Wilderness Volunteers Board of Directors
Robin Jormark Bland -- Director,
Accord, NY
Robin was born and raised in New York City, but developed a love of the outdoors
and outdoor recreation as a young adult. Her professional experience includes
seventeen years at Soros Fund Management. In addition to her volunteer work
with WV, she leads trips for the Appalachian Mountain Club, maintains trails
in her local wilderness, the Catskill mountains, “ambassadors” at the local
ski area, and works as a kayak guide on the Hudson River. Robin is married
to Carter Bland and, when not traveling somewhere to hike, ski or paddle, they
divide their time between the Hudson Valley and New York City.
Debra Ellers -- Director, McCall,
ID
Debra Ellers’ professional experience includes over 20 years
practicing as a commercial attorney. From 1997-2005, Debra worked
as an in-house attorney with Micron Technology, Inc., a global
technology company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Prior to joining
Micron, Debra was an attorney for nearly 10 years with the Boise
firm of Holland & Hart, a large regional law firm with offices
around the Rocky Mountain West. Debra has been a licensed Idaho
attorney and resided in Idaho since 1986. Debra received her J.D.
degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1986, and
her B.A. degree in Economics with High Honors from the University
of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1981, where she was also Phi Beta Kappa
and a National Merit Scholar.
Debra’s non-profit experience
includes serving as a volunteer trip leader since 2001 and a board
member since 2005 for Wilderness Volunteers. Debra is currently
serving as the Western Idaho Director for a regional public lands
advocacy group, Western Watersheds Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation working to protect and restore western watersheds and
wildlife.
Kathryn Hathaway -- Director, Portland,
OR
Kathryn Hathaway, of Hathaway Designs, has contributed significant
graphic design work to Wilderness Volunteers, including designing our logo
and consulting on our newsletter, brochures and website. Kathryn is an enthusiastic
birder, and in addition to participating in an annual Wilderness Volunteers
Service Trip, she is a member of the Portland Audubon Society. She occasionally
helps the local “Audubon Plant Parenthood” by fostering young native plants
that are then planted locally. She lives in a rural area close to Portland,
where she can watch migrating sandhill cranes, swans and snow geese from her
yard.
Michael Leonard -- Director, New York,
NY
Mike Leonard grew up in northern New Jersey, just 25 miles west of New York
City, and, thanks to his parents, spent many days exploring the woods and mountains
of the East. Dogs, horses, and family have been mainstays in his life, along
with hiking, photography, the Mets, and a good laugh. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate
of Wesleyan University and a former collegiate wrestler, Mike spent several
years after college running a residential wilderness school for at-risk youth
in western Maryland, and led several 100+ mile backpacking trips through the
Appalachian Mountains. After three demanding, rewarding, and memorable years
(few things surprise him any more), he left the rolling hills of Maryland and
headed for the concrete streets of New York City, where he is studying for
a master’s degree in economics and public policy at Columbia University. Despite
his new urban environment, he can still be found listening to country music
and scanning the trees for red-tailed hawks, and can’t wait to get back out
on the trail.
Frank MacMurray -- Director,
Secretary, Portland, OR
Frank MacMurray is an attorney with 25 years of
private practice, including several years as the City
Attorney for Redmond, OR. Frank has served on the Boards
of Portland’s The Friends of Forest Park and The
Pacific Crest Outward Bound School, as well as serving
as attorney for Pacific Crest Outward Bound School.
Additionally, Frank is a member of the Bureau of Land
Management’s John Day-Snake Rivers Advisory Council
which focuses on riparian habitat and the preservation
of wild salmon runs. As a young man, Frank was a Forest
Service smoke jumper and, after graduating law school,
he spent seven years on the Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol.
Frank remains active in many outdoor activities including
fly fishing, birding, hiking, rafting and camping.
John McLean -- Director, Tucson, AZ
A third generation Arizonan, John McLean earned his undergraduate
degree from the University of Arizona while wandering around the
desert southwest. Between summer trips to the High Sierras,
John received a PhD in Applied Math from Caltech. John returned
to Tucson in 1990, and is currently President and CEO of Arete Associates,
an employee-owned research and development company. While continuing
to hike, climb, and run; John has recently added the concept of “Giving
Something Back” through service trips with Wilderness Volunteers.
Gayle Marechal -- Director,
Portland , OR
Gayle Marechal is a retired English teacher who lives with his
wife Bunny and two cats in Portland Oregon. He has been involved with Wilderness
Volunteers since 1999, and since then has led or participated in three to five
WV trips annually. He was elected to the board in 2002. Prior to moving to
the Pacific Northwest, Gayle served on the Executive Committee of the Alamo
Group of the Sierra Club and was the group’s outings committee chair. He is
an experienced backpacker and outdoor enthusiast and when not leading Wilderness
Volunteers trips enjoys road biking, Alpine skiing, snowshoeing, hiking in the
Columbia River Gorge, cooking, and traveling. Gayle is actively involved in
his neighborhood and serves on the board of the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
and is the story editor for the association’s newsletter. He is also a member
of the Friends of Mt. Tabor Park, a volunteer organization which acts as a steward
of this Portland park.
Robin Rose -- Director, Vancouver,
WA
Robin Rose currently lives in Vancouver, Washington, and is employed by the U.S.
Forest Service. As the Recreation Program Manager for the Gifford Pinchot National
Forest, Robin is responsible for managing the forest’s recreation, trails, wilderness,
and wild and scenic rivers programs. Robin has worked in the recreation and wilderness
management field for over 25 years, and her career has included extensive experience
partnering with volunteer organizations on restoration and trail maintenance
projects. Robin’s first introduction to Wilderness Volunteers was in 1999 when
she worked with a service trip group maintaining wilderness trails on her forest.
Robin was so impressed by the organization she signed on to assist on a trip
the following year, and has been leading trips annually since then. Robin enjoys
spending her free time exploring nearby forests and the out-of-doors, and her
favorite outdoor recreation pursuits include hiking and birding. Robin also appreciates
slowing down to experience the spiritual restoration wilderness settings can
provide.
Bill Sheppard -- Director, President, Flagstaff,
AZ
Bill gave up full-time employment in 1993 to lead service trips and enjoy
the great outdoors. His formal education was at Northwestern University (BS)
and the University of Southern California (MBA). After a short tour in the
US Navy Supply Corps, his career focus was corporate training, primarily in
the areas of management information systems and customer service. Since 1990
Bill has staffed over 100 trips for the Sierra Club and Wilderness Volunteers.
These trips have been in wilderness areas spanning the continent and have involved
trail construction and maintenance, invasive species removal, fence repair
and removal, archeological survey and documentation, and many miles of backpacking,
hiking, and canoeing.
Rick Volpe -- Director, Cedars, PA
Rick Volpe became introduced to WV while surfing
the web for volunteer outdoor activities. Rick’s inaugural
trip into Dark Canyon confirmed his desire to support the organization,
and to take advantage of as many trips as can be fit in his family
and business schedule. Rick and his wife Marge have enjoyed
backpacking, canoeing and camping with their four children from Maryland’s
Eastern Shore to the rocky coast of Maine. They have also completed
numerous church trips to Mexico’s Yucatan to construct churches
and medical clinics.
As recent empty nesters, they are venturing more to the wide-open west, into the heart of WV territory. In addition to numerous church Boards and committees, Rick and Marge serve on the Board of Governors of Opportunity International, helping the world’s poorest people transform their lives through microfinance. Rick is the founder and owner of Asset Planning Services, a financial advisory firm located in suburban Philadelphia.
