Founder & Executive Director
As a seasoned conservation/education professional with a proven record of success and a deep commitment to environmental protection through research, education, and stewardship of natural resources, Ben has over 25 years of experience in natural resource conservation, visitor use management, and outdoor education. He served as the Director of Education and Research at Leave No Trace for over 20 years and is a certified Leave No Trace Level 3 Instructor. Ben has taught hundreds of Leave No Trace courses (Awareness, Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Instructor Courses) since taking his own Leave No Trace Instructor Course in 1999.
Marketing & Communications Director
With over 27 years of design and creative leadership experience on projects ranging from small cottage industry brands to Fortune 500 companies, Allison has had the opportunity to develop and direct a graphics team of 32+, executing creative for large-scale retail stores to pulling solo all-nighters in a printshop for her own small business. Canadian-born, Southern-raised, Wild-West transplant from a family of over-achieving academic adventurers, Allison took her Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor Course in 2000. Allison wears many hats at Sawtooth Outdoor Education including marketing, communications, graphic design, course development, course quality audits, and content creation.
Science & Research Advisor
Derrick Taff is an Associate Professor in the Recreation, Park and Tourism Management Department at Penn State University. He has been involved with Leave No Trace research since 2009 and most recently, Derrick served as a visiting scholar with Leave No Trace. His research strives to improve communication strategies aimed at influencing human health and environmental sustainability in parks and protected areas. Much of his research has focused on Leave No Trace-based communication strategies and how to positively influence human perceptions and behaviors in a manner that promotes social and ecological well-being. Derrick has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and protected areas management research, with previous stints working for the National Park Service in Rocky Mountain National Park and at the Denver Service Center. He holds a PhD from Colorado State University in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, and a Master’s Degree in American Studies, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Wilderness Recreation from the University of Alabama. Derrick is a Level 2 Leave No Trace Instructor.