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.

Caio Poletti Romano
(Alaska Program Manager)

Caio comes from Brazil, growing up on the beaches of Southeast Brazil and the Atlantic Rainforest. He has a Sports Science degree by the University o…

Read more

Canyon Woodward
(Instructor)

Canyon honed his wilderness skills growing up in the mountains of North Carolina and the North Cascades of Washington state. He began instructing for…

Read more

Cari Karns
(Interim Chief Advancement Officer)

Cari is a Colorado resident, Montana native, and credits good karma for bringing her to her role fundraising for NOLS. Camping in the Beartooth Mount…

Read more

Carlyn Cook
(NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor)

Carlyn hails from a small ranch just north of Lander, Wyoming. She grew up packing horses with her family in the Wind River Mountains and is still am…

Read more

Caroline Dayton
(Advisory Council Member)

Caroline Dayton was born in Minneapolis, MN She attended the University of Virginia (B.A., History) and The Sotheby’s Institute in London (M.A., C…

Read more

Cass Colman
(Instructor)

Cass grew up exploring the mountains, coastlines, and rivers of New Zealand. From a young age, her adventures have taken her across the world. Adv…

Read more

Cate Wood
(Associate Advancement Officer)

Cate was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA where she developed a love for the mountains and ocean at a young age. Cate has a background in higher …

Read more

Chandra Llewellyn
(Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician)

Chandra spends her time split between her two passions wilderness and science. She has a graduate degree in ecology and has worked all over the worl…

Read more

Charla Chatman
(Field Instructor)

Charla first heard of NOLS while working her first summer in Alaska at a National Geographic Unique Lodge. In hopes to sign up for a Wilderness First…

Read more

Chris Brauneis
(Instructor)

Chris Brauneis is a senior field instructor, and a Wilderness Medicine instructor.

Chris first came to NOLS in 1992 as a Fall Semester in…

Read more

Chris Bruno
(Instructor)

Chris starting working for NOLS in 2009 after leaving active service in the U.S. Coast Guard. He works mountaineering, sailing, hiking, and winter c…

Read more

Chris Froehly
(NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor)

Originally from Maryland, Chris is currently based in Wisconsin. He graduated from Unity College in Maine with a BS in Adventure Education Leadership…

Read more

Chris Mader
(Wilderness First Responder)

That’s me on the left…with NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor Doug Caum! It’s been an interesting road to teaching for NOLS Wilderness Medicine! I s…

Read more

Chris Manchester
(Wilderness First Responder)

Chris Manchester has kayaked thousands of coastal miles since the '90s. He is a senior field instructor for NOLS Expeditions and has been teaching fo…

Read more

Christian Martin
(NOLS New Zealand Director and Wilderness First Responder)

Hailing from the antipodes, Christian is now based in Colorado and splits his time working as an environmental planner and as an instructor for NOLS.…

Read more

Cindy Carey
(Financial Aid Director)

A Wyoming native, Cindy grew up fishing, hiking, camping, and playing in the great outdoors. She began working for NOLS in 2000, and is a graduate of…

Read more

Clair Smith
(Expedition Field Instructor )

Clair was an elementary school teacher in Virginia for eight years before she decided to go to Wyoming to work NOLS courses. She thought it was just …

Read more

Clemencia Caporale
(Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician)

Clemencia lives in Western Massachusetts and works for Hampshire College, teaching co-curricular classes to the 5-Colleges in Amherst, MA. She obtain…

Read more

Coulter Stone
(Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician)

Coulter has always lived around his hometown of Jackson, Wyoming or at least near the Rockies (except for a 2-year stint, after getting his Masters o…

Read more


Call