“No doubt about it—Molly gave us the most informative as well as entrancing presentation we've had in the last few years.”・Lawrence Millman, The Explorers Club
Whether by circumstance or by choice, Molly's path is and has been about exploring unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable terrain.
As a child it was moving between coasts, even continents. Then, and sometimes still, it was remote mountain ranges and physical limits. Today, it is the boundaries between physical and mental health; humans and the natural world; and a search for stories challenging these modern borderlines.
Neighbor to bison, grizzlies, wolverines, wolves, and bighorn sheep, Molly makes her home in the heart of one of the largest, most intact swaths of temperate land remaining on Earth – the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Education & Experience
Out of the Wild
With undergraduate degrees in political science and journalism from Colorado College, in 2018 Molly returned to school for a Mid Career Masters in Environmental Management and a certification in teaching from Yale University
While at Yale, Molly's work focused on the human/nature divide; the roll of sense of place, human-wildlife coexistence, conservation leadership, and the integration of meta-cognition into pedagogy.
Molly was selected as a Fellow with the Yale Law School's Law, Ethics, and Animal Program; Yale's Center for Climate Change and Health Initiative; and was selected for a part of a year-long leadership cohort instructed by retired four-star general, Stanley McChrystal, at Yale's Jackson Institute for Gloabl Affairs. Molly continues her involvement with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative as a Research Associate.
IN THE WILD
Summers spent as a camp counselor in the heart of the Sierra led Molly into roles as a mountain guide and outdoor educator working throughout the Western United States, Antarctica, and South America. She received several prestigious climbing and skiing grants for expeditions, many of which included first ascents and descents in places like Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Alaska, China, and Nepal. Her last expedition was to Myanmar for the first ascent of Southeast Asia's disputed the highest peak, Gamlang Razi (19,258 feet).
After nearly two decades of guiding and outdoor education, Molly switched to the public sector and worked for many years as the sole female with Grand Teton National Park's Jenny Lake Climber Rangers, a tight-knit team specializing in demanding search and rescue operations.
Molly has held various medical certifications including Emergency Medical Care Technician, Outdoor Emergency Care, Wilderness First Responders, and Certified Nursing Assistant. She has worked and volunteered as a ski patroller, adaptive ski instructor, and as an assistant to people living with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism.
And Gratitude for Expedition Support Over the Years:
