Abby Warner: Leading by Example

February 21, 2020

Portrait of Abby Warner, director of NOLS Teton Valley, with map in background

Former instructor Abby Warner has led the team at NOLS Teton Valley since 2003. Speaking to the power of a NOLS experience, she says it can be difficult for students to “be so out of their comfort zone…Ultimately, the reward of getting through that kind of challenge helps them get through other challenges in life.”

“‘NOLS allows its students to experiment with skills like leadership, communication, judgment, and risk management in real time,’ Warner says. ‘These skills become integrated in people and give them the tools they need to make the world a better place when they go back home.’

…Warner is herself a graduate of NOLS. At the age of 19, she took an Alaska Wilderness course and by the following summer she was an instructor. She worked in the field from 1990 until 2002 leading courses in winter skills, canyoneering, and backpacking, as well as courses for instructors. During those years she says she witnessed the power of change both in her students and in herself.”

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Written By

Brooke Ortel

Brooke is a runner and writer who enjoys finding adventure in the everyday. True to her island roots, she loves sunshine, that salty ocean smell, and the sound of waves against the shore.