Ryland Gardner, WEMT

Ryland has worked for WMI for the past 3 years. Ryland moved to the west after college and has lived in or near the Rocky Mountains since. Ryland has a Master of Arts from Prescott College in Natural Science and Environmental Education and his passion for the natural history and ecology of the Rockies compliments his passion for backcountry skiing, climbing, and sharing the magic of wild places with his students and clients. In addition to teaching for WMI, Ryland also works as a wilderness and rock climbing instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School guiding climbing and wilderness trips up to a month in length. In addition to guiding in the backcountry and teaching wilderness medicine, Ryland works as an adjunct faculty member for the Prescott College Graduate program in the fields of adventure and environmental education as well as environmental studies. When he is not guiding, he can be found doing carpentry work in Lyons, CO or off on an adventure with his wife Shari and their two boys Nate and Robbie.

Amy Gordon, WEMT

Amy Gordon is an avid outdoor adventurer with midwest roots and a bi-coastal spirit. She is goal-oriented, striving for the next challenge, which at this juncture is nursing school at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In her off hours, Amy paddles and hikes to the beat of a wilderness therapy organization in northern Minnesota and southern New Mexico, empowers women through wilderness pursuits, and teaches outdoor professionals wilderness first aid skills with none other than the leader in wilderness medicine.

Melissa Gray, WEMT

Melissa got her start in wilderness medicine in 1985 by teaching with SOLO in Conway, NH, where she also volunteered for various urban and mountain rescue teams. She co-founded the Wilderness Medicine Institute in 1990 largely because she only wanted to work half of the year so she could save the other half of the year for playing in wild places. Additionally, she was really intimidated by applying for jobs. Her business plan at that time was to hire only the best people, who had the most passion about people, education, medicine, and the wilderness.

Melissa has spent the last 17 years working full-time as WMI’s Director and in her spare time instructing wilderness medicine courses, working in the outdoors as an outdoor educator, and often using her wilderness medicine skills in a variety of venues. Actually, through the years her business plan hasn’t changed much and she is honored still to work with all the talented staff at WMI.

Recently, she has taken up surfing (in warm, non-shark infested waters only) and hopes to achieve a true nose ride before she is too old to paddle out through the break. She continues to try to find a way to work only half the year so she can play the other half the year with her family and friends.

Greg Hanscom, WEMT

After spending most of his life in Western mountain towns, most recently working as a journalist and moonlighting as an EMT, Greg Hanscom moved to Baltimore, Maryland, for a taste of the urban wilderness. He is a writer and editor at Urbanite magazine, where he has learned that The Wire is closer to fact than fiction. In his free time, he is studying to be a paramedic. He lives with his sweetie, Tara Thomas (a Bal'more native, hon), his daughter Lucia, and their Chesapeake Bay retriever, Finnegan.

Brian Harper, WEMT

Brian Harper is a NOLS instructor and primarily works sailing courses in Mexico. He has a BA in biology and history from UNC Chapel Hill. It was at UNC’s outdoor program, Carolina Adventures, that Brian first began working in outdoor education. He is an experienced offshore sailor, and worked as an instructor at Sail Caribbean for 3 years. Brian is also a PADI Divemaster and has extensive diving experience around the world. His hare-brained scenarios add color to the courses he teaches, as does his occasional penchant for banging away on a guitar.

Philip Hart, WEMT

Philip Hart is a WEMT, river guide trainer and trip leader working with Landmark Learning. He is also training officer for Swain County Rescue Squad, a member of the counties swiftwater rescue team and a member of North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Team One. He has been a first responder with EMS in North Carolina since 1985. Phil settled in western North Carolina after indulging his wanderlust by solo through hiking the Appalachian Trail and sailing the Atlantic & Caribbean with his wife and son.

NREMT-B, WEMT, N.C. CERTIFIED RESCUE TECHNICIAN, ADVANCED SWIFTWATER RESCUE TECHNICIAN, TECHNICAL ROPES TECHICIAN, HAZMAT OPERATIONS AND NC USAR TEAM 1

Eli Helbert, WEMT

Eli Helbert is a WEMT working with Landmark Learning in the Southeast. He is an Eagle Scout with the Vigil Honor from the Order of the Arrow. He earned a B.A. in Economics/Business Administration from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. Eli is a third generation canoer, has numerous first descents, has canoed in over a dozencountries, and has won 3 World Championships as a playboater. He is currently self-employed blending a mix of wilderness medicine instruction, canoeing instruction, repping canoes (www.esquif.com), videoboating, safetyboating, rafting, and construction when the bill
collectors come calling.

Greg Henington, WEMT

Greg Henington is the owner of Far Flung Outdoor Center, an outdoor adventure company based near Big Bend National Park, Texas. Far Flung Outdoor Center specializes in guided river trips of the Rio Grande along the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Greg, a Licensed Paramedic, currently serves as the EMS chief for Terlingua Fire & EMS. Greg holds a BBA in finance from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Dayton.

John Hovey, WEMT
Hovey’s stock introduction may be short and direct, but his path to NOLS was anything but. He studied film and mechanical engineering, bartended, worked as an airplane mechanic for the U.S. Marine Corps, and changed addresses more frequently than a fugitive before completing Rocky Mountain and WMI instructor courses in 2005. A self-proclaimed “person who needs balance,” Hovey values not just stability, but also the pursuit of distinct yet complementary passions.

Asa Hultman, WFR

Åsa has a teaching degree from Uppsala University in Sweden and taught Physical Education and Swedish at Junior High School in Sweden for eight years. Since 1996 she has also worked as a guide and wilderness educator for the adventure company Crossing Latitudes. She has lead sea
kayaking and hiking trips and expeditions in Sweden, Norway, Greece, and Honduras. She has been a WMI instructor since 2005 and is teaching both in Scandinavia (in Swedish), and in the U.S. (mostly in English:-). In her free time she skis the back country of Montana.

Jen Hunt, WEMT

Jen Hunt was born in raised in Atlanta, GA, but somehow ditched the Southern accent when she left. She studied Geology at Colorado College, and really likes granite. Jen has been living in Yosemite National Park for three years, working for both the Yosemite Institute and Yosemite Search and Rescue. She loves all outdoor activites like all the other outdoor ed types, and always carries at least ten items of flare.

Jim Hutchison, WEMT

Jim has worked in outdoor education for more than 10 years, instructing in multiple environments for skills such as canoeing, canyoneering, climbing, skiing, and hiking. Jim has been a WEMT for 10 years and an instructor for WMI since 1996. He has years of experience working for search and rescue, as well as many years as an EMT. Originally from New Mexico, Jim now lives in Lander, Wyoming, where his current focus is raising his son. He spends his free time skiing and riding bikes in the mountains of Wyoming.

Craig Isenberg, WEMT

Craig has worked in outdoor education for the past 14 years and has been an EMT-B since 1996. In 2005 Craig began teaching for WMI and currently makes time for a few courses a year while managing the Trek Program for Gray Wolf Ranch, a wilderness based drug and alcohol recovery program in Port Townsend, Washington. Keeping his EMT skills current, Craig also fills the occasional shift for a local critical care transport, Jefferson Lifelink. Despite a strong pull to all things free heel, Craig spends most of his time paddling his homemade wooden kayak and avoiding collisions on his fixed gear bike.

Bill Jacox, WFR

Bill has worked in outdoor education for over 10 years. As an Outward Bound course director and field instructor, Bill split his time between Alaska and Baja. In between courses, Bill enjoyed many high altitude mountaineering trips in South America. Currently he serves as the director of the outdoor adventure program at the University of California, Irvine. Now he spends his outdoor time surfing in southern California's warm waters and biking to work under perpetual sunny skies. He has a master’s degree in Outdoor Education from the University of New Hampshire and also serves as an adjunct instructor at California State University, Long Beach

Renee Jenkinson, WEMT

Raised by wolves in the western states, Renee Jenkinson has come far from her furry past. Along the journey Renee has been spotted ski patrolling in Oregon, exploring the wilds of the world with teen girls, and teaching everything from art to medicine from the wet forests of Mt. Hood to the sunny shores of Senegal. Renee now makes her home on the Big Island of Hawaii. When she's not in the water, she teaches biology, anatomy and physiology, and hones her Bob Ross-inspired whiteboard teaching and interpretive dance skills. Renee has a degree in public health and has been an EMT since 2001 and a WMI instructor since 2003.

Jerry Jex, WEMT

Jerry has worked in outdoor education for over 40 years. He is currently a faculty member and department chair of the Recreation Leadership Dept. at Brigham Young University, Idaho. Jerry is the father of 6 children and 15 grandchildren. He served in the United States Coast Guard in Search and Rescue, has taught water rescue courses for the State of Idaho and for local county law enforcement entities. Jerry joined WMI on 9/11 and has found a wonderful family of friends. Jerry and Linda live in Sugar City, Idaho.

Jeremy Johnson, WEMT

Jeremy Johnson is a faculty member of the Experiential Education Department of Albuquerque Academy. He has been an outdoor educator since 1994, beginning by teaching backpacking in New Mexico, teaching rock climbing in the Southeast. Before moving back to New Mexico, Jeremy was in Northern New Hampshire, running an outdoor adventure program for teenagers and adults for the Appalachian Mountain Club. His passion for teaching in the outdoors and wilderness medicine have led him to become an instructor for WMI.

Mark Kane, WEMT

Mark Kane came to WMI as an instructor in 2004 after serving almost 22 years in the Marine Corps as an infantry and force reconnaissance officer. Six of those years Mark spent between the Middle East, Europe, and the Western Pacific, both stationed and on operations in the field. He is a graduate of The Citadel where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. In the course of many leadership positions in which he served Mark developed a love of teachingand mentorship and found WMI a perfect fit to continue that passion.When not working WMI courses Mark resides in the Live Music Capitol of the World, Austin, TX, and aspires to become a physicians assistant in his next life. After a year-long mountain biking and skiing holiday, Mark now works as an EMT in a local emergency room and attends schoo lto completehis prerequisites for a physician's assistant master's program.

Scott (Griz) Kelley, WEMT

Born in Geneva, raised in Rome, and educated in Troy - all in New York State. Scott K Kelley (a.k.a. Griz) grew up in upstate New York and earned a Bachelor's degree in German and philosophy, and a Master of Science in Elementary Education. He has never used either degree, but is still paying for both. Griz moved to Colorado in 1991 to start a 9-year career at a local wilderness camp (how many people can say that?). Just shy of a decade at summer camp, he took on the Program Director's position at the Adaptive Sports Association in Durango, Colorado, an outdoor sports and recreation program for people with disabilities. Seven years of running a non-profit was great fun and very rewarding, but not exactly profitable. He has recently moved into the exciting trade of tile setting. He lives in a small home in the woods with his three kids: Seamus the retriever (11), RIP the border collie (6), and SCorch the cat (15). Griz has been teaching for WMI since 1999.

Krishnan Kutty, WFR

Krishnan Kutty is the Director of the NOLS India program. He has been teaching NOLS courses since 1988. His areas of travel that including climbing, trekking and leading groups include, Chile, Kenya, Indian Himalaya, Wyoming and Alaska.

Tom Lamberth, WEMT

Tom has worked as an outdoor educator for over 15 years as the director of wilderness programs at the United World College – USA in New Mexico. He started teaching first aid and CPR courses through the Belize Red Cross in 1980, when he was a Peace Corps volunteer. Tom currently teaches Emergency Response and CPR courses through the American Red Cross, as well as WFA courses through WMI of NOLS. He enjoys reading, studying Spanish, and transforming himself into a 7-foot clown in the Copper Canyon. His theme for the year is, “talk is cheap.”

Shari Leach, WEMT

Shari Leach has worked in outdoor and adventure education for 16 years, starting as an assistant counselor in the Panda Bear Cabin. She has since worked for OB, NOLS, the United World College, Prescott College and WMI Currently, Shari divides her time between teaching first aid, working field rock climbing and backpacking courses, and being an associate faculty in Prescott's Master of Arts program. She is fluent in English and Spanish, having lived in Honduras while serving in the Peace Corps. Shari has a BA in environmental conservation, an MA in humanities, and an interdisciplinary PhD focused on culture and identity. When she isn’t experientially teaching about hypothermia (by throwing students into cold bodies of water), Shari can be found basking in Lyons, Colorado with her husband and their orange dog.

Erica Linnell, WEMT

Erica first merged medicine and wilderness when she switched her college major away from pre-med in order to instruct for NOLS. Despite parental disbelief, she has been playing, teaching, or guiding in the outdoors ever since. After years of leading expeditions, Erica began a desk-bound adventure as a NOLS Program Supervisor and renewed her interest in medicine by becoming an EMT. She has tainted WMI students with her musical rendition of "Gender Specific Medical Issues" since 2004. Between WMI courses she can be found teaching telemark skiing at Grand Targhee or searching for fresh powder in the backcountry.

Erin Lotz, WEMT

Erin has enjoyed decades of teaching in the field of experiential education. From adjudicated youth to Montessori preschoolers, from Outward Bound expeditions to science camp, Erin has taught individuals of all ages and facilitated groups with widely varied objectives. Her full time job is Faculty of Adventure Education at Prescott College in Arizona. She enjoys teaching for WMI as it opens doors to new people, new places and great learning of the inner workings of the human body. Erin's newest enterprise is combining her outdoor work and lifestyle with newborn daughter Violet.

Jon Lowrance, WEMT

Jon brings to each course an enthusiasm for creating learning
environments that are engaging, dynamic and purposeful. He hopes students gain a clear sense of the skills, knowledge and attitude it takes to be effective wilderness medicine care providers, all the while creating unforgettable memories from their courses with WMI. Jon takes pride in serving the outdoor industry through his instructorship with Landmark Learning, based out of the beautiful Appalachian mountains of the Southeast. He seeks out life's adventures alongside his cool wife Jennifer and their future dog, a Weimaraner (or two).

Chris Mader, WFR

That’s me on the left…with WMI Instructor Doug Caum! It’s been an interesting road to teaching for WMI! I started the journey as a NOLS instructor in ’91, ultimately working summers for NOLS while being a full time middle and high school science teacher in Albuquerque, NM. Summers traveling and adventuring with my wife were rapidly becoming a priority. In order to stay connected with the community, and continue to further the mission of the school in other ways, I found a niche teaching Wilderness Medicine at WMI. I believe strongly that wilderness medical skills are integral to wilderness leadership, so here I’ve been for three years! I have a blast teaching each of the courses and working with the excellent instructors and wonderful students!

Chris Manchester, WFR

Chris Manchester has kayaked thousands of coastal miles over the past 12 years. He is a senior field instructor for NOLS and has been teaching for WMI since 2004. He is co-owner of Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. in Half Moon Bay, California and has kayaked the second longest barrier reef in the world–from Cancun, Mexico to the Bay Islands of Honduras–on a private expedition. Besides private expeditions, he has worked for several outdoor companies in local and international waters and is one of the first and only people to have ever surf kayaked the famous Mavericks surf wave.

Emil Mandyczewsky, WEMT

Emil's career had humble beginnings around 1993 with his work time as a freelance outdoor educator being divided between corporate training, river and rock guiding, expeditioning and youth-at risk facilitation.

He was coerced to work for WMI USA in 2000 and for a while lived the life of international playboy between Australia, USA, Singapore, India, Japan, Vanuatu and The Solomon Islands to teach Wilderness First Aid. His qualification of Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT-B) sounds important and a few patients have let him close enough because of it to treat them.

Emil is currently the Manager of WMI of NOLS Australia. He gets out to teach the odd course but spends more time harassed by students, worrying about staffing and licking envelopes.

In the rare moments outside of managing WMI he can be found on Google Earth scoping new WA crags, bolting obscure piles of choss and avoiding being killed on his bicycle.

Amy Martin, WEMT

Amy Martin is a ranger in Grand Canyon National Park by summer, and ski patroller in Flagstaff, Arizona by winter. She is working on studies in public health, and recently worked in midwifery in rural Guatemala. She loves rivers, deserts, and mountains.

Eric Martin, WEMT

Eric Martin lives in Truckee California and has taught
wilderness medicine for the past five years. Eric also
teaches EMT and paramedic students at a community
college in Sacramento, California. Eric formerly worked in Alaska, doing search and rescue as well as flight medicine. In 1993, Eric attended and successfully completed paramedic training at Standford University.

One of Eric’s greatest joys watching students as they learn how to better care for themselves and others in times of emergency.
When Eric is not working, he enjoys rafting, boogie boarding, skiing and hiking.

Marjorie Mazie, WEMT

Marjory has spent much of the past 15 years working with teens through experiential education and wilderness therapy programs. Mazie has been happily teaching for WMI since 2005. Her students have described her as an energetic 6ft. personality in a 4ft. 10in. body. She is also an EMT for her local fire department. She lives on Vashon Island, WA with her partner and their yellow dog. When not working she splits lots of wood, pulls lots of weeds, and is currently learning how to weave. Her next creative goal is to learn how to play the Sitar or the cello.

Kristin McInaney, WEMT

Kristin McInaney has taught for WMI for 13 years. She worked in Jackson Hole Wyoming as a ski patroller for three years. Additionally, she was a commerical river and white water guide for 8 years on the American, Merced, Tuolomne, Middle Fork of the Salmon. She also worked for NOLS as a whitewater kayak guide on the Gates of Ladore and Desolation sections of the Green River. Currently she splits her time between two jobs: The Bush School where she teaches and is the wilderness coordinator/risk manager for Upper School wilderness programming and her Acupuncure/DFA practice where she works with clients at the structural level to resolve pain, illness, and emotional imbalances.

Lera Nichols, WEMT

Lera Nichols has been an EMT since 2003. She spent the last three years working as an EMT for SOMAC Ambulance in Hamilton, NY, while attending Colgate University. Currently, she is teaching English at Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs, CO, and is a recent addition to the WMI family. Lera is an avid snowboarder, backpacker, and foreign traveler. She is proficient in American Sign Language and Russian. She is a self-proclaimed medicine geek and is proud to report that she has never made a splint out of traditional splinting materials—she prefers sleeping pads, pillows, and the occasional camp chair slat. Lera is also secretly a bandit in her spare time. She has been known to get into mischief.

Fredrik Norrsell, WFR

Fredrik is a photographer, adventure guide and educator from Sweden. He has worked as a field instructor for NOLS since 1994. He has worked backpacking, mountaineering, sea kayaking, winter, climbing and instructor courses, and at most NOLS branches. He has taught courses for WMI since 2004, both in English and Swedish.Fredrik also has an MS in chemistry from Utah State University. He worked for their outdoor program in addition to being a backcountry avalanche observer for the Logan (Utah) Avalanche Forecast Center.His photography has been published in Camera Natura, Utemagasinet, BioFoto, Villmarksliv, Nature Conservancy and in publications by NOLS and Crossing Latitudes. His Fine Art Prints grace the walls of many homes and have been selected for a permanent exhibit at Utah State University. He is represented by Danita Delimont Inc. stock agency. For more info see www.norrsell.com.

Jamie O'Donnell, WFR

Jamie O’Donnell has worked as an educator in numerous capacities since 1993: as an outdoor educator, a high school biology teacher, and university biology lab-instructor. He currently instructs field courses for NOLS. He has a M.S. in Environmental Education and an M.A. in teaching. His passion for teaching, the outdoors, and wilderness medicine fuels his enthusiasm as a WMI instructor.

Nate Ostis, WEMT

Nate began his career in education as a lecturer for the Outdoor Recreation Department and as head men’s lacrosse coach for Plymouth State University. He then taught high school English and Physics for an international whitewater kayaking academy. In addition to working for WMI, Nate is also a senior field staff for NOLS and a Swiftwater Rescue Technician instructor. Nate feels the success of his students is cultivated by an attention to building character through service to others and stewardship for the environments in which we explore.