Lou Gordon: Three Decades of Influence

Louise “Lou” Gordon’s office in the Wilderness Medicine wing of NOLS Headquarters is tucked into the perpendicular intersection of two banks of offices, in the center of the activity but quiet and a little reserved. Like Lou herself.

After more than 30 years, the last 6 1/2 as NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s Wilderness EMT Supervisor, Lou is cleaning and packing up her office in preparation for her retirement. Her last day is May 1.

Lou’s introduction to NOLS happened 50 years ago, on her 1976 Fall Semester in the Rockies. With years of backpacking under her belt, she was already a seasoned outdoorswoman. She first saw the Rockies when she was five, and from the time she was nine years old, her parents sent the Midwestern girl to summer camp in Colorado, in part because they had worked, met, and fell in love at Cheley Colorado Camps. Lou rode horseback, hiked, and backpacked at Cheley through her adolescent and teen years until she was old enough to become a camp counselor there.

“I felt like I had come home to the mountains,” Gordon says. After her NOLS semester she transferred to a college in the West and never looked back. She met her husband Doug in Utah, then moved with him to Lander, Wyoming when his son, former NOLS Instructor Vince Gordon, requested dad join son in a custom furniture business.

In Lander, Lou landed a part-time job as the Saturday-night front-desk clerk at the Noble Hotel, the NOLS Rocky Mountain campus dormitory, but moved on quickly, soon hired as an Enrollment Assistant, then an Admission Officer for Expeditions. Since familiarity with far-flung campuses was required, NOLS enrolled Lou on courses in Baja and Alaska.

“Those courses were hard work,” Lou says, “and they were amazing.” When her hopes of being sent next to NOLS Patagonia didn’t work out, Lou and Doug traveled to Chile twice on personal trips, spending several days working at the NOLS Campo there.

After a stint as the Enrollment Support Supervisor in Expeditions, Lou wanted more—and she was intrigued by NOLS Wilderness Medicine. In the fall of 2019, she accepted a position as a Wilderness EMT (WEMT) Admission Officer, and eventually the WEMT Supervisor.

“I fell in love with the work and the people of Wilderness Medicine,” she says. “It’s the best! They’re like family.”

The sentiment is mutual.

“Every once in a while, organizations are graced with someone whose influence outlives their tenure and steers the culture forward,” NOLS Wilderness Medicine Associate Director Katie Lewis said of Lou when she presented Gordon with the 2025 Employee Excellence Award. 

Typically humble, Lou responds that she feels honored to be a small part of preparing people to become Wilderness EMTs.

She also recognizes the effect she may have had on Expedition students. She recalls many conversations over the years with students who faced challenges; with the help of Lou and her teams, those students were able to take a course, and it was life changing for them.

“Lou has been the steady hand, the calming voice, and the trusted advisor for thousands of students and their families,” Lewis says. “When parents are anxious, Lou’s the one who reassures them. When students face barriers, Lou’s the one who clears their path. And when colleagues need wisdom, Lou’s the one they turn to.”

Those are the things Lou will miss the most.

“I’ll miss the students, the people, and the team,” Lou says. “I love how caring my coworkers are. I really believe in the NOLS mission and what it does for young people. At NOLS, I feel part of something special: people who care about the mission and each other.”

While walking away won’t be easy, Lou has plans for retirement. After her family helps her celebrate, she intends to spend time weaving on her new loom, gardening, and traveling with Doug.

For Katie Lewis and others on the NOLS Wilderness Medicine team, Lou’s influence will be felt even if she is no longer tucked in the corner office.

“Lou is not just a colleague, but also a mentor, friend, and someone whose impact will live on in the spirit of NOLS for generations to come.”