Meet Our Team

Heart, Expertise, and Wildness

Our team works behind the scenes and all over the world to give you the best experience possible. Click below to read their stories.

Felipe Jacome
(Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician)

With experience as a mountaineering guide in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructor Felipe Jacome has made leaps and bounds …

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Fil Sanna
(Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician)

After a fifteen-year corporate career, Fil returned to his childhood dream of working and playing in the outdoors. He has been a hiking, mountaineeri…

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Forrest Young-Taft
(Senior Faculty)

Forrest started his journey with NOLS after a suggestion from his mother who had taken a course when she was nineteen. He took his River Instructor C…

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Francisco Vio Giacaman
(NOLS Patagonia Director)

Francisco (he/him) was born in Viña del Mar Chile in 1969. When Francisco was ten years old, an interest in the outdoors led him to join his school’s…

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Francis van de Beuken
(Vice President of Marketing and Communications)

Francis Van De Beuken joined NOLS from a background of growth-focused roles in Marketing and Sales. He has spent the bulk of his career increasing…

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Fred J. Kleisner
(Chair Emeritus)

Fred graduated from his first NOLS course, a 25 and over Wind River Wilderness course in 1992. The following year he attended a 25 and over Sea Ka…

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Fred J. Kleisner
(Advisory Council Emeriti)

Fred serves as NOLS Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus, as well as NOLS Advisory Council Member Emeritus.

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