Teacher Hero: Joe Craig

Joe Craig can be described using many words, but if one were to pinpoint it to just three they would be humble, generous and inspired.

These are some of the qualities that make Craig the teacher he is today and why he has been chosen for this year’s Teacher Hero. His passion for wildlife and outdoor stewardship, and his collaborative nature and generosity when it comes to sharing ideas and knowledge have made him the right person for the award.

“All the knowledge that I have, to be able to get other people excited and pass that knowledge on, is one of the most fulfilling things,” Craig told the Source. “At the end of my career, working for nonprofits and volunteering with the kids, it’s just been a pleasure in giving back.”

These days, Craig spends much of his time volunteering for the Forest Service, which partners with Discover Your Northwest, a nonprofit that helps propel the spirit of outdoors stewardship through the next generation. As a volunteer, Craig steers snowshoe tours with elementary students to Mt. Bachelor where he teaches about hydrology, wildlife and geology.

Craig says geology is a big topic on the tours. For a Central Oregonian, living in a location with unique landscapes of obsidian and lava formations, that certainly seems appropriate.

“Taking the kids out is my most favorite thing I’ve ever done in my career. I’m doing it as a volunteer, but it’s so gratifying,” Craig says.

As the students return their snowshoes, Craig says he asks them to share one thing they learned. He hears facts whistled back to him. They recount how South Sister is an active volcano, or how Madras is the carrot-seed capital of the world and helps feed over 1 billion people annually.

In addition to volunteering, Craig has been helping Central Oregon Land Watch reach its goals of protecting wild and open lands. He has been the vice president for the Board of Directors since 2023. He is also co-owner of an outdoors-brand sales agency called CW Outdoors.

His love and care for the outdoors began just outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

Craig was misty-eyed when he was asked to recall teachers who shaped him back home. He says the impetus for his love of the outdoors were his parents, who would take him to the Allegheny Mountains.

“I would just be gone all day and come back at night,” Craig says.

One of his Boy Scout leaders, “Mr. Koptis,” taught him the importance of outdoors immersion.

“On a hike, a lot of times people will be talking to each other, but if you stop every so often and look around and take it all in, there is so much going on. I was taught that at a young age, how everything is connected.”

Craig says Mr. Koptis kept in touch with him throughout his career and sent him congratulatory notes. This is a habit he now employs as a teacher himself.

In 1995, Craig started working for Columbia Sportswear. He worked his way up until he eventually reached senior vice president of North American sales. Craig retired from this role in 2018.

For Craig, the pursuit of knowledge is unending, and he says he is still learning. In 2025, he graduated from the Naturalist program through Oregon State University Extension where he expanded his knowledge on ecology and geology.

“If I can instill in people an understanding of how nature works and how everything balances, that just means a lot to me,” Craig says.

Without a doubt, if Craig were a 6^th Century dragon with a hoard of treasure, he would give its contents to people in need rather than endlessly guard it. He proves this metaphorical idea through his passing of knowledge to students.

“The Native Americans express it best,” Craig says, referring to the “Seven Generation” principle expressed in some Indigenous communities. “You look out for seven generations. What are we leaving for our grandchildren, our great grandchildren, or our great-great-great grandchildren?”

Currently, Craig says passing on knowledge is his greatest goal, and he plans to continue doing that in his work.

“I think the primary thing is to put ego aside, and it’s all about bringing other people up. It’s not about you being a hero, or being the best salesperson, best at whatever you do,” Craig says. “It’s about helping other people be their best.”

This article appears in the Source April 16, 2026.