The Home Office team is the story behind the scenes. Most of these talented folks started out working seasonally at our lodges before coming on year-round, giving them unique insight into what makes AWA special. Day-in and day-out, they keep the details straight and your trip on track.
Kelsey Clifford, Senior Marketing and Social Media Coordinator
Born in Anchorage, Kelsey spent her elementary school years in Sequim, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula. Her love of the outdoors grew there, exploring Olympic National Forest, the Dungeness Spit and Hurricane Ridge. Her family decided to move back to Alaska when Kelsey was 11, settling in the Matanuska Valley. This area supplied numerous opportunities for exploring the gorgeous Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains, as well as fishing, camping and berry-picking in the summer. Kelsey moved to Idaho for college and graduated with a Bachelors in Economics. She and her husband, Ross, met there and lived in Portland and Santa Cruz, CA before making their way back to Alaska. They are now settled in Palmer with their son and love everything southcentral Alaska has to offer!
Kirk Hoessle, Company President and CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)
Kirk Hoessle is the President of Alaska Wildland Adventures. He has been the principal shareholder and leader of Alaska Wildland Adventures since 1987. For 20 years, Kirk served on the board of the Alaska Travel Industry Association, advocating for destination stewardship and sustainability. He also served two, 2-year appointments to the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (2012-2016), a group which advises the Secretary of Commerce and the US government on planning and policy matters related to the travel industry. Kirk has been a featured speaker at many national and international travel events and conferences on topics related to sustainable travel best practices, natural history interpretation, and leadership principles. 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 led AWA’s first trip for five years before growing into a management position. He has traveled and guided adventure travel trips throughout Alaska. His fondest travel memories include 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 in 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. Learn more about why Kirk has committed his life’s work to sharing wild Alaska with small groups of intrepid travelers in this interview with our friends at Alaska.org!
Paige Hvamstad, Reservations Specialist and Administrative Coordinator
Originally from the Oregon Coast, Paige holds a degree in psychology and uses her amazing people skills to help match travelers with the perfect trip. She has called Girdwood home since 2016 and loves having access to the great outdoors right at her doorstep. During her free time, Paige enjoys camping, mountain biking and backcountry snowboarding, often with her husband, Bayne, and German Shorthaired Pointer, Alder, at her side. Being so well versed in wild Alaska makes her an excellent resource for our travelers. Additionally, Paige is a metalsmith whose jewelry is inspired by nature. She is a board member of Shredmaiden, whose mission is getting women into the outdoors through education and community building. Paige holds a recreational Avalanche 1 and Rescue Certification.
Amy LaHaie, General Manager of Administration and Programming
Amy was enchanted by the wilds of Alaska from a young age, when her older brother would share slideshows, pictures and stories of the abundant wildlife and wilderness witnessed from his travels inside Denali National Park. After a visit to Alaska at age 16, Amy vowed to return to the 49th state and did so after completing a BA in Journalism and Communications at Michigan State University. Before finding her home at Alaska Wildland Adventures in 2005, Amy ran ground operations for an Alaskan air taxi (during which time she earned her private pilot’s license) and also managed logistics for a heli-ski outfit in Thompson Pass, AK. At AWA, Amy focuses her energy in various areas of sales, marketing, vendor relationships and programming. Aside from work pursuits, Amy enjoys spending time with her dogs, cheering on Detroit sports teams, seeing live music, and staying connected with friends around the world.
Dave Maternowski, Kenai Riverside Fishing Program Manager
While studying Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, Dave worked as a trip leader, taking students on canoeing and backpacking trips across the Lower 48. He later worked in Milwaukee specializing in land restoration before moving to Alaska in the summer of 2014. With his enthusiasm for the outdoors and nature, he’s been a perfect addition to the AWA team, starting as an upper Kenai River fishing guide and now helping lead our entire Kenai Riverside Fishing program. Some of Dave’s favorite times on the river include sifting through the haunts of local trout and migrating salmon. As our Lead Guide for the Kenai Riverside Fishing program – overseeing the guide staff and fleet of custom boats – Dave can be found in the off-season supporting AWA’s home office with reservations, logistical planning and gearing up for the next fishing season. He enjoys spending his free time fishing, camping, skiing, and being in the company of his friends and family.
Jeff Pedersen, General Manager of Operations
Born and raised just outside of Boston, Jeff always found himself more at home in the mountains than in the city. Throughout his youth he spent weekends backpacking and skiing the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont. While pursuing a BS in Environmental Policy, Jeff worked in the summer for the Appalachian Mountain Club and had a lightbulb go off in his head about living and working in beautiful locations and supporting people in their outdoor pursuits. Since graduation, Jeff has worked as a park ranger, ski guide, kayak guide, and lodge manager from California to Japan and all over Alaska. In all of his travels AWA has always felt like home, which is why he is so excited to to work year-round managing various aspects of AWA’s operations. In his free time you’ll find Jeff out in the mountains (ideally with a dog and some friends/family), climbing, hiking, backpacking or backcountry skiing. For his ocean fix you might catch him in a kayak, fishing, or on a sailboat!
Dave Story, Director of Cooper Landing Operations and Riverside Project Planning
David Story grew up pedaling his bicycle in the flatlands of Nebraska and learned to love the wilderness, whether it came as pinnacles or prairie. During college he kept venturing outside by foot, bike and boat and found he loved sharing the experience with others while guiding trips and teaching semester-long courses in canoeing, climbing and backpacking. David met his wife Martha at a bike rack outside classes in Nebraska, and it wasn’t long before they packed their bikes and headed north to Alaska. They have been pedaling between the ‘aska states since – literally and figuratively! David chased work under the midnight sun for years. He built and maintained public use cabins in the Chugach during the boreal summer and set up remote field camps for the US Antarctic Program in the austral summer. Seasonal life between Alaska and Antarctica was rewarding, but in 2010 he found a home at AWA and a community in Cooper Landing where he now lives and works year-round. When he is not working to keep things running smooth for guests and staff alike, you can find him biking or skiing the trails with Martha and their two border collies, while capturing photos along the way.
Rebecca Downey Thomas, Business Manager
Rebecca, “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 during which time she worked with two environmental nonprofit organizations in Anchorage, she found her niche with AWA and is now our Business Manager. Beck is glad to be back – 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 daughter. Incidentally, Beck and Scott met through AWA. 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 family.
Katie Torborg, Sales Manager
After 18 years of boating and ice fishing in the land of ten thousand lakes, Minnesota was no longer cutting it for Katie. So, she headed for the bluffs to earn her degree in Communications and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. It was there that she fell in love with the outdoors after leading canoe and hiking trips across the lower 48, but there was something about that 49th state that she couldn’t shake. She knew that the second she busted out of those university doors, she had to be on her way out of the bluffs and into the mountains of Alaska. After being offered a hospitality position at AWA, she decided to head up for just one summer – little did she know that the mountains would pull at all her heart strings, and she would find herself moving to Alaska permanently. Katie has filled important roles throughout the company, from hospitality to managing our Kenai Riverside Lodge office, and she now leads our incredible Reservations team and supports all facets of guest service. Aside from camping, hiking, and fishing her summers away (often with her adorable dog, Fiona, joining in the fun), Katie enjoys assisting people in finding their ideal Alaska vacation.
Kate Wasko-Klink, Lead Reservations Specialist
Kate has called Alaska home since 2014 and has worked for Alaska Wildland Adventures in various roles since the summer of 2016. Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Kate spent her summers exploring the north woods of Minnesota and surrounding areas, where she developed an appreciation for the great outdoors. She found her way up to Alaska where she attended the University of Alaska Anchorage and received a degree in Music Education. After college she decided to continue her work with the Alaska Wildland Adventures office year-round. She now lives in Anchorage with her husband and personal fishing guide, Robert Wasko-Klink and their dog, Leela. When she isn’t working or adventuring, you can find Kate in the violin section of the Anchorage Symphony or in a local folk band, The Chamberliners.