Benj Wadsworth, Executive Director; chair Membership/ Fundraising committees

Benj currently serves as Executive Director of FOAC (since January 2011) and is an ex officio member of the Board. Previously, Benj was a Board member since 2000; president from 2002-2008.  Benj has served on the ski patrol at Crystal Mountain, as an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), as the director of the Outdoor Program at the Overlake School, and most recently as a program manager with the King County Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks.  When not begging for money to support NWAC, he swings a hammer running a small design/build business.

Scott Schell,     Program Director

Scott is the Program Director in charge of our education program and observers network.  He is a certified AMGA Ski Mountaineering Guide who has guided throughout the US, Alaska, Canada, and Europe.  He is a former AMGA ski discipline instructor and serves on the AMGA Board of Directors.  An avid ski mountaineer, Scott has been involved in avalanche and guiding education for over 15 years.  He is an Instructor and Instructor Trainer for AIARE and a member of AIARE’s Education Committee.  Scott is the co-author of Backcountry Skiing, Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering (Mountaineers Press, 2007).

John Commiskey, President

Board Member since 2008.  Since earning an MBA from the Univ. of Notre Dame, John has worked at leading internet companies including Expedia and Amazon.com, where he currently serves as a Senior Product Manager.  In addition to his work with the FOAC, he is actively involved with the Washington Alpine Club, serving on the Board of Directors, as a co-chair of the Backcountry Travel Class, and a volunteer instructor for the club’s mountaineering courses.

Board member since 2007. Justin is a full time MBA student at the Foster School of Business at the UW. Additionally he sits on the board of the Urban League of Metro Seattle, and is in the Board Fellows program. Prior to graduate school, Justin worked for 10 years in business system installation. Justin has been an avid free heel backcountry skier for the last 10 years and an avid climber for the last 20. He was inspired to join the board after participating in the body recovery of 3 missing snowboarders at Crystal Mountain.

Board member since 2009.  Skip is a Policy Director at Cascade Land Conservancy, a regional conservation, community-building, and stewardship organization.  He also volunteers as a glacier travel and crevasse rescue course instructor with the Mountaineers.  When he’s not working, reading, or tinkering, Skip can often be found backcountry skiing or otherwise wandering throughout the Cascades.

Lewis Turner,   Treasurer

Board member since 1998.  He works in accounting and management, but is also an avid alpine climber, scrambler and snow-shoer.  He developed the Everett Mountaineers avalanche course, and taught avalanche, climbing and scrambling courses for The Mountaineers for 10 years.  He served on many Mountaineers committees and produced several scrambling, leadership and avalanche publications for the Everett branch. 

Board member since 2005.  Alex works for the international non-profit, the Rainforest Alliance, and manages the Agriculture program's work in the US and Canada.  He previously worked for Audubon and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and his background is in public policy, conservation, and non-profit management.

Board member since 2009. He is an avid back country skier, rock and ice climber, and mountaineer. He has a work background in guiding and the outdoor industry, and currently works for Outdoor Research.

Board member since 1998. Ken is retired from the US Forest Service, Pacific NW Region after 35 years of service; 15 years spent doing avalanche control & ski area safety inspections at Alpental & Snoqualmie Pass Ski Areas, teaching Avalanche Awareness, and working with the NWAC. He provides avalanche awareness programs on behalf of the Friends of NWAC to various audiences.

Board member since 2010. Matt's passion for learning and desire to make connections across cultural divides provided they are snow covered led him to his vocation as a year round guide and avalanche instructor with BC Adventure Guides and Cascade Powder Cats. That drive to reach out and connect brought him to the FOAC Board to work on the Education committee and contribute his time to expand avalanche safety beyond the classroom.

Board member since 2004. Mick is chair of the safety committee for the Washington State Snowmobile Association (WSSA) and promotes safety to the snowmobiling community. Mick has been a downhill skier for over 35 years including many as a ski instructor for Ski Masters, and a snowmobiler for 25 years. He is a General Contractor, multiple business owner, wind turbine owner and on the Building Committee of the Lake Cavanaugh Improvement Association.

Board member since 2010. Murray owns Gordian Development, a local real estate company.  He is an active patroller with the Cascade Back Country Ski Patrol and has been teaching backcountry touring through the Washington Alpine Club for the past 10 years.

Board member since 1998. Rich is a meteorologist for KING-TV in Seattle. He co-founded NWAC with Mark Moore in 1975 while a graduate student under Ed LaChapelle at the UW, and worked as a forecaster until 1990. Rich has taught avalanche and mountain weather courses for the American Avalanche Institute, NW Avalanche Institute, and the State of Alaska; worked as a consultant with the BC Ministry of Highways, Snow Avalanche Section and CMH Heli-Ski operation; and written articles for the Avalanche Review. He is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association, a member of the ISSW Steering Committee since 1982 and secretary since 2000.

Board member since 1998. “Em” is a retired Forester with the US Forest Service, Pacific NW Region, spending his career advocating outdoor safety, quality customer service and teamwork, Mr. EM continues as a volunteer teaching those lessons.  He provides avalanche awareness programs on behalf of the Friends of NWAC to various audiences. He is often on assignment with the Central Washington All Hazards Incident Management Team (one of 54 in the Nation) managing incidents as diverse as wildfires and hurricanes, from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf Coast.

Jorie Wackerman, Web site manager 

Libby Snead