Our leaders are vital to the integrity and safety of our trips. Their responsibilities are diverse; they are instructors, leaders, facilitators, friends, fellow participants, and role models to our students. This exceptional group of people is at the center of what Moondance has done every summer for the past 25 years.
As a Trip Leader, you will be pushed to communicate, problem solve, and be decisive, all while empowering those around you to do the same. Each and every one of our leaders recognizes the invaluable experience a Moondance summer provides.
What you do as a Moondance leader matters. It’s as simple as that.
Anna Altenberg, 25, currently resides in Crested Butte, CO where she spends her time off exploring mountains. She is in school working towards her teaching license and is a member of the Freeride Ski Team. Her first year leading with Moondance, she spent the summer leading the Northern Lights trip. We value Anna not only for her experience in the backcountry, but also for her fun energy and her natural ability to make friends with anyone! She absolutely crushed it out in Yosemite this past summer and we are so excited to see her thrive adventuring this year.
Wil Wynne, 25, comes to us from Decatur, GA, is a graduate of Louisiana State University! Will changed lives every day on our Yosemite trip and crushed it in 2019 on our Northern Lights and Pacific Northwest trips! Wil led our Yellowstone trip this summer and blew it out of the water out west. At LSU, Will studied Petroleum Engineering and was very involved in the Outdoor Club through which he leads outdoor adventure trips for other students. Will has been heavily invested in the outdoors for his entire life. He grew up planning his own backpacking trips along the Appalachian Trail and was always sure to include his plans on his excursions. From here, Will became more involved in the outdoors through his employment in Alaska for three summers. Furthermore, Will successfully through hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in one continuous span. We are so grateful to have him part of the Moondance family!
Thomas Godwin, 23, received his bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University and is currently pursing his masters at Saint Louis University Graduate School for Social Work. While pursuing his degree, Thomas is also working as a Graduate Research Assistant in the College of Social Justice. Thomas joined us on our British Columbia trip for his second year leading with Moondance, after his first year leading our California trip. He is kind, vibrant, adventurous, compassionate, and an irreplaceable member of the Moondance family!
May May Lanier, 22, has led with Moondance for two summers now. She is an Atlanta native that graduated from Vanderbilt University. May May’s introduction to Moondance was years ago when she went on the Pacific Northwest, Northern Lights, and Kilimanjaro trips. After leading the California trip in 2019, May May led again because of the people. Meeting the students on her trip and being in a position to create a positive impact in their lives is the exact magic that she provided her students this past summer leading Canyonlands. At Vanderbilt, May May graduated with a degree in Human and Organizational Development and a minor in Special Education. She has worked as an assistant teacher in preschool classrooms this past year, focusing on students with and without disabilities learning through indoor and outdoor experiences. She is now pursuing that full time in grad school at Vanderbilt. We are so proud of all that she does!
James Kelley, 29 is a Moondance five-time veteran leader! Trip-wise, James has led our Colorado River, Big Wild, Ecuador + Galápagos, Thailand, and Hawaiian Islands (twice!). This seasoned veteran is a tried and true Alabama fan, graduating from the University of Alabama in 2015 and also obtained a Masters in Marketing in 2017. James is a connoisseur of life and leading teens in the outdoors. He makes every single one of his co-leaders and students raving fans of Moondance after each summer. It has been such a joy to see James grow as a leader over the years. Simply put, he's the best!
Molly LaGrasso, 25, is a rockstar leader. Molly has run the gambit out west, having led our Colorado Trail, Pacific Northwest, and Yellowstone trips previously. Molly went to Louisiana State University where she worked as an Adventure and Experiential Education Trip Leader and a Route Setter on the climbing wall! Since graduating, Molly has worked as an outdoor guide in western NC and so much more! The connections she has made with the students and other leaders, as well as the growth seen in each student, have all propelled Molly to return to Moondance each summer to change lives.
