Explore Austin is thrilled to announce Wayland Lum, Founder and CEO of Copperbox, to the Board of Directors. An entrepreneur and business owner focused on leadership building, Wayland was drawn to Explore Austin’s mission of developing young leaders through nurturing a love of nature and outdoor adventure.
Said Wayland, “A core part of my work involves taking adult leaders into immersive leadership development experiences in nature. The important work that Explore Austin is doing seemed a natural fit for the kind of organization I wanted to support; the mission aligns strongly with the leadership development philosophy, ethos and approach we practice at Copperbox. Explore Austin focuses on helping develop young, primarily BIPOC leaders in an outdoor setting, while engendering a love, respect and sense of responsibility for taking care of nature.”
Wayland obtained his master of science in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University and his MBA from Baruch College, New York. He is a certified professional coach through the Coaches Training Institute, and is also a certified Wilderness First Responder through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He’s lived and worked in China, the UK, Mexico and Argentina, and has called Texas home since 2020.
Wayland founded Copperbox after serving as a core team member of Korn Ferry’s CEO and executive development practice. His passion lies in developing modern leaders, inspiring within them a healthy dose of nature, wonder and magic. His approach includes leadership coaching and real-time executive assessment, as well as designing leadership development programs that expand executive thinking. He’s worked with hundreds of leaders globally for companies such as Abbvie, Scholastic, Nike, Deloitte, John Deere and State Farm.
Wayland’s global professional and personal experiences have informed his particular focus on diversity, equity and inclusion: “From my own lived experience as part of the LGBTQ+ and Asian-American communities, I know what it’s like to feel like the ‘other’ in different work arenas and geographies. I understand in a personal way the challenges of equity for Explorers, having been exposed to the multiple layers of Latino culture growing up in the Bay Area, and having taught high school kids in Mexico.”
Wayland, like Explore Austin, believes the magic of nature should be accessible to everyone, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or physical ability. He personally enjoys hiking and running at local spots such as Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Austin and around Lake Georgetown, and emphasizes the importance of experiencing new landscapes, one of his favorites being two summers ago when he hiked the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe, California with a friend he’s known since kindergarten.
“We covered 70 miles in six days, going from alpine lake to alpine lake. It was special to be out on the trail with a close friend, doing the thing!”
Wayland is delighted to join Explore Austin’s Board at this juncture in the organization’s growth:
“This is an exciting time in Explore Austin’s growth journey and I feel I’ll be able to contribute in meaningful ways to helping the organization achieve its goal of scaling its operations to help even more Explorers have life-changing experiences that form them into good citizens and leaders. I’m excited to see EA find a larger, permanent home that will meet this need.”
Please join us in welcoming Wayland to the Board of Directors!
