Founder

Reconnect Earth founder Nick Engelfried first became an activist in college. He has been involved in successful campaigns to keep liquefied natural gas pipelines out of Oregon, transition the Northwest away from coal power, protect public lands, and defeat a massive new coal mine in Montana. More recently Nick has co-led backcountry trips for students through the North Cascades Institute, Wild Whatcom–and of course, Reconnect Earth. He received an MS in Environmental Studies from University of Montana in 2013, and an M.Ed. in Environmental Education from Western Washington University in 2018.

Board of Directors

Alexei Desmarais, Board Chair, is a Missoula-based environmental educator and program leader, currently residing on the traditional homelands of the Seliš, Qlispé, and Ktunaxa peoples. He manages Ecology Project International’s programming in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, though his formative professional experience was all based in the Pacific Northwest. Alexei believes deeply in the transformative potential of field education. Specifically, he is committed to providing opportunities for youth to build connections to one another, to the land—while grappling with the complex stories the land holds—and to concrete ways they can take action toward ecological and community health (i.e., to their power as community-builders and change-makers). Alexei loves playing fiddle and guitar, trail running, ski-mountaineering, and cultivating his small vegetable garden.

Ashley Hill, Board Vice Chair, received a B.S. in Environmental Science and an M.Ed. in Environmental Education from Western Washington University. In her education and previous professional experience, she spent time SCUBA diving and falling in love with coral reefs. During her time living and working in North Cascades National Park, Ashley deepened her knowledge of the social and cultural aspects of the Washington landscape. Now she is a consultant educator dedicated to engaging young people in environmentalism, critical thinking, and land/water-centered pedagogy. Cats, plants, and reading are a few of Ashley’s favorite things. She loves being on boats, smelling the salty ocean air, and sharing meals with people she loves.

Austin Wu, Board Secretary, received both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health, with the latter specialized in policy. He has written extensively for a variety of publications in Iowa, Minnesota, and Cascadia about local history, transportation, land use, and urban design, especially in how taking cues from historic forms of vernacular development can be a pathway towards deceased automobile dependence and more sustainable, healthier ways of urban living. In his free time, he enjoys active transportation, folk music, and breakfast food.