Adventure Guide. I’m from Atlanta, GA and Seattle, WA (yes, two very different places). In my free time, I love to hike, take cross-country roadtrips, boulder, hug trees, and just be outside in general. Fun fact: For 5 days, I hiked over 43 miles along the Torres del Paine mountain range in Chile, South America.

  • Estrella Gonzalez Saldana

    Volunteer Coordinator

    My name is Estrella Gonzalez Saldana. I am a recent graduate of Scripps College. I am passionate about nature, urban design, and the intersection of nature and healing. I love that Atabey Outdoors is making real change and giving opportunities to BIPOC kids to explore and be themselves. As Volunteer Coordinator, I am able to help foster community with our adult volunteers and kids.

Meet The Board

  • Raquel Gome

    Founder & CEO

Open Opportunities

    • Scout and research potential Adventure areas.

    • Research gear.

    • Knowledge of Excel to document areas and gear specs/prices.

    • Interest in being a substitute mentor as well.

    • Experience preferred but not required. Training is available.

    • Allies welcome to volunteer!

We invite volunteers to share their expertise and skills both behind the scenes and in the field. Contact us to talk more about how you can get involved in volunteering with Atabey Outdoors.

Grant Researchers

Outdoor Enthusiasts

    • Research and find grants associated with the mission of Atabey Outdoors.

    • Collaborate with the Founder to complete grant applications.

    • Some experience or interest in grant writing.

    • Allies welcome to volunteer!