Our Board & Staff
Our board, officers, staff, and leaders have a diverse range of experiences and qualifications including technical expertise in trail building and wilderness management, leadership in youth development programs, managerial and business foundations, and a strong commitment to environmental stewardship.
Our Staff
Agnes Vianzon
Founder and Executive Director
Hello! I'm Agnes (she/they), I am a first-generation, queer filipinx, who grew up in the San Fernando and Simi Valleys of Southern California. I currently call Bishop home, ancestral lands of the Northern Paiute and Eastern/Western Mono Monache. My parents would take my brother and I on too-long road trips to National Parks and Monuments which, at the time, I did not appreciate. However, after completing an environmental studies degree from UCSB, I joined the California Conservation Corps AmeriCorps Backcountry Trails Program to live and do trail work in a National Park for 5 months, my perspective completely shifted. Those 5 months in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park launched the next chapter of my journey, 10 years of seasonal work - snowboarding and bartending on Mammoth Mountain in the winter and leading young people working trails each summer. Over those 10 years, I worked my way up in leadership positions on both fronts; including becoming Food and Beverage manager, SEKI Trails Foreman, and eventually promoting to program coordinator for the Backcountry Trails Program. My past experiences became the driving force behind my ambition to start ESCC and expand access and inclusion in the conservation world. With the help of close friends, my community and my supportive partner, I started laying the foundations for ESCC. By 2017, ESCC was a 501c3 nonprofit organization, with an all-women crew being the first boots on the ground. Since then, we have served over 100 alumni and nearly double our programing each year.
Shelma Jun
Finance Director
Coming soon!
Our Board of Directors
Marisa Gierlich
Board Member
Marisa Gierlich began her career as a travel writer and guide, focusing on culturally and environmentally sustainable tourism. As a leader and Hiring and Training Manager for Backroads Active Travel and as a Coordinating Author for Lonely Planet, she managed and coordinated staff, content, and budgets on a global platform.
Having spent extensive time in the French and Swiss Alps and in her native California’s Sierra Nevada, she has a deep love for mountains and is dedicated to their stewardship. Her current position as the executive director of Access Mammoth.
John Matthew Newman
Treasurer
Matthew Newman was born in Hot Springs National Park and grew up surrounded by woods and water. He earned a Bachelor of Sciences in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. While in college, he found a deep love for the outdoors in the Ozark Mountains and surrounding areas. Since graduating, Matt has serves as CEO of Athena Manufacturing, a 150 employee company in Austin, TX. Matt contributes to the team a wealth of financial knowledge and business experience.
Paul LaMartina
Secretary
Paul LaMartina is an attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. Paul moved to California in 2010 to attend law school, and decided to stay after falling in love with California’s wilderness. Paul enjoys backpacking, climbing, and skiing throughout California.
Stacy Corless
Board Chair
Stacy Corless is a longtime resident of Mammoth Lakes, CA. She has a background in nonprofit management and communications, and has worked to steward and protect wild places in the Eastern Sierra, as well as to create educational programs and opportunities for people to connect with and explore the mountains. One of her best summers in the Sierra was spent updating a backpacking guidebook for Wilderness Press; though she has to go to lots of meetings these days, Stacy gets outside as much as possible to hike, run and ski on the public lands around Mammoth and beyond.
Val McCampbell
Vice-Chair & Co-Founder
Val (they/them) has been involved in trail work and conservation for the past decade. They began their trails journey through the Backcountry Trails Program, spending five months in Kings Canyon National Park. Val has been with ESCC since the fundamental season and finds supreme joy in providing support, empowerment and resources to folks that are beginning their outdoor journey or continuing their path!
