Advisory Council
The Mountaineers Advisory Council is a group of individuals who offer fresh perspectives and professional expertise to aid The Mountaineers in our decision-making process on issues of strategic importance for the organization. The Council consists of individuals with a passion for our mission and expertise from which The Mountaineers could benefit.
The Advisory Council gathers twice a year to listen and learn about high-level issues within The Mountaineers so that they may provide out-of-the-box strategic advice. Members help to define, discuss, and give recommendations on ways in which The Mountaineers can further our vision and strategic plan. The Council presents an opportunity to engage, educate, and create future leaders, ambassadors, and advocates for The Mountaineers.
Advisory council members
Chris Agnew
Executive Director, Teton Science Schools
A Puget Sound native, Chris has served in leadership roles both domestically and globally in traditional and outdoor education for 15 years. Today, Chris is the Executive Director of the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, WY. Previously, Chris was the Director of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in the Pacific Northwest overseeing operations in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, India, and Scandinavia. With an undergraduate degree from Western Washington University and an M.Ed from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Chris is passionate about broadening access to outdoor experiences and bridging formative outdoor experiences into individual's daily lives. Chris lives with his wife and two young boys in Victor, ID, well positioned for pre-work skis or long alpine climbs in the Tetons.
Elden Altizer
Retired, Associate Technical Fellow at Boeing
Elden Altizer worked at Boeing for over 30 years as a chemical engineer in commercial R&D coatings technology. Almost every airline’s exterior paint design you see today uses a coating Elden tested and helped implement. Elden was the President of the Boeing Employees Alpine Society, and Access Fund Washington volunteer coordinator in the early 1990’s during the creation of Peshastin Pinnacles State Park. Climbing is a passion that began over 45 years ago in Oregon. Two years on the Alpine Rescue Team in Colorado during graduate school fed the passion for the safe exploration of the outdoors while being of service to others. More recently he was the President of the Washington Alpine Club in 2019 and current treasurer.
Megan Birzell
Washington State Director, The Wilderness Society
Megan oversees The Wilderness Society’s efforts to advance landscape conservation and ensure equitable access to the outdoors in Washington. Throughout her career, Megan has worked closely with the recreation community, tribes, scientists, rural communities, and elected officials at all levels to advocate for and implement enduring solutions for protecting and conserving our wildest public lands. She has led successful conservation campaigns focused on national forests in Montana, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Utah and at the national level. Her background in forest policy and management has proven especially useful as she works to protect the remaining old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest as a key part of the solution to the climate and biodiversity crises. Megan holds an M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and a B.S. in Recreation Management from the University of Montana.
Maryanna Brown
Guide Manager, Alpine Ascents International
Mary grew up in the shadow of the Chugach Range in Palmer, Alaska but didn’t start climbing until she moved from Beijing to Seattle in 2010. She has been with Alpine Ascents International since 2014. She primarily works with the mountain guide staff, but also takes a leading role in domestic program development and diversity and inclusion efforts. She holds a BA in History from Dartmouth College. Mary is happiest climbing splitter cracks in Indian Creek or backpacking through lonely corners of the North Cascades with her golden retriever Momo.
Jim Burke
Retired, PA-C, MSW, Department of Veterans Affair
Jim worked as a clinician and manager for VA Puget Sound American Lake Division for 25 years. He worked as clinician on an inpatient post traumatic treatment program and, in conjunction with the Northwest Outward Bound, managed a therapeutic rafting experience for veterans. Jim also managed a residential rehabilitation program for homeless veterans. He had an outpatient psychiatric practice. He was a clinical instructor for the Medex Northwest Physician Assistant Program at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Prior to persuading his passion for medicine, Jim served in the military during which he was stationed in Viet Nam for 21 months with the 5th Special Forces Group. After the military, Jim worked as a seasonal National Park Ranger at Mt Rainier NP, Grand Canyon NP, Crater Lake NP, and Olympic NP.
Jim and his wife April have been members of The Mountaineers since 1986. They are graduates of numerous courses including Basic Alpine Climbing Course, Ski Mountaineering, Snowshoeing, Sea Kayaking, etc. Jim has served as Chair of the Basic Alpine Climbing Course and Branch Chair in the Tacoma Branch. Jim also served on The Mountaineers Board of Directors.
Jim currently serves on The Mountaineers Carbon Footprint Reduction Committee, the Advisory Council, and is a member of the Peak Society. He is a hike and backpack leader for the Tacoma Branch. He also serves on the Town of Steilacoom’s Parks and Environment Advisory Committee.
Jim is the producer of the Apple Podcast, “The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations.”
Brendan Connolly
Architect and Design Partner, Mithun
Brendan is an architect and design partner at Mithun, and has focused his career on creating innovative environments for learning, living and working for educational and institutional clients. He is a skilled designer and collaborator and his work has helped to create high performing buildings through successful models of alternative delivery on large complex projects, including design-build and public private partnerships. In his 25 years of professional practice and two decades at Mithun, Brendan has worked nationally on Living Building, Passive House and other innovative campus environments that have helped transform institutions and curriculum. His work to further innovation and collaboration in the design and construction industry extends to his community commitments, where Brendan serves as a juror and lecturer at the University of Washington and as a member of the university’s Professional Advisory Council, the Mountaineers Advisory Council, as a partner board member for the UW Center for Integrated Design, the board of directors for Leadership + Design and as president of the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Brendan is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Washington.
Mike Curry
Agency Director - SW, Catholic Community Services
An Oregon native, Mike moved to Washington in 1994, and his passion for the outdoors led to a love affair with the Olympic Mountains that has never diminished (though the Cascades continue to grow on him). Having climbed and backpacked since his youth, Mike joined the Mountaineers in 2011, and took the Olympia Branch Basic Climbing course in 2012 to meet new climbing partners. For the past several years, Mike's primary passion has been ice climbing, and he's passionate about introducing people new to the sport, particularly youth. He lives in Tacoma with his wife and has two adult children. Mike has worked in leadership at Catholic Community Services for over 25 years, and spent a decade as adjunct distance-learning faculty in the Master of Nonprofit Management program at Regis University's College of Business and Economics in Denver.
Joe Dennis
Senior Business Planner, Microsoft
Joe grew up playing in the Sierras but fell in love with the Cascades when he moved to the Northwest in 2010. He served on The Mountaineers board from 2015-2016 through the Board Fellows program at the University of Washington. When not chasing around his toddlers, you'll find him on any nearby mountain or lake. Joe earned his BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business.
Rich Draves
VP Architect, Microsoft
As a VP Architect in Azure Storage team, Rich Draves contributes to Microsoft's internal big data analytics infrastructure. Previously, Rich worked in operating systems, networking, and distributed systems, while leading the systems and networking area in Microsoft Research Redmond. Rich contributed to breaking the MinuteSort benchmark world record using a new distributed store. Rich worked on IPv6 for five years, first developing a prototype IPv6 network stack and working with the IETF on IPv6 standards and then working with Windows Networking to ship the stack in Windows XP, .NET Server, and CE .NET. Rich has served as Executive Director of the IAB, IETF representative on the ICANN nominating committee, and a voting member and Chair of the IETF NomCom.
Steve Dubiel
Community Volunteer
Steve Dubiel served as EarthCorps Executive Director (1999-2021). He’s serves on the Green Seattle Partnership Executive Council and is a past board member of Restore America's Estuaries, The Corps Network, EarthShare Washington, Environmental Education Association of Washington, Mount Baker Community Club, and Washington State Community Forestry Council. Steve is an MBA and a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow. Steve fell in love with the Cascades after spending a month building trails as a teen, eventually inspiring his move to Seattle.
Dave Haavik
President, Alta Group, Inc
I started climbing in 1980 with my dad. He was reluctant at first, but he had to come with me because I wasn’t old enough to drive. I started my career in the Outdoor Industry at the Swallows Nest in 1983. I started as a sales rep for Petzl in 1993, that opportunity evolved into helping form Independent Sales Agency, The Alta Group, Inc. The Alta Group Inc now represents 5 brands, Petzl, Oboz Footwear, Adventure Medical Kits, Julbo Eyewear and Nikwax. It has always been important to me to give back to the community that supports my agency. Currently I am the President of the Washington Climbers Coalition and also participated in the Climbing Education Advisory Committee with the Mountaineers.
Sophie Hartshorn
Director of Product, Flexport
Sophie Hartshorn's career passion is to create efficient, sustainable, supply chains. She first worked in transportation planning for a decade, helping to guide the infrastructure investments of public agencies ranging from the World Bank to the City of Seattle. She then spent almost a decade at Amazon, working on Fulfillment Innovations and supply chain strategy. She’s now leading Product at Flexport, a start up with the goal of building the platform for global trade. She has a deep love of the outdoors and has spent as much time as possible over the last few decades rock climbing, back country skiing and mountaineering. She also serves as a board member of a family foundation devoted to environmental conservation and poverty alleviation, supporting organizations doing amazing work to try to protect and improve our environment.
Scott Heinz
Technical Lead of Retail Channel Support, Ecova,
Scott Heinz is the technical lead of retail channel support for Ecova. He is an MBA Candidate Class of 2012 at the University of Washington, Foster School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in electrical engineering. He started climbing with The Mountaineers in 2007 and has since joined the leader’s list and has been active in mentoring climbers in the various climbing courses.
Petra Hilleberg
President and CEO, Hilleberg the Tentmaker, USA
Petra Hilleberg is the president and CEO of Hilleberg the Tentmaker, USA. Petra is very active in the vibrant Swedish business community in the Northwest, as well as an active ski instructor. She teaches both alpine and telemark skiing for Snow Performance, based at Crystal Mountain, and she is a divisional clinic leader for telemark for the Northwest division of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA-NW).
Jocelyn Huang
Corporate Counsel, Rover.com
Jocelyn serves as in-house counsel at Rover.com, where she advises on product, data privacy, corporate, equity and inclusion, and other matters. She enjoys helping innovative people tackle complex problems, and began her career advising solar developers and financial institutions on energy and infrastructure projects. She also volunteers in various capacities, including with the Seattle Clemency Project as a pro bono attorney and with a grassroots Tibetan organization in India. A member of The Mountaineers since 2018, she also loves to climb.
Martha Kongsgaard
President, Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation
Martha Kongsgaard, a founding member and past Chair of the Leadership Council of the Puget Sound Partnership, now chairs the Marine Resources Advisory Council for Governor Inslee. She currently sits on the boards of the Bullitt Foundation, The Ruckelshaus Center, the UW Center for Human Rights, Friends of Waterfront Seattle, and the Resources Legacy Fund. She chairs the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion campaign although she has, since the middle of the COVID pandemic, lived inland in the Methow Valley with her husband, Peter Goldman, meeting on zoom and skiing, biking, and wandering in the Cascades and Pasayten out their back door.
Leone Kraus
Senior Business Program Manager
Business Sales & Operations, US Subsidiary
Microsoft
Elizabeth Lunney
Senior Associate, Valtas Group
Elizabeth has spent 30 years building leadership and capacity for conservation and recreation organizations nationwide. She served as executive director for Washington Trails Association for more than a decade, and has since held interim executive roles for a number of local conservation organizations (including the Mountaineers!). In addition to executive transition, she works with nonprofits on strategic planning, operations forecasting, and program development. She identifies as a hiker and is happy to set up basecamp deep in the backcountry or among the creature comforts of a solar-topped travel trailer.
Dave Maltz
Corporate Vice President and Technical Fellow, Microsoft
Dave Maltz is a Corporate Vice President and Technical Fellow at Microsoft, responsible for the Azure Networking team that provides connectivity among all the servers for all Microsoft’s online products and the networking services required to support them. Outside of work, he has been climbing and skiing more than 30 years and enjoys sharing these passions with others. Dave is a member of the Seattle Mountain Rescue and King County Explorer Search and Rescue teams. Dave and his wife Hope are active on the Meany Lodge Committee, and they are proud parents of two teenagers who have grown up as part of the Meany community.
Hope Maltz
Body Mindfulness Coach, Movingintocomfort.com
Before immersing herself in helping people get the best out of their bodies, Hope worked as a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, developing the nationwide training program for geographic information systems. As a field biologist before that, Hope specialized in wetlands conservation, as well as environmental education. Here in the northwest, Hope is happiest when found at Meany Lodge with her family reading Mountaineers Books or learning to run the tows.
Joseph Manson
Director, Seward Park Audubon Center
Joey Manson has resided in Seattle for more than twenty years. He places a great level of importance on building strong communities and has allied himself with a number of non-profits and community organizations. His work helps people appreciate wild spaces both near and far. For the past six years, Joey has served as the Director of the Seward Park Audubon Center. His creative initiatives in inclusion and belonging have enjoyed praise from partners working in the environmental education arena. Joey is an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He participates in recreational activities with Outdoor Afro and is a regular bird watcher. He is a recreational motorcyclist and enjoys creating works in stained glass and glass fusing. He also loves to tinker with things.
Christine Martin
Partner and Co-Founder, Valtas
Christine Martin is a Partner and Co-Founder at Valtas Group, a consulting firm which supports nonprofits in our community through interim leadership, executive search and consulting. She has over 20 years’ experience with developing organizations and helping them run more effectively. In her consulting capacity, she serves as an Interim Executive Director for organizations in transition, holding 15 different ED roles over the past 12 years. Christine is an avid hiker and traveler; you’ll find she and her husband Tom, their dog and occasionally their college age kids, out on the trails, hiking or camping and enjoying the great outdoors.
Liz Marzolf
Chief People Officer - Port Blakely
As a member of the executive team, Liz drives the long-term people strategy and oversees all aspects of the employee experience for Port Blakely, a 150-year-old family-owned sustainable forestry organization.
Prior to Port Blakely, Liz spent over 12 years in various executive-level human resources and organization and talent development positions at Starbucks and more recently at WeWork. In addition, she has done extensive consulting and coaching, supporting clients in both business and public education.
She received her BA from Mount Holyoke College and holds a MEd in educational psychology and a PhD in educational leadership from the University of Washington. Liz is an avid telemark skier, mountain biker, cyclist, and hiker, and all-around lover of being outside, all of which she and her husband have introduced to their young children.
Heidi Mathisen
Heidi Mathisen is deeply involved in getting youth and women into the outdoors. In addition to chaperoning for Garfield High School’s outdoor program, POST84, she volunteers with SheJumps, an organization dedicated to increasing the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities. She initiated a Wilderness First Aid Scholarship for Women of Color at SheJumps. Heidi believes passionately that outdoor experiences build skills which foster confidence and resilience for any age.
Heidi was most recently at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Prior to her years at the University of Washington, Heidi worked for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the World Bank and USAID. She earned her BA from Colorado College and her MA from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. An avid world traveler, Heidi has visited all seven continents, including summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mt. Toubkal in Morocco. Heidi is fortunate to be the mother of two grown children who love the beautiful PNW. She lives in Seattle and San Juan Island with her husband and enjoys skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking and, more recently, paddleboarding.
Charlie Michel
Retired, Petroleum Engineer
Charlie Michel worked as a petroleum engineer for thirty years with assignments in Alaska, Scotland, Egypt and elsewhere. Since retiring in 2010 he has focused on carbon footprint reduction both for his family and to help others. They satisfy their home and transportation needs with 66 solar panels and two electric cars. Charlie and his wife Carol have collaborated with The Mountaineers in Seattle and Tacoma on major solar panel and LED lighting projects in their program centers. In his spare time, Charlie teaches Sea Kayaking and leads trips through The Mountaineers.
Greg Moga
Attorney, Moga Law Group and CEO, Outreach Services Companies
Greg Moga is an attorney with the Moga Law Group and the CEO of Outreach Services and Disability Outreach, which provide patient advocacy services to hospitals in 11 states, and the CBO Solution, which provides business office outsourcing to hospitals. Greg is Immediate Past Board Chair of the Olympic Park Institute; Board President of Washington's National Park Fund; Board member of NatureBridge; and active with the National Geographic Society's Grosvenor Circle.
Ruth Nielsen
Managing Partner, Nielsen Law Office
Ruth Nielsen is the owner and Managing Partner of Nielsen Law Office in Seattle. Ruth specializes in Ski Area Defense, Products Liability, Sports and Recreation Defense, Insurance Defense, and Employment Law Defense. She is the current President of ASDA, the Association of Ski Defense Attorneys specializing in ski area and other outdoor recreation defense. Ruth received her JD from the University of Utah.
Dan Nordstrom
Owner and CEO, Outdoor Research
Dan Nordstrom has been with Outdoor Research since 2003. He is an accomplished climber having summited Rainier multiple times.
Thomas O’Keefe
Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director, American Whitewater
Since 2005, Tom O'Keefe has worked for American Whitewater, a river conservation organization representing the whitewater paddling community. He has provided formal analysis and comment in agency planning efforts, drafted legislation and Supreme Court testimony, and testified before Congress and the State Legislature. Tom has been a member of The Mountaineers since 2003 and works directly with our Conservation and Advocacy Director on public lands policy.
Matthew Palubinskas
Physics Instructor, University Prep
Matt’s earliest memories are walking in the woods of New England with his father and German Shepard. He learned to hike, climb, and ski in the White, Green, and Adirondack mountains of the East, and then sharpened those skills when he moved to Seattle joining the Mountaineers in 2007. Matt attained his BS in physics at Worcester State College in 2000 and his MST degree from the physics department at the University of Vermont in 2003. Between teaching physics at a private school in Seattle and leading wilderness and international trips for his school, Matt also enjoys volunteering with the Mountaineers. He is passionate about Washington’s mountains and enjoys teaching people the skills to be competent and safe alpinists. When not teaching science or crevasse rescue skills, Matt can be found ski patrolling on the slopes of Snoqualmie Pass or assisting with rescues as an active member of Seattle Mountain Rescue. Matt is looking forward to combining his educational background and mountaineering experience in order to assist with the Mountaineers in strategic planning.
Charlie Raines
Director of Forest Conservation, Forterra
Charlie Raines has forty-six years of experience in environmental issues. Currently, he is Director of Forest Conservation for Forterra, conserving wild and working forests, as well as Director of the Sierra Club’s Cascade Checkerboard Project. He is also Campaign Director for the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition. At the Sierra Club, he led campaigns to protect ancient forests, Mt. St. Helens National Monument (1982) and Washington Wilderness Act (1984). Charlie has been employed in energy conservation and environmental analysis for the City of Seattle and the federal government. He was Director of Lands and Public Funding for The Cascades Conservation Partnership. He also continues to work as a professional artist. He is on the boards of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. Charlie earned degrees in Biology and Art from the University of Puget Sound. He is a lifelong resident of the Puget Sound country, living in Seattle for the past 40 years. He enjoys music, art, natural history, geography, hiking and travel.
Matt Ray
Vice President Infrastructure Security, Salesforce
Matt grew up on the water in the Midwest, then spent time in the Rocky Mountains after graduating from the University of Michigan. Work brought him to Seattle where he was excited to combine two of his passions – the water and the mountains. The best days start on the skis and end on a boat. Matt is currently working as the Vice President of Infrastructure Engineering at Salesforce, focusing on security and compliance. He’s responsible for securing customer data in an ever-changing digital climate (he’s the good-guy behind the scenes fighting against the digital bad-guys trying to get around the firewalls). Previously, he ran security teams for IBM and Getty Images. Matt spends his free time with his dog Maddie, when Maddie is not too busy working at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center. Every summer Matt returns to the Midwest to run a week-long summer camp that brings kids out of their gymnastics clubs to enjoy coaching under two giant circus tents and get them into the great outdoors.
Mindy Roberts
Environmental Engineer, Washington State Department of Ecology
Mindy Roberts joined The Mountaineers in 1999. Her favorite part of climbing has been forging the strongest personal bonds of her adult life. In Mindy’s other life, she works as an environmental engineer with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She especially enjoys using her climbing team skills to inform her science and engineering world, and her engineering skills to inform her climbing world.
Chris Robertson
Vice President, Shannon & Wilson
Skiing since he was four, climbing since five, and an active Mountaineer member since high school, Chris Robertson comes to The Mountaineers Advisory Council with outdoor adventure in his veins. He received his BS and his MS degrees in geology at the University of Washington and moved from his PNW home to begin his geology career in Houston. With no mountains to enjoy, Chris became an avid windsurfer, organizing races and club events. He eventually moved back to the Pacific Northwest, got his second MS in geotechnical engineering and works as a geotechnical engineering consultant. He is avidly passionate about Washington’s wilderness and enjoys spreading Ira Spring’s concept that green-bonding is necessary to protect it. Chris is looking forward to combining his technical consulting experience with helping others more directly.
Joe Sambataro
Managing Director of Conservation Transactions, Forterra
Joe Sambataro leads Forterra’s Conservation team in the acquisition and protection of Washington’s wild lands, working farm and forest land, and urban open space. He previously served as National Access Director at Access Fund for 12 years where he brought climbers and public partners together to conserve and steward our climbing areas. Joe started his career at Cascade Land Conservancy/Forterra in 2005, previously served on the boards of Washington Climbers Coalition and Washington Alpine Club, and earned his BS from Cornell University in Environmental and Resource Economics. Joe is an avid climber with experience in the Cascades and in mountains further abroad in the BC Coast Range, Alaskan Range, New Zealand, Patagonia, and Oman. He lives with his wife and twin children in Edmonds and also enjoys fishing, skiing, and hiking.
Bruce Sánchez
Global Technology Lead, Dell Technologies
Bruce leads the digital transformation of the sales learning and development programs at Dell Technologies, architecting new AI-driven online learning experiences for Dell’s global sales teams. Bruce brings to the Advisory Council 30+ years of IT experience, including sales, applications, and technology leadership roles at Salesforce, Oracle, and Microsoft. A member of the Mountaineers since 1985, he is a Basic and Intermediate Climbing Course graduate, and has climbed in North America, Mexico, and Europe. A lifelong conservationist, Bruce has an Ecosystems degree from UCLA and contributes a portion of his time and charitable giving to organizations that protect the West, such as the Sierra Club, High Country News, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two daughters.
Susan Sayers
Senior Manager, Strategic Planning for Value Added Services at T-Mobile
Susan Sayers is a Senior Manager for Strategic Planning for Value Added Services at T-Mobile. Her background includes brand and product management for companies such as Starbucks, Washington Mutual, and Precor Incorporated. She has been an active member of The Mountaineers since 2000. She is a graduate of the Basic Climbing course and an active climb leader.
Claire Smallwood
Co-Founder & Executive Director, SheJumps
Claire Smallwood is a visionary leader in removing barriers for women and girls in outdoor recreation, and beyond. As the co-founder and Executive Director of SheJumps, she’s devoted the last 14 years to building a future where people everywhere are living to their potential. She’s passionate about equity, volunteerism, nonprofits, skiing, and our wild places. The mission of SheJumps is to offer outdoor play that transforms to women and girls (transgender and cisgender) aged six and older. Partnering with nature, SheJumps creates safe, educational outdoor experiences that nurture growth and transformation. From fly-fishing and avalanche education to snowshoeing and first aid, SheJumps focuses on building confidence and community in our outdoor playgrounds. Claire is the heart behind this mission, overseeing three staff and 150 volunteers across the country. Despite losing over $100,000 – a third of SheJumps’ operating revenue – due to the pandemic, Claire led the team to revolutionize how they offered transformative experiences, resulting in the most impactful outcomes yet. In the last year, SheJumps reached 10,074 individuals through online and guide-led programming – a growth of 20% from the year before. Claire holds a BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures from Lewis & Clark College.
Tony Tsuboi
Senior Program Manager, Nintex
Tony is a Seattle native and a longtime volunteer with the Everett Branch Climbing Programs. He’s helped to bootstrap a number of new classes and to modularize Everett’s Intermediate Climbing Course. He is an active Climb Leader, AIARE Level 1 Instructor, and member of the Mountaineers Safety Committee. When he’s not instructing or distracted with alpine splendor, Tony is helping to usher in a new generation of cloud based business automation solutions. Tony graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in History and holds an MBA from the Foster School of Business.
Mark P. Walters
Intellectual Property Attorney, Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP
Mark Walters is a registered patent attorney who serves as lead trial and appellate counsel in intellectual property disputes of all kinds. He has experience handling patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation and has tried cases and argued appeals at all levels of the federal court system, including federal district courts throughout the U.S., the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is also a frequent speaker on intellectual property law and litigation practice. Mark handles cases in a variety of industries from agriculture to software, including cases dealing with complex legal and technical issues in genetics, biotechnology, drug product formulation, clothing design, and more.
Mona West
Fractional CMO and Startup Advisor for Outdoor Industry
Mona West is an entrepreneurial brand leader with over 25 years of experience driving growth for consumer product brands. She is currently an Operating Partner with REI’s Path Ahead Ventures, a $30MM investment fund with programming that supports early-stage founders of color. Mona has held leadership roles in the Outdoor Industry for over 12 years, including on the Executive Team at Cascade Designs (MSR, Thermarest, Platypus, Sealline). She has also advised over 40 outdoor industry startups, partnering with investment firms, accelerator programs, and economic development offices to support the founders in their ecosystems. Mona has a BA from Yale University and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at UVA. She has been a member of The Mountaineers for over 20 years and served as Interim Executive Director and in numerous branch and board-level positions
Robert White
Robert White works at the intersection of climate adaptation, equity, and emergency management for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In his work, he analyzes and plans for the response to natural hazards impacted by climate change in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State. His professional experience is in environmental justice, strategic planning, public policies, community engagement, and nonprofit management. After a 20+ year military career, he served as the CEO and CFOO for two veteran nonprofit startups improving access to education, employment, housing, and social services for over 1,000 veterans. He has also worked for King County Metro on the Lynnwood Link Extension project as a transportation planner. Robert joined The Mountaineers in 2016 and wears many hats, including serving on the Board of Directors, the Equity & Inclusion Committee, and as the Treasurer for the Everett Branch. He also contributes his expertise to the Everett Alpine Scrambling, Climbing, and Lookout & Trail Maintenance Committees and is an instructor for Basic Backpacking, Basic Snowshoeing, Basic Climbing, and Wilderness Navigation. Robert has dedicated his life to helping others and continues to do so by building strategic partnerships among nonprofits, the private sector, and government agencies to increase awareness and advocate for environmental justice, sustainability practices, and social justice for minority and underrepresented communities. He holds two masters degrees from the University of Washington in Executive Public Administration and Entrepreneurship. Robert and his wife, Ashley, have already begun sharing their love for the outdoors with their infant daughter, Ellie, through camping, hiking, water skiing, and traveling.
Rob Willis
Principal, Ross Strategic
As Principal at Ross Strategic, Rob works with government agencies and environmental and natural resource organizations on a diverse set of issues including climate change, conservation, public/private partnerships, business process re-engineering, and issue facilitation/mediation. Rob completed his Master's degree in Urban Planning, with a focus on Urban Ecology and natural hazards mitigation, at the University of Washington in 2001 and has been with Ross Strategic since. Rob is a native Washingtonian and is driven, professionally and personally, by a passion to help as many people as possible forge meaningful connections to their environment. Rob recognizes the integral role The Mountaineers has in connecting people to our backyard.
Gavin Woody
President, Elite Insurance Group (a Porch Group company)
After climbing Mt. Rainier with a guide service in 2008, my wife and I joined The Mountaineers to learn how to be independent climbers and explorers of the Northwest. The tremendous support provided by countless volunteers inspired me to want to help the organization thrive and become an even stronger part of our community. I am thrilled to work with such a dedicated group during this time which, I believe, will prove to be one of the most important periods in the history of The Mountaineers. I'm honored to have served as both Treasurer and Board President. As an Intermediate Climbing Course student, I've been taking full advantage of all the opportunities to find adventures on the snow, rock, and ice on nearby peaks. In addition to mountaineering, I'm passionate about ultrarunning and backcountry skiing, currently serving on the board of the Northwest Avalanche Center. Prior to joining the business world, I served as a U.S. Army infantry captain and decorated combat veteran (Operation Iraqi Freedom). My professional background includes management consulting with McKinsey & Company and operations executive roles at Expedia, A Place For Mom, and Porch Group. I hold a mechanical engineering degree, with honors, from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Andy Wyatt
Owner, Bouldering Projects
Like many NW climbers, Andy traces his love of climbing back to UW's Husky rock when he was in high-school. Shortly after graduating from Lewis and Clark College, while working at Feathered Friends, Andy embarked upon his journey to build inclusive, experimental climbing gym projects that inspire health, challenge, social interaction and outdoor passion. Andy opened his first gym in Seattle in 2010, his second in Austin, TX in 2015, and is currently working on his third in Minneapolis, MN. Outside of his work Andy finds inspiration from climbing mountain ranges around the world.