Home Office Team

Kyle Kelley: General Manager
Yes Alaska Surfing! Kyle has gone surfing out of Seward to Montague Island and explored other areas in Resurrection Bay& other Alaska waters: "Water's not cold when you're wearing the right wet suit!" Born in Oakland, CA, but raised primarily in Tacoma, WA, Kyle has lived in Alaska for 17 years, and has been working with Alaska Wildland Adventures for the last 11. Kyle is responsible for seeing that our Company runs smoothly and that every guest, and employee, has an enjoyable and safe time. When not overseeing AWA's operations, Kyle stays busy skiing, snowboarding, surfing, mountain biking, hiking, running, fishing, river running and enjoying life with his lovely wife, Stacy.

Amy LaHaie: Sales Manager
Amy is a proud member of the office team and the AWA family. After working for adventure travel companies in more remote Alaska locations - from Kantishna to Thompson Pass - Amy understands the joys and rewards of planning dream vacations on less beaten paths. She is thrilled to work in Girdwood and support the company's sales efforts year-round. When not promoting AWA's many trips and services, Amy enjoys hosting get-togethers at her cabin, exploring Chugach State Park, and pampering her bulldog, Leroy, with homemade dog treats. Her favorite Alaska experiences include flying an Aeronca Chief inside Denali National Park, listening to the bark of Stellar sea lions in Kenai Fjords National Park, and teaching Leroy to skijor like the native huskies.

Heather Dudick: Marketing Director
An Alaskan for the last ten years, Heather joined the AWA office seven seasons ago, swiftly becoming an invaluable member of the team. Born in Ohio and living many years in Montana, no place captures her so much as Alaska. With a relentless positive attitude and exceptional attention to detail, Heather keeps AWA's marketing plan on track and on time as well as managing this wonderful website you're perusing right now. Hiking, skiing, her family, including her overgrown 97-pound lap dog, Mookie, keep her busy and happy. She spends time under Alaska's summer Midnight Sun hiking, fishing, swimming (yep, some of us still find swimming holes up here!), berry picking, and always seeking out fun, new road trips. During winter, you'll find her on the local slopes at Alyeska, skijoring with Mookie, and dancing to Alaska's local beats. One of Heather's favorite Alaska experiences is kayaking on glassy waters in Prince William Sound with her friend, Bridget: "it was a sweet bluebird day on the water, paddling among the ridges of the Chugach."

Jackie Collins: Marketing Assistant
Born and raised in northern Wisconsin, Jackie first visited Alaska during the summer of 2001. She returned two years later to visit family and spend her summer exploring the land of the Midnight Sun. It only took her a few days to realize she was right where she belonged; Alaska was home from that point forward. Jackie joined the AWA team in January '06, and with a work ethic driven by a goal of staying focused, she brings her talents to the Marketing team helping to keep initiatives on track. She spends her summers on the water, be it fishing from a drift boat, rafting the turquoise waters of the Kenai River, or exploring the many islands of Prince William Sound. Camping, festivals, and road trips are also favorite summer activities. Jackie also loves hiking in her own backyard, the Chugach National Forest, admiring Gulch Glacier right outside her kitchen window, growing herbs, fruits, and vegetables in her garden, and, perhaps most important, loving the time she spends with her family, which welcomed a new addition this year, daughter Ruby. Come winter, you'll find Jackie hitting the slopes of Mt. Alyeska, snow shoeing the trails of the Chugach, or making pottery, and enjoying the delightful journey of being a new momman.

Rebecca Downey Thomas: Staff Accountant
Rebecca, aka "Beck" here in the office, previously worked for Alaska Wildland Adventures as the Sales and Office Manager for the Denali properties. Following a 4-year hiatus, and working with two environmental non-profit organizations in Anchorage, she found her nitch with AWA and is now Staff Accountant. Beck is glad to be back and we are ecstatic to have her and appreciate her witty disposition! When Beck's not in the office "counting beans," she and hubby, Scott, enjoy spending time introducing the wonders of Alaska to their new daughter, Jillian. (Consequently, Beck and Scott met through AWA. Scott worked for AWA for 13-years before "retiring" to start his own business.) Some of her most memorable Alaskan experiences thus far have been backpacking in Denali National Park, kayaking in the waters of Southeast Alaska, and birding around the state with her husband.

Catherine McDermott: Program Development Director
Catherine is the mastermind behind all of our trips. She has worked for AWA since 1991, first as office staff, then Apprentice, Safari Trip Leader, Safari Program Manager, and now as our Program Development Director. She originally came to Alaska with her Western Oregon University roommate, whose aunt and uncle were managers at our Kenai Riverside Lodge. Catherine thrives on logistics and coming up with new trip ideas as well as recreating our trips each year to make them seamless. "It's a fun challenge to take what people want from their vacation and make it happen!" She and her husband deeply enjoy living in Girdwood, Alaska and recently welcomed daughter Eleanor to the family. Together they make a point of seeking out new trails, climbing unnamed peaks, and exploring the backyard, a.k.a. Chugach State Park. Each summer, Catherine particularly enjoys gathering berries, and catching, canning, and smoking salmon.

Kirk Hoessle: Company President
Kirk Hoessle is the President of Alaska Wildland Adventures, Inc. He led the company's first trip for five years before growing into a management position. He has been the principal shareholder and leader of Alaska Wildland Adventures since 1987.

Kirk currently serves on the board of the Alaska Travel Industry Association. He also serves as Advisor to the Board of the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association (AWRTA), an organization for which he served as a founding Board Member as well as President for two terms. AWRTA is the voice for Ecotourism in Alaska and has been very influential in guiding statewide tourism policy.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Kirk came to Alaska for a summer job as a crew leader with the Bureau of Land Management's Youth Conservation Corps program in 1976. He has traveled and guided adventure travel trips throughout Alaska. His fondest travel memories involve backpacking and rafting in Alaska's Brooks Range prior to the establishment of the National Parks, which now encompass much of the area.

Kirk holds a degree in Environmental Education and Outdoor Recreation from George Williams College of Aurora University of Aurora, Illinois. Before embarking upon a career in Alaska adventure travel, his focus was environmental education. In his seven years in this field, he served as an instructor, outdoor school director, curriculum writer, and program designer. And then, the spell of the Alaska wilderness got the best of him.

Kirk is deeply connected to his company, and balances work with family time, rafting, natural history interpretation, cross country and telemark skiing, wilderness exploration, competitive volleyball, and world travel.