Nice to meet you!

Our small but mighty staff and Board of Directors are in constant collaboration planning, recruiting, promoting, fundraising for, and designing fellowships that empower and delight.

In short, we work hard, have fun, and love what we do.

Member of Wild Gift Board
Pete is the co-founder of Tamarack Media Cooperative, which helps environmental initiatives communicate their work through websites, videos, and print materials. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He has served on the boards of Wild Gift, the DREAM Program, the Vermont Land Trust, and the Vermont Natural Resources Council. During a hiatus from the Green Mountain State, he worked at the San Diego Zoo and Defenders of Wildlife; he also directed education programs at a black bear sanctuary in northern Minnesota. Now attached to his computer most of the time, he appreciates more than ever the wilderness opportunities provided by Wild Gift. He and his family live in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont.

Creative Manager
Alex joined Wild Gift at the tail end of 2022 as a freelance graphic designer. She supports the organization’s marketing strategy, designs recruitment and onboarding materials, and oversees all things customer facing.

Executive Director
Cassidy’s academic and professional journey has been greatly influenced by her admiration for nature. She joined the Wild Gift team after mountain guiding in Ketchum, Idaho. Prior to that, Cassidy lived in Crested Butte, CO, where she attended Western Colorado University. In 2020, she graduated with a Masters in Environmental Management and focused on mountain community resiliency. Throughout her graduate program, she mentored community stakeholders and students working on conceptualizing and implementing sustainability projects.
Cassidy brings management, facilitation, and teaching experience to her role as Program Director. She is enthusiastic about supporting startup founders as they navigate the entrepreneurial journey and deepen their connection with wilderness. Cassidy lives in Bellingham, Washington and spends her time appreciating the Northwest on skis, bike, and foot.

Wild Gift Board Member
Lisa began working on Kuli Kuli while in the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa. As a volunteer in her village’s health center, she gained an understanding of nutritional challenges faced in West African villages and how moringa can help address those challenges. Prior to Kuli Kuli, Lisa served as the Communications Director at Mosaic, wrote political briefings for President Obama in the White House and worked at an impact investment firm in India. Lisa has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 leader, a Udall Scholar and a “dedicated humanitarian” by the Muhammad Ali Center.

Wild Gift Board Member
Alex is a sustainable food entrepreneur with expertise in plant-based innovation and ethical sourcing of ancient ingredients from smallholder farmers in the Andes. His current venture Muyu MilQ is working to launch Quinoa and Chocho milks that support regenerative farming and also provide the perfect dairy free latte. After years living in Peru where he worked in fair trade industry, micro finance, and improving rural livelihoods through agro-biodiversity, Alex completed his MBA at the University of Oxford as a Skoll Scholar in 2019. He also holds a BA in Anthropology from Brown University. When he is not working, Alex enjoys any excuse to spend time outdoors and is always looking for new culinary adventures.

Member of Wild Gift Board
Jack currently works as the Field Operations Manager with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy where he manages tree care initiatives and landscape restoration projects throughout 1,100-acres of Boston's public parkland. He grew up in Massachusetts with a love for outdoor spaces and forests, and holds a BS in Environmental Studies from Yale College and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment. He has a background in urban forestry and wildlife research, and has worked to found programs dedicated to increasing accessibility to parks and outdoor spaces for members of low-income and BIPOC communities. Wild Gift prompted Jack to work on a venture called Outdoor Rep that focused on gear distribution through brand partnerships to reduce barriers to camping and backpacking experiences.

Wild Gift Board Member
Wild Gift helped Chris launch Vermont Farm Tours in 2009, which he ran for ten years before switching careers from food and agriculture to finance and real estate. Chris completed his MBA in 2017 and currently works for Image Relay, a B Corp business software company based in Burlington, VT. In his free time, Chris can be found binging on podcasts about entrepreneurship, technology, and design while backcountry skiing, mountain biking, or gardening.

Member of Wild Gift Board
Sarah loves her work with UC Santa Cruz’s new graduate program in coastal science and policy where she works with inspiring young leaders who are working on solutions to today’s biggest environmental problems. To both her work and engagement with Wild Gift, Sarah brings extensive experience in the areas of monitoring, evaluating, and learning, facilitation, fundraising, and organizational effectiveness from her time as a consultant, nonprofit program director, and environmental planner. She is a graduate of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University in Coastal Environmental Management and UC Santa Barbara in Aquatic Biology. As one of the inaugural Wild Gift fellows, Sarah has seen the organization grow and been inspired by numerous cohorts over the years. Sarah joined the Wild Gift Board in 2019 and has served on the fellowship selection committee for the 2015, 2017, and 2019 cohorts. Sarah has worked across many geographies to help communities conserve their natural resources most notably in Fiji, American Samoa, the Wider Caribbean, and US West Coast. Sarah splits time between Oakland and Santa Cruz, CA and enjoys coaching ultimate frisbee with her husband and getting out in nature with their lovable, albeit boisterous, dog Brie.

Wild Gift Board Member

Marketing Intern

Program Coordinator
Jacinta has dedicated her career to combining her academic background in justice and inclusion, with her love of the outdoors. Jacinta graduated from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, with a law degree in 2019. Her studies focused on intersectionality theory, gender, and mental health. With a love of the outdoors and a passion for inclusivity, she started working in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the outdoor industry. She has also worked as a ski instructor in Japan and a freelancer in the outdoor industry in the creative space. This path then led her to work with us as the program coordinator at Wild Gift. Jacinta believes the outdoors can help teach us many life lessons, and has been a place of solace and learning for her personally. She feels excited about being able to help extend these experiences to those who are interested in the Wild Gift Fellowship. Jacinta is somewhat of a nomad but is more recently based in Canada. She is committed to her daily yoga practice and is an avid hiker and skier. She also loves to read, cook, and drink matcha lattes.

Since its founding in 2002, Wild Gift has supported more than 100 environmental and social entrepreneurs working around the world in education, sustainable agriculture, affordable housing, energy efficiency, community development, public policy, wetland conservation, and much more.

Many of our Fellows go on to receive national and international recognition for their innovative ideas and work and many return to Wild Gift as mentors, board members, and supporters.

We’re on a wild journey.

Over 20 years later, Wild Gift continues to connect and empower leaders through immersive wilderness experiences and dynamic professional programming.

We are excited to continue building our community of alumni, donors, innovative entrepreneurs, and partners.