Travel/Outdoors

Dr. Hicks is the author of Incongruent: Travel, Trauma, Transformation. Writing her first book at 10 years old, she has now been published in numerous magazines and websites including Forbes.com, Humanity Wine Co., The District, Doctor’s Life, Journal for Research Administration, and Moc Ideja (a grassroots policy manual for lawmakers in Bosnia funded by the US Department of State).

Dr. Hicks is an empathy-driven leader with more than two decades of experience in workforce, education, and nonprofits. Focused on the areas of human-centered leadership, strategic planning, employee engagement, and organizational culture, Dr. Hicks has worked with hundreds of clients over the course of her career including small to midsized companies, education institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Hicks formerly served as the Vice President, Education Solutions Group at MGT Consulting where she leads business development for PK12, Higher Education and Education Transformation Practice areas. Prior to joining MGT, Dr. Hicks served as Assistant Provost at the University of Tampa where she created UT’s first Office of Sponsored Programs and oversaw the University’s 52 department budgets, and all grants and contracts. She also taught courses in Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Policy, and Public-Private Partnerships, among others.

Prior to joining the University of Tampa team, she served as the Director of Research for the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, an advocacy organization, and concurrently as the Managing Director of the Florida Independent College Fund, a 501c(3) foundation. While at ICUF/FICF, she implemented a four‐prong system for federal and state grant funding applications resulting in enhanced collaborative partnerships and led ICUF’s governmental affairs research for advocacy in Tallahassee and Washington, DC.

Dr. Hicks began her career as the Aide to Mayor of Tallahassee, a special projects coordinator with the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, and as an adjunct professor of Public Administration for Florida State University and Barry University.

Outside of her professional activities, she is a Colorado girl at heart. Her hobbies include paddle boarding, biking, hiking, and is a certified yoga instructor. She also enjoys spending time with her husband Randy, stepdaughter Lauren, and her fur babies Eva and Molly.

After growing up in Germany, Tanja Britton came to Colorado Springs thanks to her husband Mike, whose family, like many, was transplanted to the Pikes Peak region because of their affiliation with the military. Her interest in medicine led her to explore the fascinating history of tuberculosis in the area, which catalyzed wider historical studies. Increasingly fond of nature, photography, and writing, she was inspired to combine her interests by starting a blog in 2016 and by writing her first book.

14er Climber, Rocket Scientist, Published Novelist, Movie Connoisseur, and Amateur Photographer, Benjamin M. Weilert was born in Colorado in 1985. While he went to school for Mechanical Engineering (eventually earning a Master’s Degree), he has found science to be interesting enough to write fiction about it. He likes to classify his novels as “science fantasy,” wherein the science is real and (semi) accurate, but portrayed in a fantasy setting to make it accessible to non scientific readers. If you want stories that are surreptitiously educational, he’s your man. He currently lives in Colorado Springs and his most recent book is Fourteener Father, a memoir of climbing all of Colorado's 14,000-foot mountains with his dad.

Judith has specialized in capturing breathtaking scenic and nature images for over 20 years. She shares her vast knowledge through private and group photo tours of Garden of the Gods as well as other Colorado locations. You can also join her for photographic seminars and workshops. Visit her website to view portfolio images, fine art prints and see free instructional videos at www.mothernaturephotography.com. Judith says, "Showing up at a location and photographing nature by literally recording the moment is different from capturing nature as an artist feels it should be viewed; using light, weather, equipment, and an artistic interpretation to show Mother Nature’s beauty and power. Both methods are useful in photography, but each has a distinct time and place. My goal is always to make each image intentional, represent my artistic vision, and create a piece of art that will be loved for a lifetime. I have spent the majority of my life in Colorado Springs, moving here as a child. I remember my joy while climbing on the rocks of Garden of the Gods early in my life. Though I moved to Michigan for ten years, Colorado always echoed in my heart. Now that I have returned to “The Springs,” I often frequent Garden of the Gods, spending much time hiking and photographing this breathtaking open space with my loving husband and children."

I have lived in Colorado Springs for the last seventeen years. I was born in Chicago, later moved to France (father in the military), returned and moved to Kansas before spending most of my time in Texas (San Antonio area). I have held myriad positions in my life. I like to undertake more than one thing at a time, thus I refer to myself as a #workquilter combining various avenues of income. These include: -Author of nonfiction and fiction. -Certified permaculture designer and previously worked as a registered interior designer. -Suburban Homesteader (have gardens, chickens, bees). -Speaker/trainer on myriad topics. -Global house- and pet-sitter. -Nonprofit consultant, certified grants specialist (proposal writer, donor communications, fundraising strategy)

Author Peg Gould, MBA, RScP, LMT, a career writer/editor from upstate New York, moved west to Colorado, then Alaska, where she renewed her love of nature and photography on the stunning Kenai Peninsula. She is licensed both as a massage therapist and a spiritual advisor. Peg and her husband Todd raised a family with a diversity of pets in Manitou Springs, CO; they also enjoy working on their log home near Homer, AK.  Her work appeared daily for decades in newspapers in New York and Colorado, and later for years in Alaska Business Monthly. She also has freelanced for Vocational Biographies, American News Service, Colorado Springs Health, Springs Magazine, Women’s Edition, Compassion International, Convergent Performance, and for other businesses and nonprofits.

Andrea M. Jones born and raised in Colorado. Andrea writes about people’s relationship to the land from a high grassy ridge southwest of Pikes Peak, where she lives with her husband and their two horses. Her nonfiction book, Between Urban and Wild, explores the beauties, contradictions, joys, and responsibilities of life outside the urban boundary. As the owner of Jones Literary Services, Andrea creates back-of-the-book indexes for publishers and authors. She blogs at www.BetweenUrbanAndWild.com.

Arleen is a former senior analyst with the Government Accountability Office where she wrote extensively on many topics ranging from satellite systems to endangered species. She has a science education and loves nature and reality. She is a life-long avid reader and began writing fiction in 2009. She has completed the six-book Darcy Farthing adventure series, which are contemporary mysteries with travel and thought-provoking topical subjects.

Adrienne has lived in Fountain since 2013 and is originally from South Africa. She adores nature and has been a photographer for more years than she cares to admit. Having discovered so much to photograph in her own backyard (she refers to everywhere as her "backyard"), a book of her work was the logical next step. Her Backyard Snapshots book is an eBook, with 150 full color photos! Her book is for all ages, and she is particularly keen for children to read and enjoy this book as the message inside is to stop and look. Her book is available from Amazon.com and readable on most devices, which is great, as you're not restricted to using a Kindle. Visit her website at www.pettprojects.com to see more wildlife photos, her art work and her travel stories.

Lisa Travis dreamed of faraway places ever since she was a little girl who explored National Geographic magazines every month. Looking for ways to discover the world, Lisa studied at the University of Freiburg in Germany, traveled the USA in a Volkswagon camper, and lived and worked in South Korea. She currently finds ways to pack and go by creating global executive leadership programs that take her to cool places like Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Prague. Her experiences around the world inspired her to create Pack-n-Go Girls, an innovative book and toy company for girls that delivers positive messages around independence, adventure, and global awareness. Lisa brings an MA in Communication and 20 years of instructional design to her writing. She lives, bikes, and skis in Colorado with her husband, two kids, and two dogs.