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Who We Are
Wild Gift Founder Bob Jonas is the founder of Wild Gift.  He is its Board President and serves as a guide and mentor on deep wilderness treks. Bob has a B.S. in zoology and master's in education. He has worked as a fishery biologist in Alaska and for the Danish government in Greenland. He has been a middle school teacher and US Forest Service wilderness ranger and has written the book, Total Skiing, published by Putnam. He founded and operated the outfitting and guiding business Sun Valley Trekking, which he recently sold after 20 years of guiding people of all ages in the wildernesses of Idaho, Alaska and Yellowstone.  Visit Bob's page on the Wild Gift Network.
Wild Gift Executive Director Jenna Ringelheim became Wild Gift's first Executive Director in September 2007.  A 2003 Wild Gift recipient, Jenna has passion for travel and the outdoors.  After completing her Masters in Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, she worked for The Trust for Public Land, a national conservation organization with a mission to protect land for people. When not working hard to recruit new Wild Gift supporters and applicants, Jenna enjoys taking long walks with her dog, Tasman.  She recently wrote a book entitled, "Best Hikes with Dogs, Boston and Beyond."  Visit Jenna's page on the Wild Gift Network.

Wild Gift Board

Carolyn Aldridge is an outdoor enthusiast who has spent her career working with refugees in S.E. Asia and in the former Russian countries, implementing small-scale community development projects in the islands of the South Pacific, monitoring the effects of acid rain in Vermont and the Adirondack mountains of New York, and assisting with northern forests environmental projects and programs. When not canoeing or xc skiing, you can usually find her doing pen & ink illustrations or creating terra cotta pottery.

Lauren Baumann is a graduate of Tufts University’s Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Graduate Program (MA).  A 2006 Wild Gift recipient, Lauren's project is called Lighten the Load, with a mission to successfully encourage three affordable housing managers in the Boston metropolitan area to make their existing housing projects as resource efficient as possible using green building retrofit techniques. The long range goal of Lighten the Load is to improve the environmental performance and reduce the operating costs of affordable housing in Massachusetts by galvanizing affordable housing managers to make their housing projects as resource efficient as possible using green building retrofitting techniques. Lauren’s personal purpose is to visualize and actualize a more just and sustainable society.  Visit Lauren's page on the Wild Gift Network.

Pete Land is the co-founder of Tamarack Media, a Vermont-based company specializing in the production of videos, websites, brochures, and other educational and marketing materials for environmental organizations.  He is former Education Director at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Minnesota and holds Environmental Studies degrees from Dartmouth College and Yale University.  He also serves on the Board of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and is the Vermont Affiliate Representative for the National Wildlife Federation.  Pete participated in Wild Gift's pilot treks in Alaska in 2002-03.  He currently serves as the Wild Gift's Communications Director and Webmaster.  Visit Pete's page on the Wild Gift Network.

Viraj Puri currently works for a nonprofit environmental engineering firm in Manhattan called the New York Sun Works Center for Sustainable Engineering. Viraj, a 2004 Wild Gift recipient, has several years of hands-on experience organizing sustainable development projects in India and Africa, focusing on green building techniques and solar power. He is an avid traveler and outdoorsman. He holds a B.A. from Colgate University in international relations.  Visit Viraj's page on the Wild Gift Network.

Susan Scovell was raised on an Oregon farm that has served six generations of her family.  She graduated from the University of Oregon in 1973 with a degree in architecture.  Along the way, she had some interesting adventures, spending 2 1/2 months traveling on Japanese freighters and months designing, building and living in snow caves.  Susan moved to Ketchum, Idaho in 1977, and later founded her own architectural firm, which she has operated for twenty-two years.  She also served on the Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission for over five years.

Advisors

Ken Aldridge is the owner and CEO of the largest electrical construction company in the Midwest.  He has studied leadership and facilitated leadership training with the Covey institute.  He is currently a director on four outside boards, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), for which he has chaired two "walks" in northern Illinois, raising over $3 million.  Ken has known Wild Gift founder Bob Jonas for 20 years and wants to help him impart his wisdom and enthusiasm for the outdoors to the next generation of leaders.

Lawson Drinkard is an architect who practiced for twenty years before following a new call to direct a private fundraising foundation at the University of Virginia. Since 1994, as a private consultant, he has worked with individuals and leaders within organizations to seek and discover their inner purpose and to help them create futures full of meaning and worth. He is also the author of five books including “Retreats: Handmade Hideaways to Refresh the Spirit”. He and his wife Suzanne are actively involved in an agricultural and educational mission project in the mountains of Haiti.

Judy Hall is the Development Specialist for the Environmental Resource Center (ERC). A graduate of Cornell University and a member of the Association of Funding Professionals, she spent fifteen years working as a change agent in the field of non-profit fundraising. In 1998, Judy moved from New England to Idaho, where she volunteers for several organizations, writes poetry, and takes full advantage of the outdoors.

Frank Lamb founded and operated Eastern Oregon Farming Co., a large irrigated farm near Hermiston, Oregon. He serves on the board of the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation, is a member of the Oregon Business Council, and is the president of The Lamb Foundation, an organization that supports numerous philanthropic activities in the Pacific Northwest.

Sarah Michael worked for the state of California, heading its alternative energy department in the eighties and was a lobbyist at the state capital. She is a county commissioner in the rapidly developing and famous resort community of Sun Valley, Idaho. Sarah is founder of the Winter Wildlands Alliance, a national grassroots organization that promotes self powered winter recreation. Sarah has traveled in wildlands throughout the world.

Walt Minnick is CEO of SummerWinds Garden Centers, a national gardening store chain he founded in 1996. Walt is a member of the governing council of The Wilderness Society. He worked in the Nixon administration as staff assistant on the White House Domestic Council and as a deputy assistant director for the Office of Management and Budget and was the former CEO of TJ International, a wood products manufacturer.

Wendy Pabich, Ph.D., is an environmental scientist and educator living in Hailey, ID, and is obsessed with all things water. She spends her free time chasing mountains and dreams. Wendy has been involved as an advisor to Wild Gift and ventured to the Wrangells with the group during the summer of 2003. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

William Pryor has had a long career in business, mainly with high technology driven companies including several startups. But his current passion is the most rewarding as a management consultant to small businesses, including a swath of independent summer camps for children throughout the West and backcountry, wilderness and conservation related entities. He holds degrees from Williams College and the Massachusetts of Technology.

Jima Rice, Ph.D., is a psychologist and consultant with expertise in executive coaching, leadership training and development; interpersonal communication, strategic planning, and creating positive work environments. In the past 20 years, she has worked with hundreds of leaders, managers, and individual contributors in more than 250 public and private, profit and non-profit organizations. A graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard University, Jima resides in Sun Valley, ID, where she is Vice-President of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden Board and Vice-Chair of Blaine County Democrats.

Deep Wilderness Guides

Wild Gift guides are trained wilderness guides. The guide's goal, besides teaching wilderness travel skills and safety, is to assist the Wild Gift mentors during the Deep Wilderness Trek.