Who We Are

Advisors

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. 

Scott Carlin is a multi-dimensional executive and producer with over 25 years experience in media.  Scott was Rosie O’Donnell’s partner and producer on her recent TV series on Oprah Winfrey’s network, OWN, and was President, Domestic Television Distribution for HBO, a division he started in 2002.  In  2010, he left HBO and founded Soul-Centered Media, a production company designed to facilitate the creation and distribution of transformational content across all media. Scott believes that media can and should play a powerful role in nurturing evolutionary consciousness by creating content that uplifts, inspires and speaks to mankind’s infinite possibilities.  A 2007 graduate of the Masters Program in Spiritual Psychology at The University of Santa Monica, Scott is immersed in the emerging area of transformational media. He has just produced a feature-length documentary about Deepak Chopra called Decoding Deepak. He serves on the boards of GATE: the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment, HRTS: The Hollywood Radio & Television Society, The Ride Inc., and The Shift Network.  Scott co-founded The Carpe Paddlum Foundation in 2001, a non-profit group that runs Kayak-For-A-Cause, an annual kayak event in Norwalk, Connecticut that has raised millions of dollars for local organizations like, Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang and Save the Sound. He  lives in Santa Monica, CA. and Ketchum, ID with his wife Laura and two young sons. 

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.  Judy recently moved from Idaho to Virginia, where she volunteers for several organizations, writes poetry, and takes full advantage of the outdoors.

Ginger Harmon is an octogenarian who has a long history of environmental activism with a special concern for wilderness protection.  She was a founder and board member of Great Old Broads for Wilderness and has served on other boards including Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.  As an international adventure travel leader, she guided trekking in Nepal.  Her adventures in Europe led to a book called “Walking Europe from Top to Bottom.”  Ginger’s wildland avocations include slot canyoneering in Southern Utah, kayaking in the Sea of Cortez and thousands of miles of exploratory hiking in the mountains of the West.  A former resident of Ketchum, Ginger now lives in Portola Valley, CA.

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 was 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.  She is currently serving as a senior advisor to the California Energy Commission.  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.  In November 2008 Walt was elected to represent Idaho's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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.

John Plummer has been involved in broadcast and corporate video production since 1991.  Clients have included broadcast and cable networks as well as countless corporate and nonprofit organizations. He has worked both as a producer  and  a director of photography on many cable network series over the years.  Prior to starting his production company, John enjoyed working as a cross country ski coach with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and the Canadian National Ski Team as well as teaching photography at the Community School in sun Valley.   Outside of work John enjoys all the cultural and lifestyle choices that Sun valley's mountain environment has to offer.  

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 Institute 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 was Vice-President of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden Board and Vice-Chair of Blaine County Democrats.  She is the founder and operator of Jigsaw, a nonprofit that serves entrepreneurs in the Sun Valley area.