Road Scholar Staff

Mary Hansen has lived in the Verde Valley and Flagstaff area for most of her life and she loves sharing this great state with visitors to showcase the diversity of the Southwest. She is a proud alum of NAU, with a BA in Marketing from The W. A. Franke College of Business; she also holds a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. Mary worked for NAU Road Scholar from 2017 to 2020 as the Office Operations Manager. She then took a position as Learning & Development Analyst, Lead with NAU Human Resources. She returned to Road Scholar to take the helm as director in July 2022. Mary enjoys leading and assisting on Road Scholar programs and is continually learning about the natural and cultural history of the area in order to help others learn too! Being outdoors is her happy place. Hiking, kayaking, outdoor photography, and exploring the world bring her great joy.

Chris Eaves has called the Southwest home for the past two decades, exploring the wild lands and rivers of the region. After several years in the mountains of Colorado, he started a family while residing in the Sonoran Desert hub of Tucson. There he began teaching middle school science and math, as well as leading students on field trips near and far. A few years ago, his family moved to Flagstaff to settle down. He holds a master’s degree in Education from NAU and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Western University of Colorado. Chris enjoys the adventures and historic tales of the desert Southwest. His hobbies include mountain biking, hiking, and traveling the globe with his spouse and children.

Cara Corbin grew up in the rolling hills of Northwest Arkansas. She has an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts (painting and ceramics) and a master’s degree in Sustainability from NAU. Cara came to Road Scholar from NAU’s Geography Department, where she took courses in Geographic Information System (GIS) map making. Cara has two wonderful kiddos and loves doing all manner of outdoor activities with them, as well as gardening, reading, and cooking.

Anne Doyle is a 30-year resident of Flagstaff with a master’s degree in museum studies and arts and cultural management. Her experience working with regional artists and scholars has granted her a wide range of knowledge about Southwestern arts, culture, languages, anthropology, archaeology, and geology. Always a student, you will find Anne adventuring, attending events, visiting with friends, or cooking up a new recipe.

Kristin Hooten has spent most of her life in the mountains of Flagstaff. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in Outdoor Education and Leadership from NAU. Kristin has worked in the outdoor industry in different capacities and enjoys her ongoing education with the surrounding region. When not in the office or field, she is found enjoying the great outdoors either on a paddleboard or in her camper.

Joel Kane grew up roaming Appalachian Pennsylvania but has called the Southwest home for years. After serving in the Navy, he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has worked as an interpretive park ranger for the National Park Service at Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming, Zion National Park in Utah, Oregon Caves National Monument in Oregon, and at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Joel is pursuing his master’s degree in Geology at NAU.

A native of the Deep South, Tracy Kee grew up primarily in Tennessee. After completing her degree in international business, she worked for a study abroad program in Florence, Italy, where she met her full-blood Navajo husband, Eric, while he was teaching English to Italians. In 2007, after marrying, the couple moved to the Navajo Nation, where Tracy taught at Diné College. Tracy, Eric, and their three children currently divide their time between Tuba City, Arizona and Flagstaff. Tracy and Eric both work with NAU Road Scholar and enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational activities.

Greg Webb has been a public educator and program manager for the last 20 years. He holds degrees in geography and sociology, and a master’s degree in Sustainable Communities from NAU. He has held positions as a National Park Ranger at Sequoia National Park as well as at Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Bryan Bates found his passion in outdoor adventures while working in a variety of roles, including camp counselor for the Boy Scouts and as a science teacher on the Navajo Nation, at a therapeutic wilderness high school, and at Coconino Community College. He has led interpretive naturalist programs throughout the Colorado Plateau, Rocky Mountains, and Alaska while working for Road Scholar, National Geographic, Smithsonian Journeys, Betchart Expeditions, and Grand Canyon Youth, among others. Bryan spends his spare time conducting research, authoring research articles, and leading conferences. He founded the Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest.

With a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Colorado, Cherlita Brenman is a licensed massage therapist with more than 35 years of experience, a certified yoga and nomadics teacher, and a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help instructor. While managing a private massage practice, Cheryl also teaches Swedish massage at the Sedona School of Massage, as well as yoga and nomadics.

A member of the Hopi tribe, Ray Coin is from the Third Mesa village of Bacavi on the Hopi Reservation in northeast Arizona. His father worked at the Museum of Northern Arizona and, while growing up, Ray and his siblings rubbed elbows with the geologists, archaeologists, ecologists, and paleontologists doing field work at the museum during the summer months. Ray has been sharing his Hopi culture with Road Scholar participants since 1993.

Lisa Kearsley came to love the Grand Canyon while spending her childhood summers on the North Rim as her father, a biologist, studied Kaibab squirrels. She moved to Arizona in the 1980s to earn a master’s degree in Biology at NAU and, like many who have come to Arizona, she never left. She has worked for the National Park Service at the Grand Canyon as an interpretive park ranger and as a researcher studying the effects of Glen Canyon Dam on the river. She wrote and published a river guidebook, The San Juan River Guide. Finding that introducing people to the Southwest is her true calling, Lisa focuses on helping people experience the Grand Canyon by getting them prepared for river trips and by leading hikes and backpack trips into the canyon. She is also a natural science illustrator.

Eric Kee was born and raised on the Navajo Nation in Tuba City, Arizona. In addition to sharing his Navajo culture, Eric enjoys spending his spare time building Native American flutes, working with silver, and hiking, kayaking, and camping with his family. Eric met his wife Tracy in Florence, Italy, during his three years teaching English and working at Italian camps for kids. Along with his wife and three children, Eric splits his time between the Navajo Nation and Flagstaff.

A graduate of The University of Arizona, Stewart Lasseter’s studies included creative writing, geosciences, Spanish, and natural history. Outside the classroom, he studied in northern California as the protégé of a Native American healer, gathering practical skills for personal wellness. Stewart has taught and studied ecological sciences in the Tetons, Cascades, Appalachians, and the Andes, focusing on multi-cultural exploration, individualized wellness, adventure, and environmental awareness. He is currently conducting postgraduate work at Prescott College to become a better facilitator of the health sciences—one who recognizes the natural world and its denizens as important aspects of well-being. His work as an interpreter, naturalist, and ed-venture consultant across North America, Central America, and South America reaches into schoolrooms, boardrooms, canyon rims, forest glens, and deep deserts.

Mike Masek has been a seasonal trip leader with Road Scholar since 2006, but he has been exploring the natural world of the American Southwest and the Colorado Plateau since the late 1970s. His main interest is ethnobotany—exploring the human use of plants for food, medicine, shelter, fire, clothing, and a long list of other resources. Within this field of study, he specializes in wild foods and traditional uses of healing plants. Mike’s study of the plant world has taken him to China and India to learn more about the healing plant traditions of those cultures.

Melanie Miles has worked with Road Scholar for more than 20 years. Raised in England, she grew up going on camping trips in the rain with her parents. She attended college in Redding, England, where she studied education and geology. Her studies led her to work all over the world in various occupations including leading solar eclipse tours. She worked with naturalists in California’s national parks and at the Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute. Melanie also spent time with Outdoors Unlimited as a river guide on the Colorado River. She now lives in Prescott, Arizona, where she pursues her passions for hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and cycling. She loves wildlife and has a pet cockatiel.

Brendan O’Brien holds a Master of Science in Geography from NAU and calls Flagstaff home. He has held jobs in the outdoor education field for much of the last decade with time spent as a park ranger in White Sands National Monument and as a forest technician in Flathead National Forest. Brendan loves all the outdoor activities that northern Arizona offers, especially its crystal-clear night skies where he can enjoy his passion for stargazing.

For more than 20 years, Amanda Sahli has lived near the Grand Canyon, first studying at NAU and exploring the area. Starting in the field of education, Amanda soon felt compelled to leave the classroom to help people better understand the lessons that nature had to offer. Working with native plants and archaeology, she now guides groups of all ages around the Colorado Plateau. Nature has been her best teacher and classroom. Amanda has worked mostly in the Southwest guiding hiking, biking, and multi-day backpacking trips. She has worked as a ranger and a guide at Grand Canyon National Park, experiencing everything from rustic lonely winters at Tuweep Ranger Station to baking summers at Phantom Ranch to rafting the wild waters of the Colorado River.

Buck Sanford came to Flagstaff in 2011 after having spent most of his adult life in Colorado. He earned a bachelor’s degree in natural resources from the University of Michigan and spent the next several years working in Costa Rica as a freelance tropical biologist and station manager at La Selva Research Station. After earning a PhD at University of California, Berkeley, Buck worked at Stanford University, North Carolina State University, and at Colorado State University. He joined Denver University in 1991, where he was a biology professor for several decades. Following a three-year stint as a program director at the National Science Foundation, Buck worked as a professor and an administrator at NAU, retiring in 2021. He now has a substitute teaching license for Flagstaff Unified School District.

After receiving degrees in environmental studies and business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Rich Stephens spent the next 10 years in the environmental education field and traveling as often as he could afford. These travels took Rich to 17 different countries and spending more than a year abroad. More than pretty scenery and adventures, these sojourns helped cement in Rich’s mind the value of what is learned not in the guidebooks, but from the locals who take pride in their culture, environment, and most importantly, themselves. Rich ran his first Elderhostel program in 1992 working as a hiking guide in Yosemite National Park. He has been part of the NAU Road Scholar program since 1999.

Rocky Sullivan grew up in Tecumseh, Kansas. He studied writing, American literature, and Auto-CAD at New Mexico University. In addition to writing cowboy poetry, he has also done living history re-enactments. He enjoys grilling, smoking and Dutch oven cooking. Rocky has spent time as a hot air balloon pilot as well as a cabinet maker. He now spends his time doing private tours as a Grand Canyon tour guide.

Matt Turner has been fascinated with the natural world from an early age. He was born in Oklahoma and spent much of his childhood in California’s Bay Area, then made a life-changing decision to attend high school in southwest Colorado. He quickly discovered the greater Four Corners region, with its distinctive geology, climate, flora, and fauna, which further stimulated his interest in studying the natural sciences in college. Armed with a degree in natural history from Prescott College, Matt has worked as a field biologist and ecological/rangeland consultant for federal agencies and private entities and also for a land trust. As a naturalist, he hopes to impart a unique perspective of the region’s natural environment to visitors. He has made the Southwest his home for 30 years and currently resides in Prescott, Arizona.

Mike Young has been a resident of Arizona for 50 years and was an instructor at Yavapai College for many years, teaching math and geology before joining Road Scholar. Mike uses a broad range of topics including botany, natural history, and geomorphology to illuminate the Arizona landscape for lifelong learners. He has worked as a commercial boatman, designed and constructed his own home, and conducted field exercises throughout the intermountain West. He is an accomplished hike leader who inspires hikers of all skill levels.