NOLS Appoints Molly Barnes as Interim Vice President for Wilderness Medicine

President Sandy Colhoun is pleased to announce that Molly Barnes has been named interim vice president for Wilderness Medicine, effective March 2, 2026.

Wilderness Medicine is central to the mission of NOLS. For decades, NOLS Wilderness Medicine has set the global standard for training people to recognize, treat, and prevent medical emergencies in remote and resource-limited environments—equipping students, outdoor professionals, search and rescue teams, and everyday adventurers with the judgment and skills to respond when definitive care is hours or days away.

“Following a rigorous national search that drew an exceptional pool of leaders in wilderness education and healthcare, Barnes emerged as the clear choice,” said Colhoun. “Her rare combination of instructional excellence, field expertise, and institutional leadership makes her uniquely qualified to lead and elevate our Wilderness Medicine program worldwide.”

Barnes currently serves as a Tier 3 Wilderness Medicine Instructor at NOLS, where she leads and precepts Wilderness First Aid courses and has helped teach the organization’s Instructor Training Course. In 2025, she received the Wilderness Medicine Instructor Excellence Award, recognizing her instructional expertise and commitment to mentoring fellow instructors.

Prior to her current role, Barnes co-founded and served for nearly two decades as Head of School at the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado. There she oversaw academic and operational programming, faculty leadership, admissions, donor relations, and strategic planning, while also leading expeditions and serving as anEvacuation Coordinator. She previously served as an elected board member of the St. Vincent General Hospital District and as a member of Lake County Search & Rescue—experience that grounds her leadership in both rural healthcare systems and backcountry emergency response.

Barnes holds an MBA from the University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business and has completed executive leadership training at the Center for Creative Leadership.

“NOLS has played an important role in my professional and personal growth since I was in my late teens, and I have loved both my time in the field and lately as a WFA instructor,” she said. “While I will miss the regular engagement in the classroom, I am humbled and deeply honored to have the opportunity to help shepherd NOLS Wilderness Medicine into its next chapter.

Over the coming months, Barnes will focus on reinforcing the core management strength of the Wilderness Medicine team, deepening partner relationships, and clarifying a growth strategy that expands access while maintaining NOLS’ high standards.

She will spend her first week with the NOLS Executive Team before transitioning into a full-time capacity with Wilderness Medicine later in March, connecting with partners and staff across the organization.