Hamish Williams, Executive Director
Hailing from a small village on the outskirts of London, Hamish started his outdoor journey rambling through the English countryside surrounding his childhood home. He was fortunate to be raised by two ski crazed parents who carried him around the mountains until he learned enough to keep up with them on the icy slopes. The Alps whet his appetite for big adventures, and during the non-winter season Hamish spent his time planning future mountain escapades and dreaming of wilder and wilder places. This journey eventually took him to the Western U.S. where he found big mountains with very fluffy snow.
Hamish is a big believer in outdoor accessibility for all, and has made it his life’s work to get everyone he meets to engage in outdoor recreation in some capacity. He has a background in facilitating intentional therapeutic outdoor experiences, and believes that though humanity has evolved to avoid many of the difficulties that a life outside previously presented to us, we haven’t moved beyond our intrinsic need to connect with the natural world. He has a passion for trauma informed care and the reduction of childhood adverse experiences and believes in the power of leveraging experiences during the formative years of our lives to find connection and help break the chain of generational trauma.
When he isn’t spending time scrambling, climbing, or otherwise playing in the Wasatch Mountains, Hamish likes to cook, make things, and spend time with his partner Carly and their dog, Hugo.
Tim Grayson, Program Director
Tim grew up in the Boston area, spending much of his childhood exploring the beaches of Cape Cod and the mountains of northern New England. He received his Bachelor's degree from Colby College in Waterville, ME, where he studied biology and environmental science. He pursued his Master's degree in Education from Simmon's College in Boston, before moving West to continue his education with the Teton Science Schools in Jackson, WY. He moved to Salt Lake CIty in 2010 where he lives with his wife and two children. Tim is a passionate educator, and has spent his professional career working with students to help them realize their potential. He is a licensed special education teacher and K-12 administrator, having worked in a variety of educational settings and schools over his career. He believes that all students should be able to access the resources and support that they need to achieve their goals. Tim is an avid outdoorsman, and in his spare time enjoys skiing, hiking, and playing in the Wasatch Mountains with his family and friends.
Lara Chho, Outreach coordinator, Instructor, Nature Center host
Lara is passionate about deepening connection to place and community and brings a diverse set of skills to her work as outreach coordinator and field instructor. Formally trained in the arts, she spent over a dozen years studying and working in language, culture and the arts in Japan.
What she enjoys the most about field instructing are the opportunities to respond creatively to the 'teachable moments' in an outdoor classroom, and the creativity and curiosity of young learners. As Outreach Coordinator, she seeks to expand opportunities for those who have historically been excluded from outdoor spaces, and to strengthen partnerships with like-minded organizations.
In addition to her work with WMI, she is an advocate and activist for Great Salt Lake, a collaborator in the work of Sundance Nature Alliance, and an amateur birder. She calls Park City home, along with her family which includes three amazing young adults, a Japanese rescue dog, and a beloved husband.
Sydney Murray, Instructor
Sydney grew up developing her love for nature under the canopy of the southeastern deciduous forests that made up her home state of Virginia. She fell in love with the sun and all things it nourished with its light and energy through her time spent hiking the Shenandoah mountains, kayaking, and horseback riding. Sydney obtained her undergraduate degree in International Social Justice with a minor in Environmental Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2020. She is now pursuing her Masters in the University of Utah's Environmental Humanities graduate program. As a dedicated yoga practitioner and once instructor, Sydney is passionate about illustrating connections between mindfulness and our natural environment.
Her career and developmental goals involve working with children of primarily marginalized communities to facilitate experiential learning opportunities in and about nature that incorporate mindful practices to promote mental/emotional sustainability and environmental stewardship. One of her projects that reflects the culmination of these passions is the 2023 Camping in Color overnight program, a camping trip designed in partnership with WMI for black youth and their families to enhance a sense of belonging, engagement, and appreciation in the outdoors. Outside of her school studies and work with WMI, Sydney can be found on her yoga mat or bike, listening to and creating music, gardening, nerding out over ecology, and hiking/camping around the seemingly endless and vast landscape of Utah!
fiona maruca, Instructor
Fiona grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA where she found a love for running and frolicking through the Wissahickon Valley Park, a natural area in Philly with over 50 miles of trails. She spent her summers at sleepaway camp on Lake Champlain in Vermont, furthering her love for the outdoors and time spent in nature.
She attended University of Vermont and received a degree in environmental studies and human development. Fiona was an outing club trip leader for fellow students her four years at college and explored the outdoors with kids in an after-school program at Richmond elementary school. It was in VT that Fiona became passionate about exposing children to the natural areas and helping make the outdoors accessible to all!
After 5 years in VT, Fiona was ready for more sunshine and moved to Salt Lake City. Her time so far in SLC has been spent exploring Utah’s incredible landscapes, whether through trail running, skiing, or biking. As an instructor, Fiona looks forward to sharing outdoor experiences with kids and ensuring as many people as possible benefit from our beautiful natural surroundings.
Marian Cartin, Instructor
Growing up on a farm gave Marian an opportunity to explore and discover the natural world alongside her family. This lead to a career path in outdoor and environmental education. Marian has worked for a variety of organizations including NOLS, Walking Mountains, and the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy. She calls Park City home along with her husband, three children, and their crew of animals!
molly burke, Instructor, nature center host
Molly grew up in Texas, spending most her time poking around tallgrass prairies. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Environmental Science and a focus in restoration ecology. Watching the rapid decline of the North Texas prairie systems influenced Molly’s undergraduate research on native grass root structures and their resilience to changing environments. Upon graduation she co-founded a small scale restoration company which works to increase biodiversity by integrating native spaces into our urban matrix.
She is currently working on a research grant synthesizing black carbon accumulation in urban soils and hopes to attend graduate school at the University of Utah next fall. As a relatively new Utah resident, she is drawn toward the ecological resilience of deserts, and enjoys spending her free time trail running, bike packing, climbing, and attempting to learn how to ski in the Wasatch. She is passionate about making the outdoors an equitable space and promoting environmental stewardship within young learners.
Samm Guzman, Instructor, nature center host
Samm grew up exploring the beaches and hillsides of Southern California. She attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Wildlife Ecology & Management. While studying NAU, she spent time at the edge of Grand Canyon’s South Rim monitoring California Condors, which fueled her love for conservation and interpretation.
Samm loves her pups, family and friends. She spends her free time hiking, birding, camping and wandering- on the trails of course! As an instructor, her goal is to create a safe space for children to learn and connect with the outdoors.
CHELSEA HAFER, INSTRUCTOR
Growing up in Salt Lake City, Chelsea developed a love for the Wasatch Mountains at a young age through hiking, skiing, and horseback riding. She discovered her passion for outdoor education while working as an environmental educator at Swaner EcoCenter. She is dedicated to connecting students of all ages to the natural world through hands-on, place-based outdoor learning experiences, and shifting values surrounding our relationship to nature to promote more sustainable ways of living.
After moving to the east coast for college, she moved back to Utah in 2022 to get back to the mountains. She graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Environmental Justice and Italian. In addition to her work as an instructor at Wasatch Mountain Institute, Chelsea is the Environmental Education Coordinator at Recycle Utah and a ski instructor at Park City in the winters. Outside of her work in environmental education and outdoor recreation, she loves hiking, camping, gardening, travelling, learning languages, and hanging out in the trees in her hammock.
Olivia Chandler, Instructor
Olivia’s passion lies at the convergence of outdoor recreation and environmental education. Growing up in Upstate New York, she learned to appreciate the beauty of varied landscapes and the value of learning deeply about ones’ place. While attending Hamilton College for government and environmental studies, Olivia led orientation trips in the Adirondack Mountains and conducted research projects on environmental education and community-building in rural Alaska and Missouri. She recently led camping and hiking trips in Colorado for Overland Summer Camps and is now a graduate student at the Environmental Humanities M.A. program at the University of Utah.
When not reading or teaching a first-year undergraduate class, Olivia loves to cook, camp, hike, and find new coffee shops in Salt Lake City. She is excited to learn about the human and environmental community surrounding her new home and beyond, especially through her work with WMI!
Ashley Lauren Brown, Instructor
Ashley Lauren Brown is a Utah native hailing from Pleasant Grove. She spent her childhood playing in the foothills of Mount Timpanogos. Access to the wilderness from a young age molded her life around natural exploration.
A sabbatical after graduation from the University of Utah led her to live in Hawaii, followed by Washington State. The Wasatch Mountains and mystical red deserts of Southern Utah brought her home after a few short years.
A love of wilderness and the call to stewardship influence her teaching, professional writing, and recreating. It is in the quiet of wild places where she finds wholeness. She relies on time rambling in the mountains for rejuvenation. With her husband Chris, an AMGA certified mountain guide, she finds vision and drive while climbing cliffs and alpine routes or splitboarding the iconic Wasatch Mountains.
She supplements time in nature with yogic practices, meditation, breathwork, movement, and connection to the Divine. She delights in creating plant-based meals, especially with produce from the backyard garden. When she isn’t playing outside or whipping up a vegan feast, she might be soaking in a novel, playing chess over a bottle of wine, or on the dance floor soaking up live music.
As a WMI instructor, she relishes cultivating positive experiences in the outdoors, and hopes to foster a young generation of stewards.
Carmen Bachofen, Every Kid Outdoors Fellow
Carmen grew up in Colorado spending as much time as possible outside. She graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability. She also worked as an environmental educator at the Colorado State Environmental Learning Center and an AmeriCorps member for Teton Science Schools. These experiences further instilled her love of the outdoors and strong held belief that everyone deserves equitable access to the outdoors and all it has to offer. Carmen is excited to join the Wasatch Mountain Institute team as the Every Kid Outdoors Fellow where she'll work with Salt Lake City and County libraries to provide nature smart outdoor opportunities at their facilities.
When not working Carmen loves to knit, ski, hike, and is very excited about her first summer of backyard gardening! Feel free to reach out to Carmen about the nature smart library program, or with your favorite gardening tips.
Kelley ingols, instructor
Kelley Ingols has been in education for over 25 years teaching in public and private school settings. She grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona spending every season in the great outdoors getting herself, family, community and kids to explore and learn in nature.