OUR TEAM

All Mountain Kids! staff who work directly with children are trained in Wilderness First Aid (at a minimum), CPR for both children and adults, and Leave No Trace principles. Our team also completes background checks and participates in ongoing training centered on safety protocols, child development, and Mountain Kids!’ mission and philosophy—ensuring thoughtful, well-prepared leadership in the field.

Katie MacaulayKatie Macaulay; Founder & Executive Director

Katie Macaulay is the Founder and Director of Mountain Kids! She feels strongly about enabling kids to leave hectic schedules and technology behind in order to wonder, learn, and play in nature. Katie earned her degree in Education from the University of British Columbia and studied the Art of Nature Mentoring at the Wilderness Awareness School. However, some of her most formative learning occurred during her participation and subsequent leadership with a Canadian Peace Corps program. In Guyana, Katie initiated a Big Brother-Big Sister program for street children, taking them out into wild nature. This challenging and ultimately rewarding program led her to value experiential learning and wish to make a difference in her own community. Katie taught middle school for 10 years, has accumulated more than 30 years of experience leading children in outdoor settings, and has led Mountain Kids! for the past 16 years. During this time, she has developed programs in partnership with the Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS), Communities in Schools, and Reading Quest. Since 2020, Mountain Kids! has received Outdoor Equity Fund grants to get underserved kids out to play and learn in the mountains. Katie lives in Santa Fe surrounded by wild nature with her husband, two kids, and furry friend, Rockie. 

Gwendolyn Lyons; Program Director

Gwen was born and raised in Vermont and has lived in Prescott, Arizona, for 6 years. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and completed a Master of Arts in Outdoor Education Leadership at Prescott College.

Gwen has a wide range of experience in outdoor education, working with various nature centers and environmental education organizations up and down the East Coast; she also taught middle school science in Vermont. Her desire to be outside the classroom was the driving force behind her decision to leave traditional education. Graduate school brought Gwen to Prescott, Arizona, where she fell in love with the Southwest. She worked as an outdoor education facilitator and volunteered for three years with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Team’s Backcountry Unit. Gwen also gained administrative and logistical experience working as the Operations & Logistics Coordinator for an adventure-guiding company in Seward, Alaska.

Gwen has been with Mountain Kids! for over a year and is excited to continue growing programs that help kids build confidence, curiosity, and connection in the outdoors. She loves exploring the Santa Fe area (and beyond) through a variety of outdoor pursuits, including hiking, backpacking, camping, paddleboarding, kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, and skiing. She finds every opportunity to get outside and explore.

2026 FIELD INSTRUCTORS

Livvy Feeney; Field Instructor

Livvy (they/them) is excited to return to the Southwest and connect with that potent landscape as a Mountain Kids educator. Growing up in Colorado, they developed a deep love of the mountains and wide-open spaces early on. Livvy has shared this love with young people through guiding empowerment-oriented backpacking trips with Open Sky Wilderness Therapy in Durango, CO, and Women’s Wilderness in Boulder, CO. Most recently, they worked as a garden educator with kids in Atlanta, GA. Livvy cares deeply about increasing outdoor access and the healing power of connecting with the natural world. They also work as a somatic coach and yoga teacher, and love to dance – they bring these skillsets to outdoor education work whenever possible!

Sylvia Carter-Smith; Field Instructor

Sylvia was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has many fond memories of her childhood outdoors in northern New Mexico, from river rafting trips on the Rio Chama and swimming in Abiquiu Lake to foraging for bolete mushrooms and skiing in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. She delights in native plants and wildlife and enjoys identifying local flora and fauna. Sylvia has spent the last 5 years in Ohio, where she admired a new biome lush with deciduous trees while attending Oberlin College, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Hispanic Studies. She is passionate about developmental and educational psychology, equal opportunity to the natural world, and preserving, through experiences in nature, the inherent curiosity, playfulness, and wonder within each of us. She has over 10 years of experience with children of all ages. Her work as a day camp counselor, literacy tutor, classroom teaching assistant, grief support facilitator, and childcare specialist has further instilled in her a love of working with kids and a dedication to enhancing childhood education. Sylvia is an advocate for open communication and looks forward to connecting with families and caregivers. She is excited to enjoy New Mexico’s natural spaces and beautiful high desert landscapes with young adventurers!

OFFICE SUPPORT STAFF

Mushu; “Self-Appointed” Office Security & Outdoor Adventure Expert (in memoriam)

 

Rockie; Office Greeter, Staff Emotional Support & Resident Goofball