Parting is such sweet sorrow: Saying Goodbye to Tess Wendel

Few people have done more for our organization than Tess Wendel, who has been a powerhouse for The Mountaineers from day one. She’s learned from and supported many different departments and volunteer groups, and after nearly six years with us, she is ready to move on and learn how other organizations and businesses get stuff done. With a heavy heart, we want to share that her last day with us will be June 15.

We appreciate all Tess has done for us, and wish her the best of luck as she takes some personal time to figure out her next steps in life. And, we hear she wants to volunteer more with us too!

Since joining The Mountaineers on September 5, 2012, Tess has taken AIARE I, Basic Climbing, Navigation, Sailing, Climbing Self Rescue, Outdoor Leadership, WFA, and she’s a current Intermediate Climbing student. She’s also a climb leader, and is a leader for our Single- and Multi-Pitch Trad courses. If that weren’t enough, her students/volunteers thinks she’s pretty great:

• I appreciated that Tess took the time to understand each student's strengths and areas where we needed improvement, and assigned us routes or activities on the field trips based on that.
• Tess was supportive, encouraging, and patient, which was especially key since crack climbing is very challenging to first-timers. Tess exhibited strong leadership and instructional abilities and consistently maintained a positive and professional attitude throughout the entire trip.
• I hope the Mountaineers realize what an asset Tess is for the group. She brings a lot of enthusiasm and organization to the event, and has a great way of just getting everybody around her to follow her lead and pitch in. She is the Mountaineers "Pied Piper"!!!

Not surprisingly, she was also an incredible colleague during this time. Tess started with us as a part-time Member Services Rep. She was promoted to full time, then to Member Services Lead, then to Member and Data Manager, overseeing all of the responsibilities of the Member Services team and the continuity of our data. Tess spearheaded the re-imagining of our Gear Grab, working to make it more inclusive to a wider audience by hosting it in a new location, and generally making it possible by handling all of the logistics. She also took on the role of Salesforce Administrator, providing reporting support to our entire staff, and specifically supporting Jeff Bowman with website improvements while brainstorming across multiple departments to uncover the best tech solutions.

Tess has been a champion for our volunteers, often artfully bridging the gap between the needs of our volunteers and staff to advocate for a better volunteer experience. She has been a vocal supporter of our youth programs, jumping into help when volunteers are needed last minute. And, her passionate support of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have helped lay the groundwork for the next steps in this important area. All of this – mind you – while answering the phones and providing outstanding customer service to anyone and everyone. Her fingerprints can be found on nearly everything that we do. It goes without saying that her colleagues think she's pretty great too:

• It's been a blast to be a fly on the wall during her tenure here. I have learned so much by simply listening to her approach with our members, volunteers, and general public. Her ability to lead, mentor, train, traffic direct, problem solve, and kill with kindness is out-of-this-world phenomenal. THANK YOU for being a champion of The Mountaineers and welcoming every individual that walks through the door with style and grace. - Bri V.
• When Tess joined the organization I was in the midst of being a very engaged SIG leader as well as leading a ton of climbs & scrambles. I got to know Tess over the phone and was always impressed with her ability to resolve any issue / complication I was experiencing with listing a trip, working with participant rosters, etc. She has always been positive, helpful, resourceful, and responsive to volunteer requests for assistance. Almost two years ago, when I joined Mountaineers staff, still 100% non-load bearing and working from a power chair, I sensed Tess was especially empathetic of my working through challenges and limitations and I really appreciated her kindness, patience, and understanding of the complications associated with overcoming physical limitations. Not unlike many of us at The Mountaineers, volunteers and staff alike, I feel a special bond with Tess.  She is a rare and very dear individual, and I will sorely miss not seeing, hearing, speaking, and laughing with her day-in-day-out at the Program Center. - Bill A. 
• It's hard to quantify all that Tess has given to our organization. She definitely exemplifies the "campsite rule": leave things in better shape than you find them. It's no doubt we are in better shape for her hard work and dedication. -Tom V

And, in case you missed it, Tess did all of this while facing personal adversity. She has been a powerhouse for this organization, and we’ve all learned from her thoughtful approach to members, volunteers, and the general public. Her ability to lead, mentor, train, traffic direct, problem solve, and kill with kindness is out-of-this-world phenomenal. Thank you for everything that you've accomplished as a staff member for The Mountaineers!!

Please join me in congratulating Tess on her next great adventure by leaving a comment with your favorite Tess memory.