Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in travel and outdoor markets. Before launching The WON in 2008, she worked as a newspaper and then magazine editor. Her bylines can be found at Field and Stream, American Hunter, Outdoor Life and other outdoor publications.
Barbara writes “Babbs in the Woods” at The WON and is a contributing editor at Shot Business magazine. Her bylines have appeared in America’s 1st Freedom, Fly Fisherman, AAA publications, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Columbia (Mo.) Tribune, Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, SHOT Business, SHOT Daily, Shooting Illustrated, AAA publications, Show Me Missouri, National Shooting Sports Foundation publications and a host of other magazines and newspapers. She proudly serves on the board of Freedom Hunters, an organization that creates outdoor experiences for warriors, veterans and their families.
Barbara is available as a speaker or to conduct workshops on the following topics: women in the outdoors, the women’s outdoor market, traveling Missouri and why content marketing matters. Contact her here at The WON. Visit The Accidental Ozarkian travel blog.
Michelle Cerino is the managing editor at The WON. She also is the author “Gear Up,” sponsored by Springfield Armory and “Princess Gunslinger.” A mother of 2 young men (both Eagle Scouts), Michelle has been right beside them hunting youth deer seasons, plinking pop cans with .22s and being involved in Boy Scouts.
Michelle is the president of Cerino Consulting and Training Group LLC, a firearms training company she built with her husband Chris in 2011. They instruct both civilians and law enforcement. Her path in the firearms and outdoors industries is ever progressing. She is writing, hunting, competing and doing contract work for major manufacturers.
Michelle is a proud Life Member of the NRA, and also belongs to NSSF, AG&AG and ILEETA.
Jackie Baird Richardson is an interior designer, editor at The WON and avid junker. Watch for her design tips and occasional crafting ideas, bringing the outdoors indoors.
Makayla Scott is our intern, who lives in the mountains of West Virginia and shoots, hunts and does all things outdoors, with enthusiasm that is off the charts. Makayla is sponsored by MEC Outdoor and CZ-USA. She was part of the team from CZ-USA that broke the world record for most clays broken by a 5-person team in 12 hours (Oct. 2019) and holds the official Guinness World Record. Makayla also contributes a monthly article to The WON.
Jen Barcklay is a retired civilian field helicopter mechanic with alifelong fascination with anything that goes boom. She has beenblessed to be able to help others by spending most of the last 20years involved in firefighting and EMS operations in various locations round the world. She is also a US Army veteran.
Morgan and Mason Baseley are just everyday girls who love the outdoors and who happen to be identical twins that also love hunting – from waterfowl to big game.
“We are here to empower girls and shooting sports. At 15-years old, we are the next generation of female hunters and need to be able to speak up to protect our hunting rights and protect the Second Amendment.”
Lynne Green grew up fishing with her sisters and then as a teenager, fishing and hunting ducks with her father. These days, upland game and dove hunting are the favorites. She started shooting in a skeet league in 1999 and when the Winchester Gun Range was converted to Elm Fork Shooting Park, Lynne started shooting Sporting Clays in 2004. Lynne has competed across the US and traveled to England, France and Italy for the World English and World FITASC events as a photographer, but hopes to travel internationally in the future as a shooter. Her favorite shooting event is FITASC and she shot in the World FITASC that was held in the US a few years ago.
In the summer of 2016, Lynne passed her NSCA Level 1 Certification class and has been teaching ladies and teenage girls how to shoot Sporting Clays since then … with a few guys mixed in there also.
Starting in 2009, Lynne spent 5 years working freelance and taking pictures of sporting clays and posting them on her website greengirlphotos.com. Lynne attended the 2012 Olympics in London and has pictures of Vincent Hancock winning his 2nd consecutive gold medal in International Skeet. She has also written many articles for Clay Shooting USA magazine covering both events and personalities in the NSCA. Lynne pens the column “Syren Savvy,” sponsored by Syren, at The WON.
Prior to becoming the Brand Manager for Syren, Lynne spent most of her career as an IT Infrastructure Project Manager working on multi-million dollar projects like merger/acquisitions, data center migrations, desktop deployments and It outsourcing conversions for several Fortune 500 companies.
Ali Juten is an outdoor enthusiast, hunter, writer and host of Empower Outdoors Podcast. She previously worked in corporate communication in women’s fashion but, has since transitioned to the world of freelance as an outdoor writer and digital media content strategist. Besides her Journalism degree, Ali also has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and has traveled to a total of 11 different countries. Her background gives her a unique perspective with the hope to inspire other women to participate in all things outdoors. Ali reviews products for us the old-fashioned way. She puts them to the ultimate tests and give us her honest, thorough opinion.
Vera Koo is an 8-time National Action Pistol Woman Champion who holds 2 World individual titles. Her most recent win was a Gold for Team Women (2-persons team) at the NRA World Action Pistol Championship in Germany in September 2012. And Vera is proud to be part of the United States Action Pistol Shooting Team since 1999. She is passionate about sharing her love of the shooting sport and the pressures of being a competitive athlete while challenging cultural expectations.Vera is a 67-year-old, first-generation American Chinese woman and has been married to her husband for 45 years. She has 3 grown children and 4 granddaughters. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design. An avid sportswoman, she has mastered downhill skiing, windsurfing, equestrian jumping, water-skiing, backpacking and hiking. She loves gardening, sewing and enjoys movies and hanging out with friends.Writing her column “Vera Koo” at The WON is both a challenging feat and an exciting adventure for Vera. She is looking forward to learning a new craft and will be looking for feedback from her readers. Visit Vera Koo online.
Ashlee Lundvall writes a blog titled “Redefining Life,” that follows her rise from a debilitating injury as a teenager to Ms. Wheelchair USA in 2013. Her first book, “A Redefined Life,” was released in February of 2016, and she was recently invited to join the National Pro Staff for Mossy Oak and the NRA’s Disabled Shooting Sports committee, and is on the President’s Council for Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Ashlee is also the recipient of the 2017 SCI Foundation Pathfinder Award. Ashlee truly shines as a keynote speaker at outdoor industry and disability related events and conferences. She is passionate about mentoring newly injured patients, and loves to pass on her love for adapted outdoor recreation!
Hollis Lumpkin writes that she is a “simple girl living in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, but I happen to have a great love for the outdoors, particularly hunting and fishing.” She is a duck-hunting freak. Hollis pens an exclusive version of “The Bright Side of the Road.”
Emily Perreira was born and raised on the beautiful island of Maui. She began hunting at the age of 5, on trips to Texas. The once pastime and hobby has now become a great passion. Selected as the 2016 Safari Club International and Cabela’s “Young Female Hunter of the Year,” Emily is a licensed guide for Maui Hunting Safari and hunts every opportunity she gets. Watch for her trending reviews on modern hunting gear and firearms. Emily pens “She Guides,” a column that features hunting tips and tactics, sponsored by Remington Outdoor Company.
Amy Ray is the owner of The Sisterhood Of The Outdoors, an organization that creates opportunities for women to hunt, shoot and fish. Amy is a pro-staff shooting instructor with Shoot Like A Girl. Amy is certified as an NRA pistol instructor and Refuse to Be A Victim instructor. As a member of the Freedom Hunters advisory board, she helps to expand hunting opportunities for servicewomen, Gold Star wives and daughters of fallen heroes. She also is an avid hunter and shooter and loves mentoring others in the outdoors.
Cheryl Todd, owner of AZFirearms.com and cohost of Gun Freedom Radio, has more than 30 years of experience in the firearms business and holds a degree in Psychology a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership, which allows her to bring a unique voice to the gun world. Cheryl pens “The Flame,” a column sponsored by Gun Freedom Radio, that focuses on the Second Amendment and firearms. Cheryl is a sought after speaker and panel moderator at local and national levels. Cheryl has been an invited speaker at the National Gun Right Policy Conference and the National Shooting Sports Foundation Industry Summit, and she has appeared on various local news outlets and C-Span.
Becky Yackley primarily competes in 3 Gun, USPSA, Bianchi pistol, but has competed in shooting since 1989 in disciplines from service-rifle, to NCAA Air Rifle and Smallbore, air pistol and a little bit of long range rifle. She shoots guns and cameras at competitions around the country, and writes in her fictional spare time. Her writing can be found here The WON in her column titled “Not a Soccer Mom,” which is sponsored by Jagemann Sporting Group, as well as Guns America and Gun World.
Julie Park was born in South Korea, raised in Canada, and is now living in her beloved Rockies in beautiful Colorado Springs with her husband and 5 kids. An attempted break-in transformed this stay-at-home, unassuming woman into a pistol-packin’ mama serious about the safety of herself and her loved ones. She is a certified NRA pistol instructor and Chief Range Safety Officer, and has been teaching and training women (and men!) just like her for the past several years. She has been a chapter and state leader in women’s shooting organizations and an instructor at her local range. She loves discovering new guns and products for women and sharing her passion with others. If she’s not shooting and training, she is homeschooling her kids, enjoying travels and connecting with her favorite books and people.
Avery Skipalis is the owner of Skip’s Tactical Solutions, an organization that focuses on empowering women, men and children to make sure that no one else becomes a victim. She gained her firearms experience from the military where she’s been a military firearms instructor for 10.5 years. She’s also a certified NRA rifle and pistol instructor and Glock Advanced Armorer since 2015. She’s attended Sig Sauer Academy, FNH, Special Operations Command Armorers courses as well as multiple Advanced Shooting Schools across the United States. She resides in Florida with her husband and 2 kids. She’s currently serving in the United States Air Force and loves sharing her passion with others. She thinks it’s important that women also feel like they’re in control of their own safety.
