Megan Birzell – President (Seattle, Washington)
Washington State Director, The Wilderness Society
Although born a flatlander, Megan was introduced to Colorado’s champagne powder at the tender age of 3, which set the course of her life. She moved West for college, where she fell in love with the quiet and solitude of backcountry skiing and decided to devote her career to protecting wild places. She holds degrees in recreation management and forestry from the University of Montana and Northern Arizona University. The meanders of life brought her to Seattle several years ago. When it’s not snowing, she enjoys hiking, backpacking, and climbing with her family. She joined the WWA board because she believes everyone should have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of wild winter.
Jennifer Miller – Vice President (Denver, Colorado)
Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician
Jen was born in Colorado and has been fortunate to live and work in most Western States. She spent 12 years working for Outward Bound, NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute, and for a variety of university outdoor programs, mountain guiding companies, and as a ski patroller. She believes that time outside provides unparalleled solace and hopes to inspire others to follow their outdoor pursuits and passions with curiosity, respect for all seasons and an eagerness to advocate and protect our essential wild spaces. When not outside enjoying the snow or a stellar mountain bike ride, Jen does time in a hospital setting.
Jaime Musnicki – Treasurer (Victor, Idaho)
Mountain Guide, Business Owner
Jaime began her love affair with winter at the bright young age of two, when her parents first put her on skis in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Eventually, she moved west, settling in the Teton area of Wydaho in 2002. Jaime spent 10-plus years working for NOLS, teaching wilderness and leadership skills on expeditions in AK, WY, BC, WA, WY, and ID. She co-supervised NOLS’s winter/backcountry skiing program based in Driggs, ID for several seasons before becoming the Executive Director of the American Avalanche Association from 2013 to 2018. In July 2018, Jaime embarked on the adventure of small business ownership and has been running Teton Fasteners, a mobile hardware store serving building contractors in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley, ever since. She continues to work occasional courses for NOLS and ski guides and teaches avalanche courses for Yostmark Backcountry Tours. Her favorite backcountry adventure partner is her always-enthusiastic yellow dog, Telly.
Marla Bailey – Secretary (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)
Head of Business Planning, Flylow Gear
After 13+ years at Smartwool, holding numerous positions from Inventory Analyst to Head of Strategic Planning, she now leads all-things-business-planning for Flylow, an outerwear brand founded on skiing and now expanding into other outdoor pursuits. As an avid backcountry skier, mountain biker, river runner, backpacker, and reluctant snowmobile owner, Marla’s passions to preserve wild places and protect their awe-inspiring ecosystems run authentically deep, fueling a drive to contribute her energy towards action-based conservation organizations like Winter Wildlands Alliance. In her words, “We—businesses and individuals alike—depend on nature as much as nature depends upon us. It’s our shared responsibility: one that should, and can, unite us all in a collective cause.”
Scott White – President Emeritus (Boise, Idaho)
Systems Architect, Hewlett-Packard
Scott is a longtime endurance athlete who grew up climbing, cycling, and running in the Arizona desert. After landing a job in Boise after graduate school, he made the trek north and quickly realized that winter is not just a theoretical season in Idaho. Scott and his wife, Mallory, immediately embraced recreating on snow and have both been avid backcountry snowboarders and skiers, as well as Nordic skiers, for the last 25 years. Scott believes in the transformative power of wilderness experiences, especially in winter, and spends as much time as possible in the mountains with friends and family.
Laura Yale (Missoula, Montana)
Documentary Filmmaker, Writer
Another Colorado native, Laura’s focus is on stories of land and waterscapes and how they inexorably shape us. Winter is her favorite season, and she has no shame in admitting that most of her life decisions are based on maximizing her time on skis. With a degree in journalism and a background in political organizing, she offers a well-grounded approach to unearthing historical, political, geographical, and emotional contexts. Laura is invested in collaborative storytelling and moving beyond extractive and biased approaches. Some of her films, like Jumbo Wild and Treeline, hope to inspire a deeper relationship between recreation and conservation.
Mary Beth Hennessy (Bishop, California)
Retired United States Forest Service Ecosystem Planner
Mary Beth retired from a career with the USDA Forest Service in 2019. Her early career included seasonal work with both the Forest Service and National Park Service as well as in environmental education. She most enjoyed her time before becoming a full time employee: wilderness ranger in the summer and time off in the winter for backcountry ski adventures and volunteer Nordic ski patrol where she conducted snow surveys, ski patrol and trail maintenance. The last years of her career with the Forest Service included overseeing forest planning, engaging in winter travel management planning and a variety of other land management policy issues in the Pacific Southwest region. A native of California, annual family vacations in the Sierra Nevada established her love of the mountains. She currently lives in Bishop on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. When not skiing, she enjoys gardening, backpacking, birding, and playing mountain dulcimer.
Frazier Miller (Portola Valley, CA)
Board Director, Advisor & CEO Coach
Born into a ski family, Frazier spent most of his childhood vacations on I-70 between Kansas City and Aspen Colorado. With a father who was a former Nordic ski olympian (alternate), and a grandfather who raced for Dartmouth in the 1936 Dartmouth/Harvard race at Tuckerman’s Ravine, he really had no choice in childhood activities. It wasn’t until he lived in Alaska that he found his way to backcountry skiing. After a spring day on Hatcher’s Pass on a pair of 210 (70 underfoot) Karhus, Frazier fell in love with all things winter backcountry. His love of the outdoors has taken him all over the world on various mountain and backcountry adventures over the last 3 decades. Professionally, Frazier has spent 20 years in technology in the Bay Area where his passion is working with early-stage technology companies and their investors. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Outside of work and skiing, Frazier shares a rowdy 3-boy household with his wife and backcountry partner Tia. The Miller family calls Kirkwood their home resort and both Frazier and Tia still keep their heels free all these years later. It’s a dream of theirs that one of their boys may one day follow.
Jason Pouncy (Northeast US / Nosara, Costa Rica)
Turnaround Specialist, Co-founder, Virtuoso Strategic Group
Jason’s passion for the mountains had humble beginnings riding the icy slopes of Connecticut & Vermont. From there, his evolution in the sport took him to demanding ascents and descents across the globe including Chile, Central B.C., & Alaska. Jason’s penchant for progression has also influenced his professional life in which he began his career as an investment banker at UBS Warburg. He used that as a platform to become a turnaround specialist at firms including The Monitor Group & American Capital Ltd., where he sought stakeholder value by working on special situations such as restructurings, carve-outs and repositionings. He is founder of the Virtuoso Group and has numerous partnerships across the consumer business landscape. Jason is also an avid surfer and splits his time between his native Northeast and Nosara, Costa Rica.
Denis Tuzinovic (Seattle, WA)
Environmental Coordinator, Patagonia
In his first five years, Denis grew Patagonia’s environmental program in Seattle five-fold, and created strong relationships with local non-profits. Denis is involved in DEI initiatives at Patagonia and helps lead their LGBTQ+ Community Group, where he works closely with leadership to ensure equitable representation for the LGBTQ+ community within Patagonia. He also volunteers for the Raincoast Conservation Foundation as their US Operations Coordinator. In his free time, he enjoys birding around the Seattle area, skiing, and hiking with his partner.
Recently termed off after 9 years of service (thanks for all you’ve done, Hal; we miss you already!):
Harold Hallstein IV – President Emeritus, Keeper of the Mandala (Boulder, Colorado)
Financial Advisor, Managing Partner, Sankala Group
Hal’s interest in ski touring has been evolving for more than 30 years. When he isn’t dreaming about the alpine, Hal is managing the Sankala Group, an investment management business based in Boulder, CO. He caretakes his local community garden, and appreciates environmental stewardship from the national policy level down to the fine weeding and sweeping. He is also a volunteer for Long-Term Ecological Research Network (LTER) helping conduct snowpack, water, and atmospheric research on Niwot Ridge. His time spent in such protected areas has shown him the spiritual value that lives in quiet places. He hopes his work with the WWA ensures the viability of such reflective winter experiences for future generations.
