Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of four to eight members serving two year terms. Every boreal fall we hold an election for four of these positions. Having passionate and active Board members is essential to our continued progress.

The primary role of a Board member is to guide the strategy of the NOLS Employee Association. Board members participate in ongoing conversations, as well as quarterly meetings. We represent the creative ideas and pressing concerns of NOLS employees to the Board of Trustees and Executive Team. We maintain this website as a clearing house for employee information about the school, and moderate conversations on our Facebook group and Instagram handle.

Each member contributes in different ways depending on their schedule and location. Most Board members take on an individual leadership role (treasurer, secretary, webmaster, visibility, etc.). Learn more about Board member roles and expectations below the bios.

Mike Titzer

President Term ending Feb 2025

Mike first came to NOLS as a student on a US Naval Academy mountaineering expedition in 2006. After a career in the military followed by civilian entrepreneurship, Mike returned to NOLS as a student on another Alaska mountaineering expedition in 2016. He started working for the school as a field instructor in 2018. His “home location” is the Alaska branch, where he returns each summer to instruct mountaineering, hiking, or sea-kayaking courses. In addition to his field work, he started working at HQ in the Custom Ed department in 2021. Mike lives in Lander, and enjoys playing his fiddle, caving, climbing, and sailing. mike_titzer@nols.edu

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Elena Chin

Term ending Feb 2025

Elena is from San Francisco, California, and is pretty sure there's some saying about not being able to take the city out of your heart. She hikes and rock climbs for NOLS and for fun, has returned to a beginner's mindset to try to learn to ski. Since taking her IC in 2013, Elena has worked hard to make NOLS a place where the instructors and students most vulnerable to systems of oppression can thrive in wilderness spaces. Elena loves sleeping in after long backcountry expeditions, cat GIFs, and eating vegetables. elena.chin123@gmail.com

Sarah Acuff

Term ending Feb 2025

Sarah lives in Carrboro, NC and has worked in outdoor education since 2010. She entered the field first as a climbing instructor, and then picking up whitewater canoeing and backpacking along the way. She took her ITC with wilderness medicine in 2017 and loves knowing that at the end of a course, there's 20-30 more people in the world with a few more skills to step into action during an unexpected scary moment. Her home turf is southeast forest, but she'll take any excuse to get out west where you can see miles ahead of you. sarah_acuff@nols.edu

Ron Rash

Term ending Feb 2025

Ron started working for NOLS as a field instructor in 1994. His home is Aspen, Colorado where he was the former owner of Aspen Alpine Guides, a ski instructor with the Aspen Highlands Ski School, a senior rescue leader with Mountain Rescue Aspen, and the Executive Director of 2 nonprofits in the Roaring Fork Valley. Ron has 285 field weeks with NOLS working both winter and summer courses. In his spare time Ron loves playing on his phone keeping up on pop culture and social media.

Nominations and Elections

It is important to have a diverse group representative of as many individuals as possible. NOLS has many niches, and we think it's important that the administration hears from all of them. If you've got energy to devote to the cause, then we'd encourage you to run.

Candidates are self-nominated, and must be current NOLS Employee Association members. Post your nomination on the NEA Facebook Group, including a brief description of the issues at NOLS you're passionate about, and how you might like to contribute. If you're not a Facebook user, you can email a board member to nominate yourself. 

Elections run during November and December each year. All current NEA Members are eligible to vote. New members may join once the election has begun.  

Board Member Roles

Article IV of the NIA Constitution reads: “The Board and President will yearly elect a Treasurer and Secretary from the board and any other officers the Board or President sees fit.”

President: Provides strategic steering for the NOLS Employee Association as a whole. Responsible for all "outward facing" NEA tasks, including representing NOLS employees at Board of Trustees Meetings and meeting with NOLS' President.   

Treasurer: Maintains financial accounts. Files taxes. Responsible for maintaining 501(c)(5) status.

Secretary: Maintains archives of meeting minutes. Maintains NEA documents (e.g. constitution) on website and google drive. Maintains Google Drive.

Minimum Board Member Expectations

  1. Maintain current NOLS Employee Association membership.

  2. Submit photo and three line bio for web page.

  3. Participate in at least one board meeting per year. If not able to attend, actively engage in the discussion by following up on email.

  4. Weigh in on current issues via email, which is the Board’s primary form of communication, at least once every three months.

  5. At least once during your two year term, either attend the Faculty Summit, Wilderness Medicine Staff Meeting, or State of the School.

Board members who are unable to participate actively in the above mentioned, the Board may discuss their participation and they may be asked to end their term early.