Board Members

Hannah Adler (she/her) - President
hannahadler@college.harvard.edu

Hannah is from Massachusetts, but not (!) from “just outside of Boston.” Rather, she hails from the distant region of western mass, which she affectionately refers to as “Bestern Mass.” Her favorite pastimes include accidentally skiing off cliffs in the backcountry of Vermont, taking her dog Meru for walks in the woods, and saying “hi buddy!” to every dog that she passes on the trail or elsewhere. Her outdoor wishlist for this year includes running her first trail race and hopefully going on her first outdoor climbing trip! She thinks everybody should have clementines on hand for a trail snack, but she also recommends cheese and salami for ski or snowshoe trips (charcuterie at high elevation?? What could be better?). On campus she studies Environmental Science and Public Policy and plays the violin.
Grace Benkelman (she/her/hers) - Vice President
gbenkelman@college.harvard.edu

Grace is old and withered but still gets out there from time to time. She hails from Montana and loves to be outside, whether hiking, running, climbing, or going on long wandering walks. She particularly likes to look at clouds or trees with nice leaves. Do not ask her to ride a bike. She is always excited to show off her cool rock-climbing scar, her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite views are peak views!
Tyler Shelton (He/Him/His) - Treasurer
tshelton@college.harvard.edu

Tyler is a Marine's brat from the sticks of Iowa (which he loves). He came to Harvard for a journey; he found it with HOC. Tyler ran cross country, played saxophone, and survived 11 different schools growing up, but he hadn't hiked until joining the club. Since then, Tyler cares most about providing the same incredible journeys that he experienced outdoors to other students, whether on campus or on a faraway peak. Ask him anything personal physical, or philosophical.
Nate Marinaccio (He/Him) - Gear Manager
nmarinaccio@college.harvard.edu

Nate hails (why does every bio use this word?) from New York City. He started his outdoor adventures climbing mountains like Everest and Denali at the age of 4 (and by mountains, he means small mounds of Manhattan bedrock in Central park). From then on, Nate has been in love with the outdoors. After getting his drivers license and showing it off to his NYC friends, he left the city to find hikes in the Hudson River valley. Nate is fond of alpine skiing and long distance biking having once biked over 100 miles to get a cup of mac and cheese from his favorite cafe (it was worth it). You might find him locked into his work in the SEC or biking up and down the Charles listening to 90s hip-hop, folk/country, or EDM!
Sam Davidson (He/Him) - Gear Manager
samdavidson@college.harvard.edu

Sam hails from the very flat, very indoors but gloriously beard-filled Brooklyn, NY. To try to match the facial hair of the hipsters and hasidim back home, he started venturing into the great outdoors on his gap year where he heard you can grow a killer beard. All he got was some bushy scruff that his (very loving) mom called evocative of Ted Kaczynski, but it turned out that mountains were pretty cool too. On the trail you can find him whistling out of key or doubled-over panting on a so-called “trail run.” On campus you can find him doing the slow parts of a fartlek run (trust him, he just did some sprints), listening to his bangers-only hiking playlist on the stairmaster, or hiding in the basement of Lamont away from the sun’s harsh rays. Ask him (or don’t) about poles (hiking, magnetic, or otherwise), his love-hate relationship with baby powder, or his middle-school khaki addiction.
Lily Farden (she/they) - Trip Manager
lfarden@college.harvard.edu

Lily comes from a town by the ocean on the south shore of Massachusetts, where as a child she quickly developed a knack for getting “lost” (exploring in my 6 year old opinion) in the outdoors. (Seriously. The adults at a neighborhood block party once spent two hours searching for her only to find her in the woods swinging on a makeshift tarzan jungle rope). While her navigational skills have improved, her love for the outdoors has remained a strong part of her life, especially over the past 4 years, where she developed a healthy(?) obsession with the hiking challenges of the New Hampshire white mountains. She is known for giving superior advice on outdoor adventure, such as, “it’s so easy to stay warm if you just don’t get cold,” and, “you won’t realize you’re tired if you just don’t stop.” Her biggest outdoor accomplishments include being the sweatiest person on every hike she’s ever done, and creating her world famous “post hike energy” playlist. Hiking, backpacking, camping, camp-firing, cliff jumping, and beach games are some of Lily’s favorite outdoor activities. When she’s not busy touching grass in some form or another, she enjoys playing guitar, seeing live music, trying new food places, supporting her favorite Boston sports teams (sorry), and watching stand up comedy. As an intended psychology concentrator, she’s looking forward to learning more about what it really is within her that draws her so strongly to the outdoors.
Daniel Morales Rosales (He/Him) - Diversity and Inclusion Chair
danielmoralesrosales@college.harvard.edu

Daniel hails from the Sun (Tucson, Arizona), where he slowly but surely grew into his appreciation for all things nature. Nature truly seized his heart on a 3-week long backpacking trip in high school to the far and vast mountains of Alaska. Under the perpetual sunlight there, he learned (but promptly forgot) FOUR proper knots, how to fall kneedeep into mud with style, and the most effective bear calls (very loud singing). Who needs bear repellent when his loud and proud singing horrifies any animal within a 1.3-mile radius? When he’s not in the backcountry, he’s trying new baking recipes (and takes great pride in his claim of the best chocolate chip cookie recipe), fanboying over the new Marvel/Star Wars project, or chasing down sunsets with his camera, affectionately named Shutter. On the trail, expect Shutter to accompany him, even in the wettest weather.
Andrew Nober (He/Him) - Social Chair
andrewnober@college.harvard.edu

Andrew could not be reached for comment, but that's okay.
Fiona Brainerd (she/her) - Social Chair
fbrainerd@college.harvard.edu

Fiona came to Harvard from the green oasis of New York City. From a young age she was forced to spend weekends on her grandparents’ (wifi-less) farm in Connecticut, where she became an outdoor enthusiast and climbed many a tree. She has since fallen in love with outdoor climbing, backpacking, skiing, and all types of camping, and dedicated her gap year to the pursuit of these interests. In the wild you can find Fiona cuddling her backcountry bread dough, hunting for good hammock spots, and fiercely debating which clif bar flavor is superior (it’s cool mint chocolate). In the front country she can be found sailing, reading trashy books, and still adamant about clif bars.
Thomas Cardenas (he/him) - Secretary
thomascardenas@college.harvard.edu

Throughout his life, Thomas has found joy in electrocuting and making a fool out of himself (not necessarily in that order), so naturally he's found himself pursuing electrical engineering and performing arts as major academic and career interests - sadly though, because one pays so much better than the other and he [will] need to provide for his family, it seems that capitalism has forced him to eventually become an actor. But as recently as two years ago Thomas found his third love: wading through swamps while mosquitoes eat him alive in 105° heat, or as non-Floridians call it, hiking. Hiking in his natural habitat has granted him a huge advantage at the expense of one major weakness: Thomas is an excellent gator fighter, but a grossly inexperienced altitude climber. In spite of this, Thomas is quite proud of his highest Florida hike, where he and the most elite outdoorsman he knows (his buddy Kyle) managed a -2 foot gain! A few of his hobbies include challenging chess players rated at least 1000 ELO higher than him, singing musical theatre songs, making fun of people who sing musical theatre songs, and most recently, maxing out the toppings on the super nachos at Jefe’s.

Trip Leaders

Arielle Frommer (she/her) - Class of 2025
Arielle hails from southern Connecticut (the jewel of the Northeast!) where she enjoys swimming in the Long Island Sound and exploring the quaint New England towns scattered along the coastline. Arielle’s love for the outdoors began with her grandparents, who would take her on hikes along parts of the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire when she was young. On campus, when she’s not giving tours at the Harvard Art Museums or writing for Sky & Telescope, Arielle likes reading, visiting niche art museums, and sampling the best coffee shops in the greater Boston area. She is majoring in Astrophysics and Physics and lives in Lowell House. Arielle is interested in studying exoplanets (worlds that orbit other stars) and hopes to one day name a planet after her cats.
Casey Murray (he/him) - Class of 2025
Casey “no longer a newt” Murray was reared just north of Chicago, and this upbringing gave him a love (or bad case of Stockholm syndrome?) for the cold and unparalleled access to the great indoors. He finally realized what he’d been missing on his first trip to the North Woods of Wisconsin, and since then the great outdoors have given him scratches, sunburns, tick bites, mosquito bites, frost nips, and a deep-seated fear of geese. Of course, he’s ignored every sign that his love for the big outside is an unrequited one. When not dreaming of future expeditions, he can be found buried somewhere under his problem sets or hunting for star clusters in the Loomis-Michael Observatory. Casey is a proud Currier resident and Cronkhite Center expatriate, and he does not believe in skyglow, swimming pools, or Liechtenstein.
Emily Schanzer (she/her) - Class of 2025
Growing up, Emily used to actively hate hiking, and would get mad at her parents when they forced her to come along. Thankfully, she has changed her ways, and now loves any and all outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, climbing, biking, and campfire-ing. In her downtime, you can find Emily thrifting, making elaborate HUDS concoctions, photosynthesizing on the Quad lawn, wearing overalls maybe too much, and showering maybe too little. Emily is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but currently resides in Cabot House, and spends too much time in Science Center Hall B on her way to a degree in Human Evolutionary Biology.
Genna McQuillan (she/her) - Class of 2025
Genna is a second-year from Connecticut now living in Cabot. Just about everything she does connects back to food and the outdoors in some way: cooking, environmentalism, kayaking, photography, beekeeping, picnics, etc. She has spent many hours talking about the restorative powers of almond butter, dark chocolate, and homemade trail mix, and she thinks hikes are the perfect opportunity to bond over such obsessions. Genna loves to thrift and is actively searching for secondhand stores in Boston (in addition to restaurant recommendations of course.) She is always down for a sunrise hike, a night spent stargazing, or a refreshing swim.
James Glaser (he/they) - Class of 2025
Hailing from a family of car campers in Missouri, James discovered a love of longer hikes and turtle-biomimicry (backpacking) during his gap year. Besides loving and leading in the outdoors, he enjoys buying new books before reading the old ones, and coming up with story ideas before writing the old ones. He purchased a physical subscription to the New Yorker over the summer (not for the free tote bag) and, while he will feel self-conscious about it, will bring up any article or story he reads several times in the following week. He has a mustache. He likes running. On trail, he is liable to introduce a lateral thinking game on the descent which he’ll explain beginning with the example “a brunch dish and a traitor” ==> “eggs benedict arnold”. You’ll like it more than you think.
Sophia Ludtke (she/her) - Class of 2025
Sophia is from a small town in New Jersey called Gladstone (also known as Happy Rock) but grew up in Paris where she spent more time talking to her imaginary friend Douglas than any actual Parisians. Despite some unfortunate animal encounters (ask her about the time she was chased by a wild pig) and some unfortunate temperature encounters (ask her about the time she almost got frostbite backpacking in Colorado), her love of the outdoors has persisted. She enjoys exploring new trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains and around her home in New Jersey, attempting to cross country ski, taking care of vegetable seedlings, and journaling in beautiful places. She studies ESPP & Earth and Planetary Sciences and is a proud Quincy House resident.
Charlie Ryan (He/him) - Class of 2026
Growing up in the wooded-ish (depends where you are) wonderland that is Wisconsin, Charlie developed an extreme appreciation for things like canoeing, the Packers, camping, fishing, skiing (which is “EXTREMELY” difficult in Wisco), and somehow the flavor of mango sticky rice. Nowadays, you can often find Charlie running around the river in the middle of the night or perhaps doing some semi-leisurely laps in the pool. He is perhaps best described as a connoisseur of literature (pretty much just fantasy novels), a moderately solid chef, and an aspiring actor. He loves creating random tier lists as well as having deep or wacky conversations. His goals right now are to run an Iron Man and perhaps complete the World Marathon Challenge. A resident of Cabot (Semper Cor!!!) studying applied mathematics, he is happy to have a conversation with anyone. So say hi if you see him!
Josh Rosenblum (he/him/his) - Class of 2026
Josh Rosenblum hails (most recently) from Phoenix, Arizona, where he has spent the past 6 years acclimating to 120-degree summers and attempting, with only moderate success, to avoid getting impaled by cacti. Josh has been an avid outdoors person for as long as he can remember, having fallen in love with nature adventures as a toddler on an idyllic farm in West Chester, New York. Despite the intervening 15 years, Josh has kept his toddler-like excitement and fascination for nature walks and funky-looking bugs, while expanding the ways he engages with the outdoors to include rock climbing, backpacking, and skiing, among other activities. When not exploring the outdoors, Josh can be found fan-girling over John Mayer, making killer salads in Annenberg, and fervently rooting for his *looks around nervously* New York Yankees.
Kainoa Paul (he/him) - Class of 2026
Kainoa grew up in Honolulu, Hawai’i where he ignored the advice of TLC and decided to go chasing waterfalls. Although his rainy pursuits didn’t always pan out, Kainoa found himself in love with Hawai’i’s incredible outdoors. The mountains had everything he needed: quality time with friends, incredible views, and an excuse to fuel his Belvita addiction. Here in New England, Kainoa plans to continue eating Belvita (cinnamon, of course) and can’t wait to explore the vastness of North America. He’s heard some mixed reviews, though. Apparently there’s large carnivorous mammals? And seasons?
Mia DiLorenzo (She/Her) - Class of 2026
Undeterred by sub-zero temperatures and a crippling case of Raynaud’s, Mia “I’m from Minnesota” DiLorenzo embraces the aforementioned frozen tundra and seldom stops discussing her love for the Midwest. She’s often found bagging peaks in New Hampshire while simultaneously declaring her distaste for peakbaggers (Mia loathes hypocrisy. And irony.) When she isn’t basking on sunny outdoor surfaces or disassociating on a long run, Mia will be spotted sipping black coffee en route to the Whites and chanting “Live Free or Die” while crossing the MA/NH state line. Known to have her finger on the pulse of reality, Mia remained convinced that Martha Stewart owned Martha’s Vineyard and was similarly shocked to discover that jaywalking wasn’t merely “walking in the shape of a J.” Ask about her aptitude for collecting nearly fatal injuries (her favorite was the collapsed lung, her least favorite was the femur fracture) or how to perfect the one-peel orange. Or email her (mdilorenzo@college.harvard.edu) with ideas for potential band names. Mia’s not starting a band, she just likes coming up with things like “Baroque Obama,” “M for Mnemonic” or “Chutes and Latter-Day Saints.”
Natalie Weiner (She/Her) - Class of 2026
Natalie was raised in the concrete jungle of NYC, yet somehow has embraced the crunchy, granola girl lifestyle. A self-proclaimed walking fiend, Natalie is in her happy place roaming the streets and parks of NYC. Natalie is infamous among her friends as the “one that never gets cold and always wears shorts while running in the dead of winter.” Due to her cold-bloodedness, inclement weather does not deter Natalie in the slightest from getting outside. 12 degrees and snowing? Put on some snow boots and layer up! Torrential downpour? I’ve got my raincoat, rain pants, umbrella and an extra set of clothes/socks in my backpack! Natalie is an extreme peanut butter enthusiast and will often talk about her intense craving for an apple with peanut butter as the hunger hiker hits while summiting a mountain. Besides her love for extremely long walks/hikes, Natalie is an avid road biker. Despite not being able to ride a bike till age 10, she somehow managed to bike across the country the summer before her senior year and will not stop talking about her overwhelming love for the great state of Kansas ?
Robert Lawrence (he/him/his) - Class of 2026
Raised upon the perpetual flatlands of Louisiana, what Robert lacked in mountain vistas he made up for with Cajun food and Mardi Gras. A car-camping kid by birth, he became a backpacker convert over his gap year. After traversing the granite peaks of the High Sierra and perfecting his mozzarella-making skills on an organic farm, Robert came to Harvard with a healthy disdain for all things resume-related. Now, readjusted to life with plumbing, he lives in Cabot and is mulling over a concentration in hist & lit. Robert’s preferred procrastination methods include running along the Charles, drinking copious amounts of black coffee, and clicking on targeted ads for backpacking gear.
Zion Dixon (he/him) - Class of 2026
Zion is from the great big state of Texas and calls Houston home. Though he always enjoyed getting into rambunctious fun outside, it wasn’t until college where he was introduced to the New England mountains and backpacking. You can typically find him anywhere outside wearing bright orange, draped in an ice spice flag, and making animal noises. His FOPpers famously call him ‘Zice Spice’ He has become an avid runner in college and is looking forward to adventure into more hiking this year.
Caleb Thompson - Class of 2027
Caleb is from a small town called New Castle in Western Colorado. Spending time outdoors runs in the family–his Dad recently finished climbing the 200 highest summits in Colorado and his older brother is on pace to finish the 500 highest summits before he turns 25. When he’s not out on the trail, Caleb enjoys playing the piano, learning new languages, and traveling. Whether it is hiking or talking about foreign policy, exploration and curiosity about the world are what unite his passions.
Rachel Akinla (she/her) - Class of 2027
Rachel comes from New York (no, not the city but an hour north. And no, it’s not Upstate). Her town is pretty quiet and rural– something she realize she very much misses after coming to Harvard. Despite being heavily surrounded by nature for most of her life, she tended to stay away from the tick ridden, poison ivy riddled, mosquito infested world that she saw as the outdoors. However, after she began working at her local nature conservancy and becoming more “one with the outdoors,” Rachel realized that maybe a tick bite or two wasn’t too bad. She is happy to say that she is now a nature lover and will launch into an unprompted explanation on why sassafras leaves smell like froot loops. And why black birch is unequivocally the best smelling tree in the Northeast. On any typical afternoon you may find her napping (80% chance), running (10% chance), crocheting (5% chance), or browsing REI’s website for miscellaneous outdoors gear that she definitely does not need (5%).
Theo Tobel (he/him) - Class of 2027
Theo hails from sunny and sandy Santa Monica, California, where he spent a significant part of his childhood biking and hiking in the nearby mountains. His favorite hobbies include slapping the bass guitar, woodturning random logs into pens, bowls, and a variety of other round objects, and reading anything he can get his hands on. Theo has spent his last nine summers at sleep-away camp, where he has cherished the opportunity to disconnect from technology and enjoy the simplicity of the outdoors with his closest friends. Due to his SoCal upbringing, you can likely find Theo underneath six layers of clothing – or, in warmer weather, sporting a bucket hat playing frisbee in the yard or foraging for mushrooms in the Arnold Arboretum. Theo’s favorite television show is Curb Your Enthusiasm (he can do a pretty, pretty good Larry David impression) and if you see him with his AirPods in, he’s almost surely listening to Stevie Wonder.

Trainees

Applications for the next trainee class will open at the beginning of the next fall semester!