Meet the POW Team

As an accomplished filmmaker, entrepreneur, environmentalist and snowboarding pioneer, Jeremy Jones is widely regarded as one of the most legendary big mountain riders and explorers of all time. Named a 2013 National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” and eleven times voted “Best Big Mountain Rider of the Year” by Snowboarder Magazine, Jeremy has starred in over fifty snowboard movies worldwide, including his highly acclaimed, foot-powered snowboarding trilogy Deeper, Further and Higher. He is the founder and CEO of award-winning Jones Snowboards, dedicated to the development of the highest quality backcountry snowboards and accessories. In 2007 Jeremy founded Protect Our Winters, a global cause uniting the winter sports community against climate change and was recognized in 2013 as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama. Jeremy has appeared frequently in worldwide media including 60 Minutes Sports, ABC’s Nightline News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Outside Magazine and TV, Men’s Journal, Esquire, CNN, MTV, ESPN, Fox News, NBC and National Geographic.

Erin Sprague is the CEO of Protect our Winters (POW), where she helps outdoor enthusiasts protect the places and experiences they love from climate change. Previously, Erin built world-class brands in the outdoor industry as the Chief Brand Officer at Aspen Skiing Company; VP of Marketing at Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Sport; and Global Head of Women’s Brand and Product at Specialized Bicycles. Most recently, Erin has worked with leaders from Google and Nest to help build climate tech start-ups tackling food waste and heat pump adoption. Erin started her career in finance and public affairs at The Blackstone Group, and graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard College. 

Erin grew up in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York where she raced Nordic skiing, cross-country running, and hiked with her family most weekends. She previously Chaired the Board of Protect our Winters and started a non-profit called In the Running to support youth fitness initiatives while setting a World Record as the Youngest Woman to Run a Marathon on all Seven Continents. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two daughters, who are already beating her up and down most mountains.

Ryan Laemel is the Chief Operating Officer of Protect Our Winters (POW), where he oversees operations, financial planning, trainings, events, the Athlete and Science Alliances, and Team POW, POW’s member program. In this role, Ryan applies his extensive background in climate, energy, and sustainability to support POW’s mission of solving the climate crisis through advocacy and action.

Prior to joining POW, Ryan was a senior leader at RMI, a globally recognized nonprofit focused on market-based solutions to the energy transition, and Third Derivative, an RMI-launched accelerator for climate-tech startups. At RMI, Ryan served as the chief of staff to cofounder Amory Lovins, started and led the India program, and directed research, policy, and innovation work on the transportation, electricity, and industry sectors. Ryan began his career at Yale, his alma mater, where he supported the university’s sustainability planning and projects and led the development of the world’s first campus-based carbon pricing program.

Originally from Connecticut, Ryan grew up running and hiking around New England. A former college cross-country and track athlete, Ryan is an avid climber, skier, and trail runner. He lives in Basalt, Colorado with his wife, where they enjoy skiing at Aspen-Snowmass and ice climbing in the winter, and exploring the Western Slope's rock and trails in the summer.

Born and raised in the mountains of Colorado, Jake first joined Protect Our Winters (POW) as an Athlete Alliance member in 2012 during his career as a professional snowboarder. While traveling around chasing competitions and snow, Jake recognized the impacts of climate change everywhere he went and developed a strong desire to take action to slow and reverse the global greenhouse gas impacts. In the years following Jake worked as a writer and photographer on the subject of sustainability and climate in the snow industry. Now as the Program Manager at POW, Jake engages the community of CEO’s, athletes, ski resorts, and international chapters in systemic political solutions to the climate crisis.

Caroline grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and spent her summers at her family’s
cabin in Northern Ontario, where she swam, scrambled across rocks, kayaked and
generally got lost in nature. After graduating college with a degree in photojournalism,
she moved to Colorado to spend more time outdoors. Since moving to Colorado, she
has fully embraced the outdoor life she dreamt of as a kid - climbing, backpacking,
skiing, mountain biking and trail running. 

Caroline comes to POW after working in corporate social responsibility and community
engagement in the public and nonprofit sectors. She is passionate about working with
the people and organizations who care about affecting change in the climate space and
is honored to join the POW team in this work.

Born in Reno, Nevada and now living in Bend, Oregon. I chased my running dreams at the University of Washington where I ran on the cross country and track team, while getting a degree in French. I continued chasing those dreams in Bend where I'm a part of the professional running team, Littlewing, sponsored by Oiselle.

Hannah is from Oakland, CA, where she grew up spending time in her local regional parks system, playing outside until dusk on bikes, and making the trek to the Sierra to ski on weekends. 

She attended UC Santa Barbara where she received her B.S. in Ecology and Evolution and a minor in Earth Science. Studying these topics educated her on the interconnectedness of the natural and built environments. An added bonus was that many of her classes were taught outdoors. After college she hopped on her bike and moved to Jackson Hole via two wheels, to explore what living in, rather than commuting to the mountains, had to offer. Here she worked for Energy Conservation Works, working hand in hand with Lower Valley Energy to increase energy conservation and emissions reductions in the valley. 

Since then, Hannah has spent months working in Alaska, Hawaii and Iceland, assistant teaching arctic and island ecology courses. After years of shuffling around these incredible landscapes, Hannah settled in Bozeman, Montana where most recently she was community organizing around public lands conservation in the state. Hannah is thrilled to join POW’s campaigns team during this pivotal election year, hoping to outdoor enthusiasts across Montana’s first congressional district. 

When not behind her computer screen, you can find Hannah trying a new activity outside (an expert novice at many things) or buying way too many snacks from the Bozeman Food Cooperative to fuel said activities. 

Growing up in the Northeast in a highly active family, Leigh spent her youth outdoors playing traditional sports and chasing adventures that followed seasonal shifts. An international business graduate from the University of Vermont, Leigh has spent the last 20+ years of her professional career connecting her passion for the outdoors with her professional path.

Leigh joins POW most recently from POWDR / Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, where she was the Brand and Marketing Director for Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort and Sun Country Tours, Mt. Bachelor's whitewater rafting operation. Responsible for all ongoing brand work, owned and paid marketing efforts, events, and partner activations, when Leigh wasn’t working you could find her on the Alpine or Nordic trails, skinning the "Cone" or downhill biking in the summer.

For the previous two decades before working at Mt. Bachelor, Leigh's professional journey focused on building outdoor and action sports brands such as Burton Snowboards, Nike, Nau Clothing, Snowboarder Magazine, and consulting work in sport and tourism with clients like Ski Oregon, Visit Bend, among others. In addition, Leigh co-founded North Drinkware and launched two successful North Drinkware Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns.

Passionate about living a healthy and active lifestyle, Leigh’s happy place is seeking adventures with her husband and two daughters (14 and 12) on the slopes, mountain biking, or trail running in Central Oregon.

Meghan grew up outside of Boulder, CO where her deep love of the outdoors was cultivated from a young age. She attended Clark University in Worcester, MA where she received her undergraduate degree in Earth System Science (2021) and her MS in Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in climate change impacts and adaptation (2022). 

Meghan joined the POW team in 2021 as an intern on the development team before stepping into her current role in operations. She is back in Boulder, CO and spends her free time hiking, trail running, and cross-country skiing. When she’s not working or playing in the mountains, you can probably find her with a hot cup of coffee and a good book.

As the Strategic Partnerships Senior Manager, Carly works with corporate partners that make up the Brand Alliance to support and amplify POW’s campaigns and programming. Carly is passionate about supporting mission-driven organizations and has worked at the intersection of business and the environment for the past decade. Prior to POW, she managed special projects at The Rainforest Alliance, built sustainability communications campaigns at Edelman, and improved access to camping at Hipcamp. Carly earned a BA in Environmental Studies and Geography from Middlebury College and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

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Carly grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Boulder, CO. While she feels most at home in the woods of New England, she loves exploring the front range and Rocky Mountains of Colorado. In her free time, she can be found gravel biking, taking an art class, or practicing yoga. She currently sits on the board of Cobalt, helping to advance reproductive rights in Colorado.

Emily grew up in a small town on the coast of Maine, and spent her weekends skiing with her family in the beautiful High Peaks Region of the state. She is a winter person, and has been shaped by a love for a cold breeze, snowy krummholz trees, and down jackets. 

Emily attended the University of Vermont where she received a B.S. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Political Science. Outside of the classroom, she found community within the UVM Outing Club as a backcountry ski leader, and solidified her love for sharing outdoor spaces with others. Emily's journey, both academically and personally, has enriched her understanding of how our relationships with the natural world shape society. This insight has fueled her personal mission to explore ways to make a meaningful difference for both people and planet, while forging new connections in new places. 

For the past year, Emily has been in Colorado pursuing her Masters in Sustainability in the Outdoor Industry where she has combined her two greatest passions: the environment and the outdoors. With a focus in equity and policy, she has worked on projects focused on facilitating greater access to Colorado’s natural spaces for underrepresented communities. She is stoked to be a part of the POW team as the Campaigns Research Intern. Emily believes that our passions for the places we recreate have the ability to drive positive change, and couldn’t be more excited to be a part of that change at POW.

Raised on the outskirts of Seattle, Reilly spent any breaks from rain exploring the rocky beaches of the Puget Sound.

After earning a degree in strategic communications, he moved around various mountain towns in the West, from Seattle to Salt Lake City to Bend to now Denver. Along the way, Reilly built a digital marketing career in the outdoor industry, honing his content creation and digital growth strategy skills. 

Before joining POW, Reilly worked in the outdoor apparel industry and, before that, the beer industry. In his previous roles, he took every opportunity to align his passion for storytelling with promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and advocating for climate change awareness.

Outside the office, Reilly can be found angling for trout, snowboarding, skateboarding, or exploring Colorado with his pup, Riza.

Maria grew up in the high desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico and spent her childhood summers traveling with her family to explore and adventure on our public lands. Winters growing up were spent at Santa Fe Ski Basin with classmates. Santa Fe National Forest is still one of her favorite places to play. Although originally from Santa Fe, she relocated to the Rocky Mountains from Washington, D.C. after living there for almost a decade. Maria’s time in D.C. was spent exploring her passion for policy work and growing her skills in the nonprofit sector. After leading development and social enterprise initiatives at Catholic Charities USA she transitioned to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). There she worked hand in hand with fortune 100 multinational corporations as well as individual donors who had deep rooted interests in foreign policy with an emphasis on Asia. Most recently she served as the Chief Advancement Officer for the American Alpine Club where she led the Club’s fundraising department, developed organizational strategy, and expanded and resourced the grants program. Maria holds an M.A. in Political Science, a B.A. in Political Science, and a B.A. in Journalism from Arizona State University. She also has a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. As a member of the POW team Maria is thrilled to align her passion for the outdoors and climate advocacy with her professional work. In her free time, she can be found gardening, camping, hiking, boating, and adventuring with her husband and two rescue dogs, Apollo and Olivia.

Ben grew up exploring the red rocks of the Fountain formation and the Dakota Hogback of Jefferson County, Colorado. He spent his Colorado childhood on skis and snowboards on the mountains above the valleys where he and his family launched dry flies to rising trout. College studies took him to the San Juans of Durango, where, when not registering classmates to vote or going on deep backcountry trips, snowboarding and fly fishing further inspired his love for our wild treasures and dedication to protecting them.    

Ben’s understanding of connecting the past to the present led him to Washington, D.C., and a job with the National Council of History Education. Later, in the Boston area, he served as field staff in statewide political campaigns and then served as Co-founder and National Political Director for American Promise, a cross-partisan organization working to end the undue influence of big money and corporate power in our political system and overturn Citizens United vs. FEC. There, Ben became nationally recognized in his work for democracy reform, honing skills in organizational development, campaign management, communications, public policy, and grassroots engagement. 

Most recently, Ben served as Vice President at the Erikson Group, where he developed strategy for congressional campaigns and advocacy organizations. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Rank the Vote, a national nonprofit dedicated to expanding Ranked Choice Voting. 

If you want to find Ben, he’s usually in the alpine zones or the waters of the Northeast with his wife, Amy, and two badass kiddos, Lailah and Judah. Advisory: He’s always delighted to share his favorite roots and rocksteady reggae playlists.

Raised in Vail, Colorado, Lindsey grew up in the beautiful, snowy Gore Range. When she was not snowboarding, she was hiking with her black lab or biking through the valley.

As Lindsey got older, she began to see the effects of rising temperatures on her mountain community from disappearing snowpack to raging wildfires. Knowing that she needed to leave the valley to help protect it, Lindsey went for American University in Washington, DC where she earned her Bachelors in Communications, Legal Studies, Economics, and Government with a minor in Environmental Science. Additionally, she achieved certificates as a Politics, Policy, and Law Scholar and in Advanced Leadership Training. Lindsey spent time with The Climate Reality Project working on the I AM PRO SNOW program and managed the 100% Committed campaign. Joining the advocacy team in 2018, Lindsey is excited to help continue to organize in mountain communities and outdoor industry on strong climate action.

When Lindsey is not plugged in working on a campaign, you will find her in the mountains snowboarding or hiking and camping with her dog. She will probably have a chia tea or kombucha in one hand and a burrito in the other.

Having spent the last 21 years helping various outdoor, ski, and climbing brands build awareness and connect with their communities, Sam is a loyal veteran of the outdoor industry. In 2018, she left the for-profit space to jump headfirst into the outdoor-inspired climate fight with Protect Our Winters. First as the Communications Director and now as the Membership Director, Sam translates her brand marketing expertise into climate communications and membership engagement. She is most proud of her work developing the Team POW Membership program.

When not going deep on all things climate, or volunteering on the board of the Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Sam can either be found in the skin track or on the single track in her Summit County, CO backyard - usually a few paces behind her super-quick husband Jason and Blueheeler Daku.

Patrick grew up between the lakes and coast of southern Maine, where 60-degree water temps are considered warm and the amazing summer months made the long mud seasons worth it. Today, Patrick calls Carbondale, Colorado and the Roaring Fork valley home where he ski tours in the Elk Mountains in the winter, rides its trails and roads in the summer and pursues its big game in the fall.

Living, working and playing on Colorado's Western Slope, an area like so many facing the real effects of climate change, led Patrick to POW where he leverages his brand and marketing expertise to support POW's important work.

He joined POW from Backbone Media, one of the outdoor and active lifestyle industries' leading marketing agencies, where he worked with brands to develop public relations, social media, paid media and partnerships.

Sam, a native New Yorker, felt an irresistible call to the West Coast in search of greater pursuits, drawn by the allure of Jim Morrison’s words “the west is the best, get here and we’ll do the rest”. Amid vibrant communities passionate about outdoor exploration, he found his true calling in the North Cascades, Oregon’s volcanic landscapes, the Colorado Rockies, the Grand Tetons, and California’s Sierras. Backcountry skiing, ice climbing, rock climbing, ultra trail running, and skating on alpine lakes became his gateways to nature.

With a fervor for documentary filmmaking from his undergraduate days, Sam immersed himself in shedding light on the prison industrial complex and advocating for marginalized communities. On top of that, his journey as a backcountry guide for youth and teaching wilderness and combat first aid in international conflict zones sparked an interest in medicine, leading him to become an ER Paramedic after stints in the medical field. Discovering the healing power of the outdoors through Colorado's Outdoors Rx report shifted his focus to advocating for healthier lifestyles through outdoor activities and improving urban green infrastructure, crafting impactful policy changes for the state’s healthcare system and growth of the recreation economy.

Transitioning through roles in outdoor brands like Marmot and The North Face working as a community marketing manager and conducting philanthropic efforts, Sam found mentorship in policy-making and climate change under the director of Oregon's Office of Outdoor Recreation. This led to pivotal positions in Colorado’s Policy Chair for the American Alpine Club and spearheading ESG initiatives for major industries on the western slope. Pursuing a Masters in Environmental Policy at CU Boulder further fueled his career, now aligned with Protect Our Winters, where he's stoked to make a lasting impact.

Donny grew up in the woods of rural Northwestern Connecticut, where he spent much of his time tromping through the deep New England forest that made up his backyard. He first clicked into a pair of skis at the age of 3 and has spent each and every winter since exploring the world via a pair of wooden planks. In college, he first drummed up the idea of combining his passion for skiing with his infatuation of, and skill with, the written word. After graduating from the University of Vermont with an English degree in 2012, he moved west to Denver, Colorado, to pursue that farfetched dream of becoming a ski journalist.

Through a combination of luck, connections and skill, Donny landed a job as an editor with FREESKIER magazine in 2013 where he worked until 2020, traveling the world in search of inspiration ski content to share with the masses. Prior to joining POW, Donny served as the magazine's editor-in-chief. Throughout his time in the ski industry, Donny was in-tune with the evolving impacts of climate change on skiing, reporting on it for FREESKIER, and fostering a deep concern for it within himself. Donny comes to POW eager to contribute his vast experience producing content to a goal bigger than himself: curbing the effects of a warming global climate.

Maddy has always found her joy in the climb, whether that’s mountain biking, topping out a boulder or reaching the summit. Growing up in a small town in Northern Colorado, she is a 5th generation Coloradan whose family has actively taken part in Colorado’s natural resources through both recreation and a dedication to conservation. 

Maddy comes from a logistics & operations background for large scale running events and recreation. She is no stranger to events and providing the highest quality experience. 

She enjoys the challenge of mapping out the small details to outline the full picture.  When she is not creating timelines and operation plans she is in the mountains with her beloved Bull Terrier, Rocky by her side or as he would prefer in her backpack.

Hannah grew up on the shores of Lake Superior in a small northern Wisconsin town. Her love for the outdoors was formed at an early age from sailing in the Apostle Islands, canoeing in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area, to kayaking in Alaska.

Hannah has a BFA in Arts Administration and a BFA in Theatre with an emphasis in Stage Management. She moved to Colorado where she worked in live event production and programming at the Colorado Chautauqua Association. Hannah values the important role humanities and culture play in the battle to protect our climate and our relationship with the environment.

At POW, Hannah leads the Operations team in overseeing the day-to-day activities of the company, ensuring that the organization is managed and performing efficiently from strategic planning, staff hiring and onboarding, people and culture and administrative management.

When not at the desk, she can be found exploring the trails, mountains, reading, and seeking out every body of water in Colorado with her dog Finch.

Born and raised on the central coast of California, Suzannah spent her childhood exploring tidepools and trails along Big Sur’s rocky coastline.  This deep-rooted love for the natural world led her to a career in the outdoor industry, where she worked for some of the leading brands and influential voices within the industry.  These experiences shaped her perspective on the interconnectedness of outdoor recreation, society and business and the need for responsible practices and policies to combat the effects of climate change.  

Suzannah’s desire for new opportunities and adventures led her and her husband to Europe, where they lived and worked for six years in The Netherlands and Italy. During this time, Suzannah immersed herself in the rich heritage and diverse landscapes of these countries, which further deepened her commitment to advocating for the protection of people & planet. 

Suzannah recently relocated to Boulder, Colorado where she is proud to join the POW team in advocating for a brighter, more sustainable future.  

In her free time, you can find her rock climbing, practicing yoga, learning Italian and giving her 11-year old Border Collie the best adventure-pup life possible.

Stacie always knew she wanted to pursue a career in the ski industry from a young age, having first clicked into skis at the age of 4 and writing her 8th grade career project on being a professional skier. While her dreams of becoming a professional athlete didn’t quite pan out the way she planned at age 13, she was able to forge a path of her own in the ski industry. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a BA in English in 2013, Stacie chased her passion for skiing by working seasonal marketing positions at Sugarloaf and Sunday River in Maine. In 2018 Stacie moved to the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains where she would work as the Communications Manager for Waterville Valley Resort.

After working 5 years in the ski industry, she realized both resorts and skiers/riders can do better to help curb the climate crisis. As a lover of all things winter, Stacie is excited to bring her expertise to the POW team and help encourage others to join the conversation on climate change.

Stacie currently resides in North Woodstock, NH where she enjoys adventuring in the White Mountains whether it be in the skin track, single track, or finding a new favorite hiking trail.

From scrambling around the Tetons, to leading backpacking trips in Colorado, to climbing in the Red River Gorge, spending time outdoors has been Kyra's priority since she was a little grom. 

After graduating with a degree in Business & Design from Skidmore College, Kyra jumped right into working within advocacy and sustainability. From finding her passion for climbing and leadership on her 30-day NOLS course, to managing digital marketing for an innovative indoor farm (Vertical Harvest Farms), to building her own business from scratch - Kyra’s focus has always been with mission-driven organizations. Kyra has been shown the power of social media to not only share stories of our environment, but to educate and inform the ways in which we can protect it. At POW she leads our social media efforts and develops innovative ways to connect with our community. 

From marathon rollerblading, to skijoring, to wild ice skating - Kyra is always looking for new ways to play outside. She currently resides in Boulder, Colorado where she can be found romping around the mountains or hanging river-side with her rescue pups Mako and Barkley.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Waverley fell in love with the outdoors through exploring the region’s lush forests, volcanoes, and coastlines. Waverley moved to the Rocky Mountains to attend the University of Colorado Boulder, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and Geography. She was introduced to the nonprofit sector through internships at Access Fund and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, which propelled her interest in conservation and advocacy within the outdoor community. Prior to joining the POW team in 2021, Waverley was the Membership Manager at the American Alpine Club where she worked on membership campaigns and formed partnerships to expand member benefits.

Waverley believes in the collective power of outdoor enthusiasts to make an impact through climate advocacy and protection of public lands. Waverley lives in Southwest Colorado with her partner and their two rescue pups. In her free time, Waverley can be found hiking to alpine lakes, poring over maps, or chasing her powder-loving husky mixes up the skin track.

Graham Zimmerman. Thirty-something male. Heavy drinker. Of coffee. Sporter of Moustache. Enamored with alpinism and the experiences, challenges and relationships that come from it.

Born in New Zealand raised in the Northwest. After being exposed to alpine terrain in the Cascades he moved back to NZ where he cut his teeth in the Southern Alps and became a strong part of the Kiwi climbing community. Then, after graduating from university in 2007 he moved back to the states and has been focused on climbing as it applies to alpinism ever since. This has taken him on expeditions from Alaska to Patagonia to Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and all over the lower 48 and Canada where he has established numerous new routes on rock, ice and snow.

Known in some circles as the cookie monster, Avery can be found trolling for butt scratches or running through the underbrush pretending to be a wild dog. She may have a little gray on her chin but you would not know she is getting up there from her contagious puppy grin and great fear of whiteboards. Interests: wading in mountain creeks, taking over the whole bed, porpoising through snow, and excelling as a foot warmer.

Votes for Peanut Butter. Once a bull tamer in Kansas, Pemi was pleased to be adopted in Colorado where there are big mountains and deep snow to trot daintily around in. Interests: bandanas, biting ski boots mid-turn, belly rubs, chasing mountain bikes and lobster.

A crusty outdoor industry veteran, Prusik, has been salty with just about everyone, from his dog-colleagues at Outdoor Research and Rab to his human-subordinates at SCARPA and now Protect Our Winters.

Prusik might be a grump, but he loves good treats and especially loves people who use their passion for the outdoors to advocate for solutions to climate change.

Does he love you? Well, that all depends on your commitment to climate advocacy. And what kinds of treats you have to offer.

Alex Deibold fell in love with snowboarding at the age of four on a purple and green Burton Air 128 that he got for Christmas. He won the first slopestyle contest he entered. Alex has made the podium three times in the Snowboard Cross World Cup with a third and two second place finishes. In his first Olympic appearance in 2014, he won a bronze metal in the snowboard cross event. He is currently training for a return to the Olympics in 2018. Outside of snowboarding, Alex can be found mountain biking, backpacking, rock climbing, or surfing.

When Jenny was a shy 7th grader, she came across the book “50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth” and found her voice. As an Apparel Designer, she’s worked over 20 years in the outdoor industry committed to creating sustainable products for outdoor pursuits. She also is a New York Times Bestselling co-author of “NORTH” and a graduate of CU Boulder School of Business. An avid ultarunner, rock climber, and skier, she balances life with her husband, Scott, and their two children in Boulder, CO.

Alex Lee is an environmental philosopher, writer, fisherman, gardener, backcountry advocate, skier, and wanderer of wild places. Alex studies moral obligations and environmental problem solving as Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Institute of Culture and Environment at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, Alaska. His research focuses on applied environmental philosophy, climate change, and conservation policy. He earned his Ph.D. in environmental ethics from the University of Colorado, Boulder and has worked as a naturalist, guide, and teacher in Alaska for the past decade. He has written opinions and essays on public philosophy, climate change, skiing, and conservation for Grist, High Country News, Anchorage Daily News, the Revelator, Powder Magazine, the Ski Journal, WildSnow, The High Route and beyond. Alex also hosts a climate ethics podcast called ‘A Hostile Climate.'

Brody Leven has never eaten meat. He is a professional skier who ironically prefers climbing up mountains to skiing down them. He advocates for the planet and people through his steep skiing and self-supported endurance outings.

Brody has run 100 miles without stopping, climbed and skied 70,000 vertical feet in three sleepless days, kayaked the Grand Canyon, established bikepacking routes, and made first ski descents on six continents. Since earning Economics and Honors degrees from Westminster College, where he was two-term student body president focused on environmental initiatives, he has been featured on the cover of Powder Magazine three times, in award-winning adventure films, and as an Outdoor Industry 30 Under 30. As a writer, on-screen personality, director and producer, his year-round mountain stories inspire others toward impactful challenges.

Abbey Smith is the POW Climb Alliance Team Captain, professional climber, producer and storyteller born and raised in Colorado. For the last 25 years, she has dedicated her life to climbing, exploring uncharted territories, and sharing stories that offer new perspectives through writing, film, virtual reality, and live experiences. Her unrelenting drive for exploratory and big mountain bouldering has led her all over the world. She’s established first ascents on five continents from the extreme altitudes of the Himalayas and Andes to remote islands in Thailand. Abbey currently lives in Los Angeles, California. She’s an Explorers Club National Member, and sponsored by La Sportiva and Marmot.

Raised in the Midwest, Emily is proudly "Minnesota Nice" but finds herself in the West, living in Reno, Nevada, as an action sports photographer. Working in the industry for over a decade, Emily has captured skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and trail running for some of the world's greatest athletes and brands. Her recent project, Saving Silence, was supported by POW and is Emily's debut as director.

Prior to joining POW as Captain, Emily has proudly been on the Creative Alliance since 2021. She received the Gerhard Gross Protect Our Winters Member of the Year in 2023

Barry Wicks has been a professional mountain biker and cyclocross racer since 2002. He’s raced for the US National Team for many years and was a National Champion in Collegiate Cyclocross and Short Track Mountain bike. Additionally, Wicks is the Team Manager for the Kona Bicycles Factory Race Program and works part-time as a Sous Chef and Practicum Guide at a backcountry ski lodge in Canada.

Kurt is passionate about raising climate awareness and solutions, and he recently embraced the opportunity to bring his 30+ years of corporate and nonprofit accounting and finance experience to his role as Board Treasurer with POW. Currently, he serves as the Director of Finance and Operations for a national outdoor ethics and education organization. His diverse career has included working with both startups and Fortune 500 companies, along with previous service on two nonprofit boards as the Board Treasurer.

An accomplished outdoor enthusiast, Kurt has climbed El Capitan twice, held an unofficial FKT record on the John Muir Trail, and completed the 2023 Colorado Trail Race, a 539-mile mountain bike adventure in his home state. He continues to enjoy countless miles and smiles running, camping, and riding with family and friends.

Conrad Anker is the leader of The North Face climbing team and a legend in the climbing and mountaineering community, where he is renowned for tackling challenging routes throughout the Americas, Himalayas and Antarctica, including multiple first ascents. Conrad lives in Bozeman, Mont., and sits on the board of the Conservation Alliance and the Leadership Institute of Montana State University. Conrad is also vice president of the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation.

Over nearly two decades, Patrick Crawford has worked in every aspect of outdoor sports media, from print to global digital media properties to corporate content strategy and influencer marketing.

Patrick is a partner and co-founder at Inkwell Media, the leading athlete platform and influencer marketing agency in the outdoor world. He is also an co-found and advisor to Roam, an athlete-driven media and online education platform.

Previously, Patrick was a founding Editor at Freeskier magazine, and he served as Editorial & Online Director for Storm Mountain Publishing, where he oversaw print and digital content for Freeskier and Snowboard magazines. He was also Global Content Director for Mountain News Corporation, the world’s largest snowsports media group. 

Jessie Diggins was cross-country skiing before she could walk, hitching a ride in her Dad’s backpack, pulling his hair and telling him to ‘Mush!’ The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and by three years old she was on skis of her own, sharing Dad’s passion for the sport. Little did they know at the time that a ferocious, ground-breaking competitor was in the making.
Jessie is known for two things, being able to “go deep into the pain cave”, ski-speak for pushing herself to the edge and beyond, and doing it with style, with a smile and with sparkles. Jessie began the team’s tradition of painting their faces on race day and finishing it up with a dusting of sparkles.
From Afton, MN, with a background in dance, swimming and soccer, Jessie was a nine-time Junior National Champion on skis. Within the senior ranks, she’s responsible for numerous American firsts:
•At 20, she was the youngest woman to finish top-5 in a World Cup distance race.
•In 2013, at just 21, she became the youngest American World Champion and the first U.S. Woman to win a Championship title (with teammate Kikkan Randall).
•At 22, she won silver at the U-23 World Championships, and went on to finish 8th at the Olympic Games in Sochi –tying the best-ever placement by an American woman at an Olympic Games in a distance event.
•During the 2015 season she ended a 33-year drought in championship level distance medals for Team USA by winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 10km skate.
•In 2015-16 she became the first American Woman to win a modern distance World Cup in the 5km skate individual race.
•In 2016-17 she won 5 World Cup medals & added both silver and bronze medals at the 2017 World Championships.
•In 2018, she and teammate Kikkan Randall became the first-ever winners of Olympic Gold.

Tod has been focused on building consumer businesses throughout his career.  Most recently, he founded Shasta Ventures in 2004 to build a venture firm focused on companies that leverage technology to improve customer experiences.  Shasta has raised over $1 billion across five funds and backed companies such as Canva, Nest, Zwift, Tonal, Turo, Nextdoor, Maurten, Mint, Stance, Farmers Dog as well as many other companies.  Prior to Shasta, Tod was a general partner at Trinity Ventures and began his career in consumer brand management at Johnson & Johnson. He attended Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern and earned a BA in Economics at Northwestern University. Tod is an avid kitesurfer, wingfoiler, backcountry skier and mountain biker.

Tod is committed to helping build non-profit organizations in two areas of interest, youth and climate. He is on the board of SOS Outreach which provides curriculum and mentoring in the outdoors to help disadvantaged youth.  He recently joined the board of Protect Our Winters (POW) which partners with athletes to raise awareness of climate challenges and help shape policy. Tod is also on the board of Korda Institute which builds education programs to help improve the way teachers teach and students learn.

A native of California, Phil Henderson started his outdoor career more than 25 years ago. He worked for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for over 20 years and in 2013 became the second African American to summit Denali. His passion for outdoor recreation, education and climbing has provided him with opportunities to travel, climb and ski around the world. Over the past two and a half decades he has spent many hours volunteering for several youth programs in the United States, exposing young people from around the country to our natural environment. Additionally, he has been instrumental in teaching technical skills training to guides and porters around the world in Nepal, Kenya and Tanzania.

Phil has been married for almost 20 years and has a twelve-year-old daughter. He now spends his time recreating in the San Juan mountains of Colorado.

Having worked in the outdoor industry for nearly 30 years, including involvement with environmental activism and interaction with National Park, Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service managers and superintendents, he feels he has an underrepresented voice. Being back in the US after living abroad for many years, and after consulting with Jeremy Jones while climbing in 2013, he knows his participation with POW is a good fit for his energy and what he believes in.

Hilary Hutcheson is the outfitter at Montana's largest and longest-running river operation, Glacier Raft Company and Glacier Anglers in West Glacier, Montana. She also owns and operates her fly shop, Lary's Fly & Supply in Columbia Falls, Montana, her hometown. She serves on the national boards of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, AFFTA Fisheries Fund, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and Protect Our Winters. She sits on the Guiding For the Future advisory committee, Northern Rockies River Council, and Flathead River Alliance steering committee. Hilary is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist, and contributing editor at Fly Fisherman Magazine. Hilary has testified to the US House and US Senate on the economic importance of public lands and climate action. She is a professional angler for YETI, Patagonia, Costa, Orvis and Scientific Anglers. Her greatest joy is being on the river with her three adult children, Ella, Delaney, and Killion, and her husband, Ebon, who are all outdoor industry professionals.

In October 2018, Jim Morrison and TNF teammate Hilaree Nelson became the first people to ski from the 27,940-foot summit of Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world. Their 7,000-vertical-foot ski line down the Lhoste Couloir is considered one of the most aesthetic descents among the world’s tallest mountains. In May 2018, Jim summited Cho Oyu and Mount Everest in the Himalaya. He skied a combined 11,000 vertical feet on both mountains, including a 7,000-foot line down Cho Oyu.

Based in Tahoe City, California, Morrison has spent his entire life skiing and climbing in the Sierra Nevada. He and his brother, John, also an accomplished mountain athlete, grew up in Walnut Creek, three hours from Squaw Valley, ski racing and chasing the likes of Scot Schmidt every weekend through high school. Jim started spending ski seasons in Squaw in 1990, eventually settling there permanently. Known for his big heart and big engine, Jim quietly excels in most feats he attempts, whether it’s an Ironman triathlon or climbing El Capitan in Yosemite all while running his own custom home construction business in Tahoe.

In the last decade, Jim’s ski objectives have evolved from annual trips to Chamonix and Canada to climbing and skiing the highest mountains in the world. Starting with high peaks in Ecuador and Russia, Jim graduated to 8,000-meter peaks, drawn to the immensity of the challenge. He started with an attempt on Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest mountain, in 2015. In 2017, after skiing 14 of Telluride’s most difficult couloirs in just over two months with Hilaree, the duo were the first Americans to complete a ski descent of India’s 21,165-foot Papsura Peak. Then, two weeks later, Jim and Hilaree headed to Denali in Alaska, where they climbed the Cassin Ridge and skied the Messner face.

Charlotte Tracy is a teacher educator and Supervisor for the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute where she mentors teachers in San Francisco.  Additionally, she co-operates the Chrysopolae Foundation.  Charlotte is an active volunteer in her community and has served on several boards and fundraising committees for various educational, arts and environmental organizations.  She is an outdoor enthusiast who loves to trail run, hike, and backcountry ski.  Most importantly, she is the mom of three teenagers who also love to ski and play in the outdoors.  She lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two dogs, Jackson and Stanley. 

Massimo Alpian grew up in New York and now resides in Boulder, Colorado.  With an accomplished international non-profit career, Alpian focused on human rights, climate change and its effect on refugees, and humanitarian assistance in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa at organizations like UNICEF and the United Nations. He also holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Columbia University, and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from New York University and St. John’s University. 

A love for the outdoors and bike racing are what brought Massimo to leave his non-profit career for a marketing and communications career in the outdoor industry roughly a decade ago and move to Boulder, Colorado. Alpian has worked on both the brand and agency side executing communications and brand strategies for outdoor legacy brands like KEEN, Inc., Fjällräven, HOKA ONE ONE, Tracksmith and Thousand. In his current role managing global media relations for Cannondale, he works on making cycling and bikes accessible to all, while working on the ground with various non-profit organizations focusing on racial justice, as well as on climate action with POW.

Damon Berger is a senior digital media executive with a proven track record of success across Fortune 500 companies and startups. As Chief Marketing Officer at WildBrain, he drives new business and revenue through opportunities in media sales, social commerce and digital marketing both for WildBrain and third-party brands. Berger develops best-in-class partnerships and client services that leverage WildBrain’s extensive portfolio of capabilities, assets and IP, as well as the Company’s international leadership position in the kids’ and family entertainment space. Prior to joining WildBrain, Berger held executive positions in marketing and business development at Mattel, Fullscreen, What’s Trending and 20th Century Fox, specializing in building digital-first organizations, in addition to creating high-value partnerships with some of the biggest companies in the entertainment and technology spaces. Berger holds a Bachelor of Communications degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is a Denver resident and avid snowboarder. 

Bryan has been a part of working with and supporting POW since day one. He has been to D.C. twice, both to lobby and moderate an Olympic athlete panel on climate change as well as sit on an Obama era round table focused on the "greening of sport."  With over 20 years of leadership experience in the outdoor and environmental industry, Bryan spent a good chunk of his career developing and building the Adventure Sports Marketing department/program at CLIF Bar. Working closely throughout his life at the intersection of adventure sport, travel lifestyle culture, and environmental advocacy,  Bryan has now started his own one-man marketing consultancy (B.COLECTIVE LLC) and works closely with brands, athletes, nonprofits and creatively influential people to push positive ideas towards positive purpose while inspiring others to engage along the way. In addition to his advisory board role with POW, Bryan also sits on the board of directors for Wheels for Life (a Hans Rey nonprofit), and All Good, an all-organic skincare company. 

After hitting the road for the past year with his wife Allison, and adventure world schooling their son Fisher (age 8) on an extended road trip to Central America and back, Bryan is now calling Hood River, Oregon home. Amidst his own endlessly immersive outdoor pursuits like backcountry skiing, mountain biking, and surfing, Bryan continues to seek transformative, cultural, and advocacy driven experiences as he simultaneously charts his own path forward into the future.

Will is a Founder and Managing Director of Greyhawk Capital Management, a private equity firm based in Ketchum, Idaho. He currently serves as a director of three of Greyhawk’s portfolio companies, Foley Services, Raffles Ventures, and Reinstein/Ross.

Will plays an active leadership and coaching role at each of the companies. Prior to founding Greyhawk in 2006, Will was an equity research analyst in the New York and London offices of Credit Suisse from 1995-2001. While at Credit Suisse, he covered major energy companies, and then IT Services companies, achieving a #1 ranking in the Reuters Portfolio Manager Survey and a #2 ranking in Institutional Investor. He started his career at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in the firm’s investment training program (1993-1995). On the industry side, Will has been the General Manager of Eye Safety Systems (2003-2004) and Direct Sales Manager at Smith Optics (2003).

Will has served on several non-profit boards. He was a Trustee at Sun Valley Community School for 8 years from 20015-2023, serving as head of finance for the first six years, and as board chair for the final two years. He has served on the board of Sun Valley Adaptive Sports (now Higher Ground) from 2003-2007 (as Chair for much of that time) and Pioneer Montessori School as Treasurer from 2010-2013. From 2004-2006, Will volunteered as the Development Director for Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and has since volunteered countless hours on SVSEF’s course crew. Will has mentored several conscious capitalism entrepreneurs including Kuli Kuli founder Lisa Curtis, and Coral Vita founders Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern. Will also serves as a director of Coral Vita.

Will was an Engineer/EMT with the Ketchum Fire Department from 2003-2017. Will received a BA in American Civilization with a focus in environmental economics from Middlebury College in 1991. Will has lived in Ketchum since 2003. His wife Brooke is an accomplished endurance athlete and chef. Will and Brooke have two kids, Taylor (17) and Tommy (15), both avid skiers. When not at work, Will can often be found in the mountains around Ketchum, or on a foil in the Gorge.

Matt is an entrepreneur and business executive focused on building companies that work to improve communities and the outdoor and natural resource economy through vision, growth and innovation. His career is grounded in the nexus of business and policy that work towards a sustainable outdoor lifestyle, economy and society. 

Born and raised in Upstate New York, Matt’s outdoor ethic was shaped by Vermont’s Green Mountains and the wilderness regions of New York’s Adirondacks. Now based in Washington, DC as President & CEO of High Street Strategies, a government affairs and public relations firm, Matt regularly travels west to Wyoming’s Teton Range and Idaho’s Sawtooth Range to deepen his life-long passion for skiing, mountains and the outdoor lifestyle. Matt is deeply passionate in the importance of connecting to the natural world and works to have that access open to all who seek it.

Kevin serves as an advisor and coach to the team and CEO at Protect Our Winters (POW), leveraging his extensive experience in leading mission-driven organizations. Previously, he was the CEO of nuun Hydration and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, and Marketing Director at Kashi Co., where he built world-class brands and fostered healthy, sustainable practices. Under his leadership, his teams were recognized six times by Outside Magazine as a 'Best Place to Work'.

In 2021, Kevin was awarded EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pacific Northwest Region, and was a finalist for REI Vendor of the Year with nuun Hydration, which also achieved BCorp Certification under his guidance. Renowned for his commitment to health and wellness for people and the planet, Kevin brings a passionate, results-driven approach to his role at POW.

An outdoor enthusiast, Kevin is an avid trail runner, marathoner, and Ironman triathlete. His love for endurance sports and the environment aligns perfectly with POW’s mission. He lives by the belief that strong team cultures and supportive environments drive success and innovation.

Kevin is a proud Canadian, living with his wife and dog in Seattle, giving them great access to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

An avid skier, Joel Simkins brings over 20 years of financial services and hospitality industry relationships to Protect our Winters. 

Skiing is an integral part of the Simkins family lifestyle and after years of donating passively to the cause, he decided to play a more active role in helping to insure that winter sports are around to be enjoyed for future generations. Joel joined the advisory board in 2018 and has been actively collaborating with the POW team to deliver its message to CEO’s across the hospitality industry, as well as explore strategic partnerships with other stakeholders. 

Simkins has been the Head of Gaming & Leisure Investment Banking for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey since April 2016. Before coming to SunTrust, Simkins spent 15 years as an equity research analyst covering the gaming, lodging, & leisure sectors (including the ski industry) at Credit Suisse, Macquarie Capital, Prudential Financial, and Deutsche Bank. In 2009, he was named as the Best Up & Coming Gaming & Lodging Analyst on Wall Street by Institutional Investor Magazine. 

Simkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and received his BBA in Banking & Finance from Hofstra University where he graduated with Highest Honors in 1998. Joel and his wife, JoAnn, along with their two children Josh and Juli reside in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Sarah is an Executive Producer and Content Partnerships Lead at YouTube and in the past decade has become a leader in empowering creators, underrepresented voices and non-profits in the immersive media space.

Sarah grew up between Switzerland and New Mexico. With a passion for adventure films, she is an avid climber and alpinist and is constantly seeking adventures off the beaten path, anywhere from Pakistan to Madagascar.

Greg is an attorney with Ballard Spahr, a national law firm with over 650 attorneys in 15 offices.  He focuses on complex corporate and commercial litigation, First Amendment matters, and privacy and cybersecurity counseling.  Greg splits his time between his firm’s Denver and Boulder offices, and heads up the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity efforts in West.  Greg devotes significant time to serving the community through pro bono initiatives, including representing asylum seekers and drafting wills for first responders.  Greg earned his JD from Harvard Law School, and his BA from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in Political Science and Economics.

Greg lives in Denver with his wife, two daughters, and dog, Taka.  The Szewczyk crew spends as much time as they can hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and camping throughout Colorado.

Luis Benitez is the Vice President for government affairs and global impact at the VF Corporation, a $23 billion holding company that includes some of the outdoor industry’s most iconic brands.

Prior to joining the VF Corporation, Mr. Benitez was appointed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to lead the newly established Outdoor Recreation Industry Office in 2015. In that role, he transformed the outdoor industry into a powerful force for economic development, conservation and stewardship, education and workforce training, and public health and wellness. Under his watch, the state’s outdoor economy ballooned from $28 billion to $65 billion.

Mr. Benitez spent a decade managing the well-established leadership development school, Outward Bound Professional in Colorado at the start of his career. He also served as the COO and Director of Operations for Adventure Consultants, a New Zealand-based global expedition firm with a long and storied
history of leading trips on Mount Everest that was featured both in the book Into Thin Air and in the movie Everest.

Mr. Benitez helped create the nonprofit Trekking for Kids, which focuses on service-based expeditions allowing participants to climb and trek while teaching them about local issues like housing and healthcare for disadvantaged youth around the world. He was also a founding partner for Warriors to Summits, a nonprofit focusing on serving veterans by connecting them with the outdoors.

He has also served as an adjunct professor in Ecuador and Chile for the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Benitez studied Political Science at the University of Missouri – Saint Louis
and holds an Executive MBA from the University of Denver with an emphasis certification on behavioral sciences and public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Winston Binch is the Chief Brand & Experience Officer at GALE, a global marketing consultancy specializing in data, brand storytelling, experience design, media, and technology. Prior to GALE, Binch held top posts at Deutsch as well as CPB, where his efforts helped the agency win AdAge’s Agency of the Decade..

Winston was named one of Adweek’s 50 Most Indispensable Executives and top 100 people in advertising from the 4As.His work has been recognized by international award shows and publications such as Cannes Cyber Lions, Andys, One Show, Clios, London International Awards, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, AdAge, Adweek, Creativity, Travel + Leisure, Ski Magazine, and Communication Arts.

Gretchen is a 2-time Olympian and Olympic Silver medalist, World Superpipe Champion and 4-time X Games gold medalist, and has been inducted into The Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame and The Action Sports Hall of Fame. She is the winner of the ESPY award for Best Female Action Sports Athlete and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. She has done modeling, sports commentary, and has been featured in everything from prime time talk shows and national commercials to hundreds of publications worldwide.

Seeing the effects of climate change around the world pushes Gretchen to lobby on Capitol Hill, work with brands to design sustainable products, speak at events like the United Nations Climate Conference (COP21) in Paris, and serve on the board of Protect Our Winters and Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. As a leading female athlete, Gretchen also sits on the board for espnW in order to support their efforts in elevating women in sports. Since transitioning from snowboard competition in 2014, Gretchen is now creating a larger movement; inspiring the art of living extraordinary. She’s spearheading this through a company called ALEX that she co-founded with her husband, Chris Hotell. ALEX stands for Always Live Extraordinary and is designed to shift habits and consciousness for a healthy and sustainable world.

Gretchen served on the Protect Our Winters Board of Directors from 2011-2016.

Donna met Burton’s founder, Jake Burton Carpenter in a Southern Vermont bar on New Year’s Eve 1981. Ever since, she’s been a driving force at the world’s leading snowboard company. Her first job included dipping snowboards in polyurethane and answering the customer service line that rang in the bedroom. In the mid 1980s, Donna expanded Burton’s business to Europe and ran the company’s first international office in Innsbruck, Austria. In 2003, Jake asked Donna to make Burton a brand of choice and employer of choice for women. Thanks to Donna’s leadership, Burton now has progressive parent policies, mentoring programs and a diverse leadership team. In 2010, Donna stepped up to the role of President and then went on to become Burton’s first female CEO in 2016. Donna now shares the CEO role with John Lacy, who she has run the business with since 2016. Beginning in 2019, Donna will be based in Zurich where she will once again immerse herself in Burton’s European business. While in Europe, Donna will continue to be deeply involved in the women’s market, customer insights and purpose-led marketing as well as initiatives surrounding Burton’s impact on the sport, the industry and the planet. Deemed a ‘Super Woman’ by Refinery29 and ‘The Snowboard Ambassador’ by The New York Times, Donna’s leadership is an inspiration to her company, her industry and beyond.

Chris Davenport, of Aspen, Colorado, is widely regarded as one of the premier big mountain skiers in the world today. Among his many skiing achievements, in 2007 Chris became the first person to ski all fifty-four of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks in less than one year. A two-time World Champion, he has numerous first descents of peaks around the globe under his belt, and recently guided and skied on Mt. Everest. Chris has been featured in more than thirty ski films. He is also a TV commentator for ESPN, ABC Sports, and Outside Television, and is an Olympic and World Cup announcer for ski racing events. Chris is also the author of two beautiful coffee-table books that celebrate North America’s mountains, Ski The 14ers and Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America.

Luke Haynes has been Executive Director of the David Rockefeller Fund in New York since 2015. He oversees all operations and grantmaking programs for criminal justice reform, climate change solutions, and art for social impact. Luke served on the Protect Our Winters Board of Directors, offering strategic and governance advice and advocating that POW explore the creation of a 501(c)(4) with a complementary mission. He resigned from the board to recommend one of the POW Action Fund’s first grants and remains an informal POWAF advisor.

Prior to joining the DR Fund, Luke was vice president of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation; New York Director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and Fellow of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.

Luke also serves as a trustee of Lulu’s Fund, providing need-based financial aid to preschool families in Montclair, NJ; director of the Clara Lionel Foundation and advisor to the Center for Climate and Security in Washington D.C.

Jamie McJunkin is a founder and general partner at Madrone Capital Partners, a private investment firm that invests on behalf of members of the Walton Family. Jamie leads Madrone’s efforts in sustainability and alternative energy, and is currently an active investor or board member at Achates Power, Bloom Energy, eHarmony, Enphase, Strava, Sunrun, and Wasserman Media Group.   He is a member of the advisory board of several investment management firms, including Rockport Capital Partners and The Global Environment Fund.   An avid pilot, Jamie also serves on the Board of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.   Jamie earned an A.B. degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Truckee, CA and is a passionate cyclist and skier.

Penn was born in the Midwest but spent time out of the country and on the East coast before settling in Colorado in 1989. A graduate of Brown University with degrees in Business and Political Science, Penn spent a handful of years in finance as a municipal bond trader in Manhattan before his move out west. The ski bum lifestyle, working as a snow maker, race crew on Aspen Mountain, and seasonal whitewater, climbing and backcountry ski guide stints led to a job at Climbing Magazine in 1992.

In 1997, Penn co-founded Backbone Media, a leading active lifestyle marketing agency that represents over 80 brands in the snowsports, outdoor, hunt, fish, travel, tourism and beverage markets. Penn co-authored 50 Classic Ski Descents in North America with Chris Davenport and Art Burrows, and has written for multiple outlets including Alpinist, Climbing, Rock & Ice, Outside and Powder.

The fire still burns for Penn with recent trips to climb in Russia, Antarctica and Nepal. He is a happily married father of four and previously served on the Protect Our Winters board for two terms.

Naomi Oreskes is a Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University as well as an internationally renowned historian of science and author.  Her research focuses on consensus and dissent in science: How do scientists decide when a fact is “established?” How do they judge how much evidence is sufficient to deem something scientifically demonstrated? And what happens when scientists can’t agree? Her 2004 essay, “The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change” (Science 306: 1686), has been widely cited in the mass media throughout the world, including in the Royal Society’s publication, “A Guide to Facts and Fictions about Climate Change,” in the Academy-award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, and in Ian McEwan’s novel, Solar.  Her opinion pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Nature, Science, The New Statesman, and elsewhere.  Her latest work, Merchants of Doubt, How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco to Global Warming, with co-author Erik M. Conway, was shortlisted for the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and has recently been released in paperback.

Micah Ragland is the Director of Corporate Communications for DTE Energy in Detroit, Michigan. Before joining DTE in 2019, he worked as a Director of Global Communications at Walmart, Inc. in Bentonville, Arkansas. Previously, he headed up the Office of Public Engagement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC and also served as former President Barack Obama’s Northeast Political Director during the 2012 election cycle.

Ragland, 42, is a native of Flint, Michigan and received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and his law degree from North Carolina Central University. Micah and his wife, Ryane LeCesne, currently reside in the Detroit area with their daughter, Ryane Lucille. 

Sustainability expert and outdoor-industry veteran, Laura Schaffer uses her passion for the outdoors to lead environmental and social sustainability initiatives at POWDR. Her experience in protecting playgrounds and empowering communities has set her up to oversee the development and implementation of a sustainability strategy across the POWDR brand family, meaning that the resorts where you ski are focused on protecting skiing for generations to come.

Schaffer holds a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University and an MBA in Sustainable Global Enterprise from Cornell University. Before joining the POWDR team in 2016, she served as sustainability director and brand manager at equipment and apparel brand Mountain Hardwear as well as the public relations director for Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Utah. While at Snowbird, she was named one of the ski industry’s “Top 15 Under 30” by Ski Area Management Magazine. Schaffer started her career at with the Salt Lake Olympic Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

In addition to serving as member of the board of directors of Protect Our Winters, Schaffer also serves on the Backcountry Women’s Leadership Coalition.

Auden is the Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company. Previously a research associate in corporate sustainability at Rocky Mountain Institute, Auden has been a trailer insulator, burger flipper, ambulance medic, Outward Bound instructor, high school math and English teacher, freelance writer, and Forest Service goose nest island builder. An avid outdoorsman, Auden has climbed Denali, North America’s highest peak, and kayaked the Grand Canyon in winter. His writing has been published in Harvard Business Review, the L.A. Times, Scientific American and Salon.com, among other publications, and his work has been covered in Businessweek, Fast Company, Travel and Leisure, Outside, and other media. Auden was named a global warming innovator by TIME magazine in 2006 and in 2007 he testified to Congress on the impact of climate change on public lands. He lives in Basalt, Colorado with his wife Ellen and their children Willa and Elias.

Rob is the Vice President of Revenue and Growth at Tonal. His previous experience Chief Operating Officer at Liftopia, the largest seller of lift tickets online and the largest e-commerce technology provider for the ski industry globally, introduced him to POW, where he now loves banging on doors in DC on POW’s behalf. 

Rob holds a B.A. in Government & English from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and a JD and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Rob is a passionate & lifelong skier, snowboarder and mountain biker and loves getting into the mountains with his wife Amy and two sons, Will and Ned.

Jessica Klodnicki has had a diverse career spanning a variety of industries from consumer products to outdoor/lifestyle brands. She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Skullcandy, the original lifestyle audio brand at the intersection of music and action sports based in Park City, UT. 

Prior to Skullcandy, Jessica was General Manager for the Outdoor Recreation Division of Vista Outdoor.  There she managed a portfolio of outdoor brands like CamelBak, Bell Helmets, Camp Chef outdoor cooking, Jimmy Styks stand up paddle boards and more.   While at Bell Helmets, she started Girls Rock, a women’s mountain bike non-profit with a mission to inspire Bay Area women mountain bikers with supportive and social rides that encouraged more women to get out and ride.  

She got her start in the outdoor industry with Mizuno USA leading marketing across their sports portfolio of golf, running and team sports.  Her interest was first peaked in the sports industry when she interned for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled and Skeleton team.

She has served on the board of directors of other non-profit organizations -- Vice Chairman of People for Bikes and board member of Camber Outdoors (an organization focused on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the outdoors).  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Park City Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau.  

In her free time, you’ll find her mountain biking, skiing and dabbling in a number of other sports that her mountain town has to offer…like curling and horseback riding.

Head and Founder POW Switzerland since 2017, Skier, father and political scientist with the aim of protecting our great outdoors

Head of POW Germany since 2017.

I am a climate-phobic winter sports enthusiast, mother of an active snowboarder and a communications expert, journalist and non-fiction writer specialising in climate and sustainability issues. I currently work as a senior consultant in a communications agency specialising in sustainability. I am passionate about protecting winters and want to be involved in climate and environmental issues.

Winter, winter sports and climate work have long inspired me. I have written books on snow and climate change (On the Trail of Snow) and on responsible tourism. I have also been an active columnist on these topics. In my free time, I spend a lot of time in snow activities and ski resorts, as our whole family enjoys skiing. In addition, my son is an active snowboarder in the Helsinki Snowboard Club. As a hobby I sometimes work as a ski instructor in Sipoo Talma.

Winters are already changing rapidly in Finland. For us Finns, snow is the thing that makes us most aware of the effects of climate change. I am passionate about protecting it and also about highlighting all the things we are losing through snow.

General Manager POW UK since 2018, Snowboarder, Mountain biker and 80's disco enthusiast as well as
Land reform and Climate campaigner,

Chapter head for POW France, mountain and snow enthusiast, environmental education professional.

Chapter head for POW Norway since 2019, Skier, winter devotee, social scientist passionate about protecting our future

As co-founder of POW Italy, she strives to activate the Italian community by inspiring others to be the change. In addition, her studies in nonprofit management and public policy came in handy for the creation of a new POW chapter in Europe. Her passion for mother nature manifests in hiking, snowboarding/split boarding and being outdoors whenever she can.

Chapter Head of POW Austria. Skier, mountain biker, climber and surfer. Passionate about protecting our playgrounds.

My drive for sustainability is forward-looking and future-oriented – the people of tomorrow should still be able to enjoy nature as we do. I founded POW NL in 2022 and since then operating like a pathfinder: I find ways to connect all the key players to solve the great challenges of our planet by working together. I’m in business with enthusiasm, creativity and passion for nature. My background as a sport psychologist helps me to understand why people are thriving or feel hesitant when it comes to climate action.

Fredrik has been engaged in POW since 2017, been a member of the board since 2020 and is now the chapter head of Sweden. Fredrik and his family live in Stockholm where he works in digital product development. You can often meet him on skis, snowboards, two wheels or running in the mountains around Åre.