ABOUT

Andrea White, MBA

Andrea White is a nationally recognized leader in outdoor recreation, paddlesports education, and water safety advocacy. With more than a decade of experience advancing access, inclusion, and safety and skills training in paddlesports, she serves as a bridge between national organizations, state agencies, and community partners. As Community Programs Coordinator for Georgia Rivers, Andrea built one of the most comprehensive water safety education programs for beginners in the country—securing funding for the safety and training program while also training more than 300 paddlers annually and facilitating national certification for more than 100 emerging paddlesports leaders.

Before her transition into outdoor recreation, Andrea built a 20-year career in communications/marketing, advocacy, and strategic initiatives with Fortune 100 companies including Walgreens, General Mills, and IBM and a stint working in special projects communications for the Governor of Tennessee. She now combines her business expertise with her passion for paddlesports to empower organizations, instructors, and communities through Cross Currents Leadership—a consulting venture focused on leadership consulting for paddlesports policy solutions and scalable programs for paddlesports community engagement, as well as direct community-based training for beginners and instructor certification workshops. She is also an in-demand kayak instructor for beginners and mentor for entry level paddlesports instructors.

Andrea has served on the ACA Board of Directors, as Chair of the ACA Regional Activity Council and as ACA RAC Chair for the Southeast Region. She co-founded the award-winning Kayaking 101 Partnership—recognized by the National Safe Boating Council with the 2024 Community Impact Award—and created the Beaver Crew Train-the-Trainer program, which has facilitated national instructor certification for 57 embedded paddling leaders focused on community-based training, 27 of whom represent diverse or adaptive communities. Andrea’s leadership extends nationally through her work with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), where she serves on the Paddlesports Committee, and through her role on the Paddlesports Trade Coalition Best Practices Committee. She has also served in the past on the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Paddlecraft Safety Committee and NASBLA Boating Education Advisory Panel. Her innovative programs and collaborations have been recognized by the National Safe Boating Council and National Association of State Boating Law Administrators as well as in Paddling Magazine, Paddling Business Magazine, Kayak Angler Magazine, and by the Water Sports Foundation.

SIGNATURE ACHIEVEMENTS & IMPACT

  • Project Manager, Georgia River Guide App – Project Manager for development and launch of free mobile app featuring curated information on 53 water trails /2,900 miles of navigable rivers and industry-leading safety features; secured $160K+ in funding; 15,000+ downloads.
  • Founder, Beaver Crew Train-the-Trainer Program – Mentored 57 embedded paddlesports leaders to become ACA-certified instructors with 27 instructors representing diverse and adaptive communities.
  • Co-Founder, Kayaking 101 Partnership – Co-founded and led multi-year, multi-state collaboration delivering safety classes during National Safe Boating Week; earned 2024 National Safe Boating Council Community Impact award. Served as project manager for 43 simultaneous classes across 7 states in collaboration with 10 state agencies, USACE, USCG Auxiliary, 59 community organizations and individual instructor volunteers.
  • Director, Georgia Rivers Safety & Education Program – Built paddlesports education network recognized by ACA for training the most beginners in the nation in 2023 and 2025.
  • Champion, ACA Paddlesports Angler Curriculum – Led coalition of ACA leaders and national leaders from the Kayak Fishing community to develop and rollout the first national instructor certification and safety and skills training program for kayak fishermen.
  • Co-founder, Rescue for Rec Boaters – A breakthrough regional training program featuring a comprehensive approach to safety and rescue for paddlers focused on exploring lakes and class I rivers.

SELECTED AWARDS & RECOGNITION

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