Archives: Team Members

Emily’s love for the Southwest traces back to 2002, when she volunteered on a Grand Canyon river trip to study native fish and vowed to make a career out of protecting this unique landscape. After getting a master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana, Emily returned to the Colorado Plateau and joined […]

Eric is inspired to join the Grand Canyon Trust in safeguarding the wonders of the Grand Canyon while advocating for the rights of its Native peoples. He is a veteran fundraiser with two decades of campaigns in higher education, climate action, economic empowerment, community advocacy, and health care. After living in Chicago most of his […]

Laura grew up in southern Maine and recently moved to western Colorado after visiting family and falling in love with the Colorado Plateau. She loves trail running and exploring the natural beauty of the area. Laura spent time doing grassroots work in South Africa during college and then worked on Nepali women’s health during graduate school. […]

Brian is Diné (Navajo) of the Tsé Deeshgizhnii (Rock Gap Clan) born for the Kin Yaa’aanii (Towering House Clan). Originally from Tuba City, Arizona, Brian grew up within Grand Canyon National Park. He worked as a wildland firefighter for the Blue Ridge Hotshots, and today, he advocates for the wildland fire community and the restoration […]

Christina Brown graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer information systems. She has spent more than 20 years in the field of higher education. In her free time, she enjoys visiting family members and walking local trails in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Sedona airport loop is her favorite trail walk.

Josh grew up in Oregon and attended college in Minnesota, where he fell in love with the state’s prairies and oak savannas. His fascination with plants led him to graduate school in restoration ecology and a career researching native grasslands, rare plants, and climate change impacts on Western forests and butterfly communities. Over the past […]

Yá’át’ééh, shí éí Michellsey Benally yinishyé. Tódích’íí’nii nishłį́ Kinłichíí’nii bashishchiin Bit’ahnii dashicheii Yé’ii dine’é Táchii’nii dashinalí. Kinłání kééhasht’į́, Shą́ą́ʼtóhí déé’ naashá. Michellsey graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2009, then spent some years instructing a range of outdoor education courses in southeast Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and southern Utah. In 2014, her adventures took her […]

Steph fell madly in love with the Colorado Plateau at first sight and has nurtured her relationship with place ever since. Over the years, she has worn many hats, from hiking guide to field technician. Most recently, she led visitor-education efforts to protect cultural resources in Bears Ears National Monument. Steph holds a B.A. in […]

Michael is originally from Ukraine and grew up in New York. He moved to the Colorado Plateau in 2010 to focus on sustainable affordable housing solutions and has been committed to the region ever since. He holds a B.A. in philosophy and comparative literature from Binghamton University and an M.A. in sustainable communities from Northern […]

Melanie grew up on the California coast, where she earned her master’s degree in English from the University of California, San Diego. She developed an incredible love for the Colorado Plateau after marrying a Utahn, and moved there in 2013 to raise their children. Melanie has been a resource development professional for more than a […]

Morgan S. Abbott is a recent graduate from Utah Valley University and holds a bachelor’s in botany. Throughout her undergraduate career, she participated and led multiple research projects, including water sampling in Utah Lake and Haiti. Most recently, she has worked in Bears Ears National Monument sampling springs to examine the relationships between surface water […]

As a Flagstaff local, Lena was fortunate to spend her childhood exploring the silty rivers and snowy peaks of Arizona and Utah. She has immersed herself in the landscapes of the Colorado Plateau as a river guide and outdoor educator since 2006. During those years, she witnessed the degradation of precious ecosystems and felt a […]

Audrey first fell in love with the canyons of the Colorado Plateau during a semester-long wilderness trip in college and knew that, one day, she’d return to work in this amazing landscape. She has a background in anthropology and education and has worked as a high school science teacher and wilderness expedition leader in the […]

A resident of southern Utah, Kaya lives in a tiny home she built with her partner and tends to a small garden. She spends ample time exploring wilderness, volunteering with local conservation organizations, getting to know local ecology, and learning about environmental issues that impact the lands she loves. With a background in sustainable farming […]

Jen is a lover of desert landscapes and the water and people that bring them to life. She grew up in New Mexico hiking, fishing, and falling into many rivers on outings with her dad. Jen earned a B.A. in biology at the University of Northern Colorado and a J.D. in environmental and natural resource […]

Yá’át’ééh, shik’éí dóó shidine’é. Shí éí Amber Benally yinishyé. Tł’ízí lání nishłį́. Tódich’ii’nii bashishchiin. Kiisaanii dashicheii. Kiyaa’áanii dashinalí. Ákót’éego, Diné Asdzáán nishłį́. Tó Naneesdizí déé’ naashá. Axhé’héé! This is how Amber introduces herself as a Diné, Hopi, and Zuni woman. She grew up exploring the Colorado Plateau and sought to understand the deep relationship between […]

Jennifer Goodman is a citizen of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma and a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Law School. In addition to her Juris Doctor, she also holds certificates in Indian law and international law. During her time in law school, she gained experience working with nongovernmental organizations who represent Indigenous issues. […]

Natalie has moved multiple times to different states and countries, but keeps finding herself back in her hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, due to the unbeatable accessibility to the great outdoors. She feels lucky for the countless hours she has spent exploring and learning about diverse environments. Natalie is currently a master’s student at […]

“Yá’át’ééh.” This is how Nizhoni Tallas says “hello” in their traditional Navajo language. Nizhoni grew up in Rough Rock, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. They recently graduated with their master’s in natural resources and are now in a Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona. Nizhoni is excited about the opportunity to grow and learn […]

Meranden Numkena is Hopi and Navajo from northern Arizona. Her love for the outdoors started with a trip to the Grand Canyon and she knew from that moment that she wanted to work with the park. As a current student at Arizona State University, Meranden is interested in exploring the special events industry and elevating Indigenous […]

Jaycee was born, raised, and currently resides in Utah, where she is finishing a master’s degree in ecology with a specialization in forest ecosystems. Before pursuing her master’s, she received a bachelor’s in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Utah. She loves learning about the natural world and is eager to […]

Danya Gorel was born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas, on the outskirts of Houston. She attended the University of Texas at Austin and attained a dual degree in rhetoric and writing and theatre and dance with a focus in design and direction, along with a minor in environmental studies. After teaching English abroad in […]

Marc Coles-Ritchie joined the Grand Canyon Trust in 2017, after a number of years working in vegetation monitoring, land management, and conservation advocacy. He has worked for the U.S. Forest Service, conservation groups and consulting firms in Utah, the Western U.S. and Latin America. Marc spent his youth in Utah, where he was fortunate to […]

Jack Pongyesva

Indigenous and proud, Jack’s love for nature came early as he grew up just a few miles north of Sedona in Oak Creek Canyon, on the Hopi reservation, and throughout northern Arizona. Jack earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, balancing academia with outdoor adventures. After graduating, Jack […]

Doug grew up near Scottsdale, Arizona. He escaped the gridlock and moved to Flagstaff in 2010, where he currently lives with his wife, stepchildren, and dogs. He comes to the Grand Canyon Trust with over 20 years of information technology and project management experience, as well as several business degrees. He is truly excited to […]

Darcy started with the Trust in June 1995 coordinating and implementing the Membership Program. Since that time, Darcy has grown her position to include administrative affairs, personnel benefits, board meetings, facility maintenance and special event planning at the Grand Canyon Trust. Darcy earned her B.A. from Northern Arizona University and has been a Flagstaff resident […]

Michael grew up in upstate New York, and his love of the outdoors was born during family ski trips to Adirondack State Park and the Green Mountains of Vermont. While ski-bumming in Colorado after university and voyaging through South America and the American West, Michael developed a deep and abiding love and appreciation for wild […]

Wilda is Diné (Navajo) of the Tó Dích’íi’nii (Bitter Water Clan) born for the Dibé Łizhiní (Black Sheep Clan). She is originally from Black Mesa, Arizona. Wilda earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a master’s degree in climate science and solutions, both from Northern Arizona University. In 2021, Wilda started her work with […]

Adrianne joined the Trust in 2004 as our administrative assistant. She was born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, and attended Yavapai College. Adrianne is responsible for accounts payable, payroll, and assisting the director of finance as needed.  When she’s not working, you’ll find Adrianne traveling across Arizona with her two daughters for gymnastics events. Her […]

Ethan grew up in Flagstaff, exploring the canyon country of northern Arizona since childhood. Ethan left the Southwest to attend Swarthmore College before feeling the strong pull of deserts, mountains, and rivers that ultimately brought him back to Flagstaff. Ethan began his work at the Trust as a volunteer in 1999, and has served in […]