Seattle Leadership Conference Presenters

Read about the presenters at the Leadership Conference at the Seattle Program Center on December 2, 2023. Information will be updated and added as presenters are confirmed. Please check back often for additional information.

For the first time ever, we are excited to offer two in-person days of professional development - one in Seattle and one in Tacoma - dedicated to thanking, inspiring, and empowering The Mountaineers current and aspiring volunteer leaders. Both conferences will offer equivalent content, with a similar line-up of presenters, expanding our reach and giving volunteers the flexibility to select the program that is most convenient for them.

Join us at one of our Leadership Conferences!

Breakout sessions

Click here to view a list of the Seattle Leadership Conference breakout sessions
Click here to view a list of the Tacoma Leadership Conference breakout sessions

Angie Marie

Angie Marie is a speaker, author and recreational mountain athlete who's fascinated by the intersection of adventure and womanhood. Fueled by her nonprofit background in increasing outdoor accessibility to underserved communities, she inspires teams to think and act adventurously so they can face fear, beat burnout and live like leaders.

With experience as an adaptive recreation guide, outdoor curriculum writer, wilderness first aid instructor and search and rescue team member, Angie blends her multi-hyphenate background with storytelling that encourages a happier, healthier, more adventurous world.

She lives in White Salmon, WA in the Columbia River Gorge, where she enjoys ultrarunning, mountaineering, and, recently, learning to whitewater kayak. Find her work at www.itsangiemarie.com.

Betsy Robblee

As The Mountaineers’ Conservation & Advocacy Director, Betsy Robblee leads The Mountaineers conservation and advocacy programming, including driving partnerships, executing advocacy campaigns, and supporting fundraising efforts that result in long-term outcomes to protect public lands and the outdoor experience.

Betsy joined The Mountaineers in 2020 with ten years of experience in policy, advocacy, and community engagement experience. She previously served as the Policy and Outreach Manager at the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, where she led advocacy campaigns in support of funding for conservation and recreation projects in Washington state. Earlier in her career, she spent six years in Washington, DC as a legislative aide to Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen.

As an outdoor enthusiast and an advocate for our wild places, Betsy is honored for the opportunity to engage The Mountaineers community to protect public lands.

Chris O'Steen

Chris O’Steen is a recently retired Army officer with experience managing risk in austere environments. Chris was a registered Radiographer and Nuclear Medicine Technologist in his early career and was shaped by his participation in the medical evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. His recent experience includes Company Command and teaching ROTC at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He is currently attending graduate school at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and trying to decide what to be when he grows up.

Conor Marshall

As The Mountaineers’ Advocacy & Engagement Manager, Conor Marshall is helping to deepen The Mountaineers conservation and advocacy impact through education, stewardship, and advocacy. Using conservation communications, he educates and inspires our community on policy issues that threaten our beloved landscapes, driving members towards increased action and engagement to help protect our public lands and the outdoor experiences they provide.

Conor joined The Mountaineers in 2021 after returning to his hometown of Seattle after 14 years in the Washington, D.C. area. He previously worked on digital advocacy for the Sierra Club on lands, waters, and wildlife issues - just the latest stop on his 10+ year journey through conservation policy, advocacy, and communications. Previously, he led the American Bird Conservancy’s advocacy communications program and provided federal and state-based policy support across the organization.

Conor’s personal and professional pursuits draw on extensive grassroots engagement experience. His six years of service at a local county parks and recreation commission underscored for him the importance of outdoor equity, access to nature, and the important connections between recreation, stewardship, and conservation.

Katja Hurt

Katjarina “Katja” Hurt (she/her/hers) is the Founder and Director of the non-profit organization, Wilderness Chaplains. She has over 16 years experience as a ski patroller, primarily at Snoqualmie Pass, with a focus on Psychological First Aid and Outdoor Emergency Care instruction. She is a master-level trainer and is certified to teach by the Question-Persuade-Refer Institute and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Katja has a background in law enforcement with Washington State and Missouri Departments of Correction. She currently serves as a volunteer chaplain with the King County Sherriff’s Office in Washington State and regularly assists local SAR and Mountain Rescue teams in the Puget Sound region.

Liz Mcnett Crowl

Liz McNett Crowl has been a mind-body movement practitioner for over 20 years. She studied breathwork, mindfulness, and forest bathing but it was the Mountaineers Introduction to the Natural World Course that piqued her interest in practicing mindfulness in nature. Liz has been a member of the Mountaineers since 2013. She is currently the Branch Director and Urban Walks Committee Chair of the Foothills Branch and a hike and urban walks leader. She serves on the Urban Walk Council and is co-leader of the Foothills GoHike Beginning Hiking Course and GoHike Alumni Course. Liz is an Advanced Breath as Medicine Instructor and in her career in public health, health promotion and fitness was an American College of Sports Medicine certified Exercise Physiologist, a health and wellness coach, a comprehensive Balanced Body Pilates trainer, yoga teacher and personal trainer. Now retired, Liz is a mixed media collage artist and finds mindfulness through her daily art practice, especially slow hand stitching.

Liz Riggs Meder

Liz Riggs Meder is the Director of Education at AIARE, an avalanche education non-profit. Based in Seattle, Liz is responsible for all aspects related to the development and delivery of AIARE's educational programming, which includes curriculum and program development for both recreational and professional training and education, as well as directing education evaluation and supporting research. Liz is an AIARE Instructor and holds an M.Ed from the University of Washington. A learning and cognitive science nerd, Liz loves combining her education interests with her love of traveling through the mountains.

Lori Heath

Lori Heath has been practicing mindfulness since a relative introduced her to the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh over 20 years ago. Since then, she has slowly shifted her priorities from achieving goals to enjoying experiences, from striving for a result to being more fully present in each moment. Lori has been a member of The Mountaineers since 2016. She is currently the Secretary and Communications Chair of the Foothills Branch, a hike leader, and an urban walk leader. She is also a yoga teacher and leads the Foothills “Yoga for Hikers, Backpackers, and Trail Runners” course. She studied with the Kripalu School for Mindful Outdoor Leadership and is a certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide. Lori tries to bring some mindfulness into each Mountaineers activity she leads and hopes to lead more Mindful Outdoor Experiences with The Mountaineers.

Lyra Pierotti

Lyra Pierotti is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Lyra is a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist, has trained with the Postural Restoration Institute and studied movement through Anatomy Trains. In the realm of guiding mountains, Lyra is also an AMGA Rock and Alpine Guide, certified through the American Mountain Guides Association, as well as an Assistant Ski Guide. She holds her Pro 2 Level Avalanche Certificate from the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE). She is a Course Leader for recreational avalanche courses, and on staff with AIARE as an instructor trainer. Lyra has guided expeditions all over the world, including Yosemite Valley, the North Cascades, and several of the Seven Summits. Her long resume also includes working in technical field support for scientists in Antarctica, as an Adjunct Instructor for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and teaching mountaineering skills to high school girls with the Inspiring Girls Expeditions program. On “rest” days, Lyra works as a freelance writer and coaches climbers and mountain athletes at local climbing gyms to help them improve movement economy and mobility.

Moleek Busby

Moleek Busby is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. A jack of all trades and master of some, he started his career in trail work with the California Conservation Corps. After college and music projects in Chico, CA, Moleek returned to conservation, working nine years for the Student Conservation Association and moving up the ranks. As the Field Operations Senior Manager for the Washington Trails Association, he has oversight of the trail maintenance risk management information system. Moleek is also on the Wilderness Risk Management steering committee, the North West Outward Bounds safety committee and an ambassador for the Mountain Mind Project. When he is not making public lands safe for Washingtonians, Moleek enjoys creating music, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, archery, car "glamping" and getting some trail work in. He is a life-long advocate for marginalized people to have ownership in their space and to feel safe volunteering and recreating on public lands.

Priya Sinha

Priya Sinha is a first-generation American born in Kolkata India. She is an intellectual property attorney with degrees in Nuclear Engineering and mathematics. Over the last 25 years, Priya has helped start-ups and emerging companies develop and commercialize their intellectual property portfolios; and working with diverse teams. She is passionate about mentorship for womxn and BIPOC communities. She often speaks on intellectual property law and leadership by lawyers.

Tom Unger

Tom Unger grew up in Michigan, family camping and messing around in small boats on rivers and big lakes. In 1989 he moved to Seattle to be near mountains and the ocean. In 1993 he joined the mountaineers, got equivalency for basic climbing, completed the intermediate climbing course, and became a climb leader. That started his 3 decade carrier of exploring the outdoors in various modes, including:

hiking and backpacking, especially traverses in the Sierra
crag and alpine climbing
backcountry skiing
canyoneering in Utah
sailing in the great lakes and Salish sea
scuba diving in Puget sound and the tropics
flying small planes here and in the Idaho and Utah backcountry
canoeing and packrafting locally and in the arctic
sea kayaking in the Salish sea and the coast of Candida and Alaska