2021 Presenters

This year we are excited to be hosting two smaller Leadership Conferences:  November 20 in Tacoma and December 4 in Seattle. 

• Click here to view a list of Tacoma's breakout sessions.
• Click here to view a list of Seattle's breakout sessions.
• Check back soon for a printable version of the 2021 Leadership Conference schedule.
  

Presenters

• Andy Bassett - Seattle Conference Only 
• Ben Brown- Seattle and Tacoma Conference
• Betsy Robblee - Seattle and Tacoma Conference
• Brian Augenthaler - Seattle and Tacoma Conference
• Chris Hagen - Seattle Conference Only
• Katja Hurt - Seattle and Tacoma Conference 
• Jason Hardrath - Seattle Conference Only 
• Michael Davis - Tacoma Conference Only
• Moleek Busby - Tacoma Conference Only 
• Robin Chiles - Seattle and Tacoma Conference
• Steve Smith - Tacoma Conference Only 
• Tracy Rekart  - Seattle Conference Only 

Andy Bassett

The Mountaineers

Andy Bassett has worked in outdoor education for the last 16 years and is the Associate Director of Education & Curriculum  for The Mountaineers. Prior to joining The Mountaineers, he worked as a Senior Field Instructor for NOLS and ran a collegiate outdoor program - from the mountains of Wyoming, to the deserts of the southwest, to the Pasayten Wilderness in the Cascades. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

BEn Brown

The Mountaineers

Ben has been a K-12 public teacher for more than a decade and a volunteer instructor with The Mountaineers since 2016. He currently works as an instructional coach supporting teachers in the Bethel School District with effective, efficient, student-centered implementation of technology in their classrooms. Ben is working on his dissertation for a Doctorate in Education in Instructional Systems Design and Technology, with a focus on experiential learning and improving learning transfer through reflective processes.

BEtsy robblee

The mountaineers 

 Betsy joined The Mountaineers with ten years of experience in policy, advocacy, and community engagement experience. As the Conservation and Advocacy Director, Betsy leads The Mountaineers conservation and advocacy programming, including driving partnerships, executing advocacy campaigns and communications, and supporting fundraising efforts that result in long-term outcomes to protect public lands and the outdoor experience.  

Brian Augenthaler

Keating, Bucklin, & McCormack

Brian Augenthaler is a shareholder with Keating, Bucklin, & McCormack, Inc. P.S. His practice includes outdoor recreation defense litigation. Representative clients include the American Alpine Institute, the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center, and a variety of ski areas.

Chris hagen

YMCA Bold & Gold

Chris grew up adventuring in the outdoors of Northern Michigan and at the age of 18 started working with youth in the outdoors.  The first group he worked with was a group of 200 Indigenous youth from a local tribe and that was the moment he committed himself to honoring all people in the outdoors.  For the past 25 years, Chris has enjoyed learning and sharing experiences in the outdoors with youth, and most recently spent the last 10 years as the program director of the YMCA BOLD & GOLD Program in Seattle. His  passion lies in supporting young people to understand the transformative powers that exists in the outdoors regardless of their backgrounds.  Chris seeks to build bridges and generate access for all people to experience our natural spaces.

Jason Hardrath

Fastest Known time

Jason Hardrath is an Oregon schoolteacher and an enthusiastic Fastest Known Time (FKT) participant. His passion for fitness began in middle school, where he set the audacious goal of achieving a sub-6 minute mile, and carried him into his mid-twenties as a runner, triathlete, and climber. For his 100th FKT, he decided no other FKT would do than The Bulger List: the 100 tallest peaks in Washington. Jason set out on his supported expedition on June 13, 2021. Fifty days later, in the wee hours of the morning on August 3, 2021, Jason completed The Bulger List challenge. He climbed all 100 peaks in 50 days, 23 hours, and 43 minutes. Jason is passionate about the overlap of good mountain experiences and good education. He believes these physical spaces are our greatest forum for powerful learning experiences. 

Katja Hurt

The Mountaineers

Katja Hurt is an outdoorsy nerdette with a penchant for volunteering and trying to make the world a better place. In 2018, Katja left her six years in law enforcement to launch Wilderness Chaplains, a nonprofit providing education and crisis support to wilderness first responders.  Katja's degrees include crisis and disaster management, communication studies, and a master's in pastoral studies...but she prefers to be known for her work as a police and fire chaplain, Outdoor Emergency Care instructor and 12+ years volunteering with the National Ski Patrol. 

Michael Davis 

YMCA Bold & Gold 

moleek busby

washington trails association

Moleek is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. A jack of all trades and master of some, he started his career in trail work with the California Conservation Corps. After college and some music projects in Chico, California, Moleek moved back to the SF Bay Area where he got back into conservation through the Student Conservation Association and worked for them for the past nine years, moving up the ranks. Through SCA, Moleek was able to follow his career and moved to Washington state, where he now resides in Tacoma. He loves hiking, backpacking, swimming, kayaking, car "glamping" and getting some trail work in when possible. He is passionate about advocating for marginalized people to have ownership in their space, and to feel safe while volunteering and recreating on public lands.

robin chiles

YMCA Bold & gold 

Prior to coming to the Y, Robin held the same Admissions and Outreach Director position at Passages Northwest (PNW), a Seattle non-profit which provided experiential wilderness education for adolescent girls. She was an important part of the team that brought the PNW programming to the Y that is now known as GOLD. She has made it part of her life’s work to reconnect people from the global majority with the natural environment. Since 2007 she has been a resource for the development and implementation of cultural competency and inclusion trainings focused in outdoor educational settings. She is always looking for new adventures. When asked she will tell you her greatest adventure is being the mother of five children. For the past ten years Robin has been a beach naturalist and volunteer marine science interpreter at the Seattle Aquarium.

Steve Smith

Experiential Consulting

Steve Smith is a risk management consultant who works primarily with outdoor education and experiential learning programs. His career has included administrative leadership roles with Outward Bound and the Student Conservation Association, and he has contributed to The Mountaineers as a volunteer, magazine author, and former staff member. He spent three years as the chair of the Wilderness Risk Management Conference and has presented annually at that conference since 2010.

Tracy Rekart

McCarthy Consulting

Tracy Rekart guides people to skillfully lead on purpose. She is a dynamic facilitator respected for her energetic style, deep thinking, and genuine care. Tracy develops and delivers leadership programs, consults with global organizations and coaches teams on HOW to live into their vision and purpose, and maintains an individual coaching practice. Tracy has been a conservationist and mountain enthusiast from a young age. Stay tuned for her forthcoming book on leadership.