Christine Watson Mikell, Board chair

A dynamic and recognized leader in the development of Utah’s renewable energy, Christine Watson Mikell is an engineer by education and an entrepreneur by practice. The developer of Utah’s first utility-scale wind farm in Spanish Fork and another in Monticello, she has advocated for Utah to be a leader in affordable, clean energy for the past decade. A founding board member of Utah Clean Energy, she currently serves as a member of the Cottonwood Heights City Council.

Ron Penner, Board treasurer

Ron was drawn to the Wasatch Mountains from Washington D.C. nearly forty years ago. He is an avid skier, bicyclist, art lover, restaurant patron and general outdoorsman. Ron practiced accounting for 25 years, including both public accounting and in industry. He was the Treasurer at Utah Rivers Council for several years and is currently the Treasurer at Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. He had a column in the Utah Adventure Journal and was a regular contributor to Ascent Backcountry Snow Journal. Ron lives with his family in Salt Lake City and doesn't have air conditioning.

rick albright, Board Secretary

Rick is a passionate educator with two decades of experience - presently he teaches fourth-grade students in Park City, Utah. Hailing originally from North Carolina, Rick relocated to Utah in 1985, drawn by the allure of the Wasatch Mountains' exceptional skiing conditions and the region's vibrant outdoor life. 

From a young age, Rick’s enthusiasm for the outdoors was kindled. He was fortunate to have been involved with the Boy Scouts where, under the guidance of dedicated leaders, he had a profound respect for nature and the importance of teamwork instilled in him. This appreciation for outdoor education later led Rick to collaborate with The Norwegian Outdoor Exploration Center, a Park City-based organization dedicated to experiential learning in nature. 

Coming from a lineage of educators, Rick is carrying forward a rich tradition of teaching, blending his passion for nature with his commitment to education. Rick’s journey from the East Coast to the serene landscapes of Utah is one small example of his adventurous spirit and lifelong dedication to learning. His love for outdoor activities, which ranges from hiking and camping to wildlife observation and conservation, has inspired his desire to be a part of an organization where we can make a difference.

JACK SHEA, FOUNDER

Jack likes to think big. Creating visionary outdoor place-based educational opportunities for kids, teachers, families, and communities is his life's work. His enthusiasm for and dedication to hands-on learning in the outdoors grew large while teaching field ecology at the high school and college levels in New England, Alaska, Wyoming, and East Africa after college.

A self-described “scientist by training and an administrator by accident,” Jack put his considerable skills and talents for building and leading organizations to work as Executive Director of Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (1988-2013). There, Jack spearheaded the transformation of the long-running seasonal program into a year-round multi-faceted educational innovator reaching students from Pre-K to graduate students, teachers, administrators, scientists, and families. During his tenure at the Science Schools, he founded Wyoming’s first independent school (Journeys School) and oversaw a $40 million campaign to establish the state-of-the-art, high-performance Jackson Campus of the Teton Science Schools. This center has become the new home of the Journeys School, the Teacher Learning Center and hosts visiting school groups from across the US and around the world.

In 2013, Jack moved to Seattle, Washington where he took the helm of The Meridian School (Pre-K-5th grade) as Head of School. While there,  he focused on increasing the school’s community engagement, strengthening its financial position, growing student enrollment, and creating place-based outdoor learning opportunities for youngsters in an urban setting.

He holds a BS in biology from the University of Vermont and an MS in wildlife management from the University of Alaska – Fairbanks. Jack has a daughter who serves on the faculty of the High Mountain Institute in Colorado. He makes his home in Eden, UT.

Kristina Kaly, Board Member

Kris started her career in Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) as a 4th and 5th-grade teacher at Rose Park Elementary School. Presently she is an SLCSD Elementary Science Coach.

Kris is passionate about integrating science, outdoor education, and environmental stewardship. She and her students spend many years serving as stewards of a local river by collecting and analyzing water quality data bimonthly. As a science coach, she shares her knowledge and passion by facilitating professional learning, developing curricula, and supporting teachers with evidence-based instructional strategies.

She has contributed to the educational community by working for the Utah State Board of Education developing Elementary Science SEEd Standards, Elementary Science Core Guides, Open Educational Resources, and state-wide professional development. She has also co-taught college-level science methods and math methods classes. She has worked as an educational consultant for the University of Utah and served as an SLCSD Mentor Teacher.

Kris received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAMST), Utah Water Watch Volunteer of the Year Award, SLCSD Highly Effective Math Teaching Award, SLCSD Fifth Grade Team Award, University of Utah Art and Science Integration grant, and the iUTAH grant.

Kris earned a B.S. in environmental studies from the University of Utah and a M.A.T. from Westminster College. She is certified in first through eighth elementary education. Recent professional development includes Elementary STEM Endorsement, Keystone Science School Educator Program, NOAA Climate Change Educator Workshop, and Utah Science Leadership Conference.

During her free time, Kris likes to immerse herself in wilderness. She lives in Salt Lake City.

Melissa fields, board member

Melissa Fields is a wife, mother, freelance writer and editor and—since the moment she migrated from Michigan to Utah more than 25 years ago—a huge fan of the Wasatch Mountains. In addition to serving on the Wasatch Mountain Institute board, Melissa has served on the Cottonwood Heights Parks, Trails & Open Space Committee since it was conceived in 2019. Melissa has also donated her time to the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, Utah Open Lands and the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance. When not at her laptop completing assignments for Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance, Ski Utah, Utah Office of Tourism, Salt Lake Magazine, Park City Magazine and many other outlets, Melissa can most often be found hiking, pedaling, skiing or climbing.

Jill baillie, board member

Jill Baillie is an accomplished and highly passionate educator with 30 years of experience in outdoor and general education. Starting her education career in adventure therapy programs, Jill knows the powerful impact outdoor learning has on the emotional, behavioral, and intellectual development of the child. She has extensive experience in private and public education, currently leading a majority minority middle school in central Salt Lake City. After sending 250 students to Wasatch Mountain Institute, Jill joined the board to help further WMI’s mission of creating more equitable access to nature for children of color. When Jill is not working, she is enjoying the open spaces of our great state.   

joel Trachtenberg, MD, board member

Diane maggipinto, Board member

Diane has lived in Utah longer than her native New England, and brought west with her a love of outdoor experiences thanks to idyllic opportunities in a simpler world. Her family vacationed summers on Cape Cod in a Cox pop-up camper, the days spent lingering at the ocean, on the bay, or dipping in a cold kettle pond. Winter weekends traveling by Oldsmobile station wagon brought them to a winterized single-wide in a Vermont campground of similars, equally buffered for snows.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government, and by happenstance landed in radio, as a host, news anchor, reporter, live emcee, and voiceover talent, working in Vermont, Montana, and Utah, and most recently at 90.1, the NPR member station KUER.

She also earned a Master of Legal Studies at SJ Quinney College of Law. Current work includes Great Salt Lake advocacy, podcast production, and voiceover.Her interests are many and shifting, including alpine and nordic skiing, camping, hiking, biking, and traveling with the family, cooking, baking, gardening, reading, irregular ukulele playing, and cardio. Diane' s household includes a spouse, two teens, a pair of cats, and an old dog.

Adrienne Bell, BOard member

Adrienne serves as a real estate and development counsel and strategic advisor to renewable energy developers in connection with the development, financing, buying and selling of utility-scale wind, solar, storage, and geothermal energy projects. She has worked on projects within our footprint as well as across the country. She also provides legal and real estate council on land use and zoning matters, including public lands issues. Along with other attorneys, she assists clients with obtaining state and local tax incentives for renewable projects.

Adrienne has a Bachelors from University of Chicago, a Masters from University of Texas Austin, and a J.D. from Quinney College of Law, University of Utah.

HILARY LAMBERT, Board Member

Hilary believes in the power of play to inspire learning and the power of nature to inspire our souls. She is enthusiastic about connecting children of all ages and their families to the environment through hands-on, place-based outdoor and environmental education opportunities. She first experienced the myriad benefits of learning though outdoor exploration at summer camp outside her hometown of Richmond, Virginia.

Drawn west by the allure of bigger mountains, Hilary has guided sea kayaking in Alaska and multi-sport trips for teens all over Northern California. She moved to Utah to serve as an environmental educator at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and fell in love with the granite peaks and excellent skiing of the Wasatch Mountains and the paddling opportunities in the Great Salt Lake and Utah’s rivers. She taught second grade and served as an Outdoor Program faculty member at the Waterford School in Sandy, Utah. When her family moved north for a few years she continued pursuing ways to connect kids with nature through science instruction. She taught first grade at the Madeleine Choir School and served on the Diocesan Science Committee, bringing the Next Generation Science Standards to her students and to other teachers as a professional development leader. 

A current PhD student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah, Hilary does research on camp-school partnerships and aspires to be a college professor working across the fields of education and parks and recreation. Hilary has a BA in Geography from The University of Mary Washington and an M.Ed. In Curriculum and Instruction from Weber State University. She lives with her husband, two young children, and golden retriever in Salt Lake City, UT.