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Scott Dimetrosky, Founder and Executive Director

After exhausting the exploration opportunities in the Pocono Mountains near Philadelphia, where he grew up, Scott ventured towards the higher mountains of the world. After numerous journeys in North and South America, he found his way to the Himalayas, the "abode of snow".

In his first excursion to the Himalayas, in 1995, he completed a six-month traverse of the entire Himalayan range, through Pakistan, India, and Nepal. Disturbed by the negative environmental and cultural impacts of tourism that he witnessed on this trip, Scott created the International Mountain Explorers Connection, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the deleterious effects of tourism on the fragile mountain environments and cultures.

Scott currently is editor of MountainNet and Kangri News, the online and hardcopy publications of IMEC. Scott co-authored the Nepal Volunteer Handbook and the Kilimanjaro Volunteer Handbook, both publications of IMEC. Additionally, he founded Volunteer Nepal Himalaya, a program that sends English teachers to schools in the Khumbu region of Nepal.

Ulla Westerman, Membership Services Coordinator

Ulla Westermann joined the IMEC staff as Membership Services Coordinator in June 2002. She went to Nepal on a IMEC trip in the fall of 2000, trekking in the Everest region and climbing Island Peak. Ulla grew up in Germany and moved to the United States in 1990. She lives in Louisville, Colorado with her two children.

Jack Zuzack, Equipment Coordinator

Jack Zuzack lives in Boulder, Colorado and joined IMEC’s staff in November of 2005. His work helps to supply IMEC’s porter assistance programs with clothing and other gear. Jack has a love for mountaineering and travel. His most recent adventure was a year-long trip around the world, visiting 15 countries with his wife. He is a leader and mountaineering instructor for the Colorado Mountain Club. After several climbing trips to Nepal and South America, he realized that at least half the fun of these trips is experiencing the culture of the local people. He also saw first hand the needs of the people living in these remote mountainous regions of the world. He brings to IMEC his commitment to help the people he met in his travels.

Walter Kingsbery received an undergraduate degree in business administration from Texas A&M in 1975 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1979. He is a partner with the law firm of Kingsbery, Johnson, Phillips, Foster & Love, LLP in Boulder, Colorado, where his practice focuses on estate, gift, and trust planning and administration and tax exempt organizations. Through his law practice Walter has assisted in the formation of numerous non-profit organizations and helped them to obtain tax exempt status. He also advises exempt organizations regarding operational issues. Walter has also served on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations, and has chaired the board of the Developmental Disabilities Center and Global Response.

Susanna Pearce first went to Nepal in 1992 as a volunteer for Educate the Children (ETC), a non-profit organization based out of the US, of which she is currently Co-Director. Educate the Children works through schools and women's groups in Nepal, providing educational opportunities for individuals and communities. Susanna has spent a total of almost three years in Nepal, the longest stretch being a year and a half as Resident Coordinator of the Cornell Nepal Study Program, a residential study abroad program involving both Nepali and non-Nepali (mostly American) students and run in cooperation with Nepal's national university, Tribhuvan University. Susanna speaks Nepali and can read and write it at a basic level. She served on the Board of Directors of Educate the Children (ETC) from 1993-1997. Susanna has a BA from Cornell University in Comparative Literature with a concentration in European Studies, and is currently finishing her master's thesis in Asian Studies at Cornell, focused on Development Studies and Medical Anthropology. Her thesis research was conducted in a very poor Chepang village in Nepal.

Govind Shahi, originally from Ilam, Nepal, lived in Kathmandu since 1967 and immigrated to the US in 1985. He presently lives in Pinole, California. Before coming to the US, he was Sales and Reservation manager for SWISSAIR office in Kathmandu associated with Mountain Travel Nepal. He has been working on hospitality industry ( tourism industry )  since 1967.  He is also actively involved in the Nepalese community in San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he is a executive member of NANC (Nepal association of Northern California) and was President from 1996 through 1998.

Scott MacLennan, Advisor to Board

Scott MacLennan, in addition to his work with IMEC, is the President of the Anatoli Boukreev Memorial Fund and Karing for Kids-Nepal. He also leads charity treks for Summit Climb and volunteers his time at several other nonprofits.

Ken Stober, Advisor to Board

Ken Stober always had a dream of visiting Nepal and was finally able to visit in 1998 on trek lead by Pemba with the International Mountain Explorers Connection, at that time it was the Himalayan Explorers Club. Ken was moved by what he saw, not only the beauty of the mountains but the people of the villages he visited and stayed. While visiting one of the villages on the trek Ken noticed the children were not attending school because of a three hour trek to the nearest school. Ken worked closely with Pemba to build a bridge for the children and families in the village of Sewangma. (Sewangma Bridge Project)

In 2000, Ken left his job as the Asia Market Development Director for Intel Corporation to devote more time to help IMEC and others around the world.  Ken was instrumental in bringing IMEC programs to Tanzania and Peru. In 2003, Ken visited Nepal, Tanzania and Peru in the efforts to expand  programs to help porters and the people in these areas. 

Ken is a volunteer with the IMEC and when not traveling with his wife Yvette and daughter Brynna he resides in Redmond Washington and works at Microsoft Corporation.

Sudhir Kumar Lama, Clubhouse Manager, Kathmandu

Sudhir is from Nuwakot, 75 km North West from Kathmandu , Nepal . He attended school in Trishuli and later relocated to Kathmandu in 1989 for further study. Sudhir was awarded his Masters' Degree in Statistics in 1997 from Tribhuwan University in Kathmandu .

Sudhir has worked as a Secondary School Teacher in Nepal for the last 3 years. Between 1995-1999 Sudhir worked with American Peace Corps as a Volunteer Language and Cross-cultural Facilitator. He also worked with the School for International Training (SIT), an American undergraduate program for 6 years (2000 - 2006) as a Training/NGO Coordinator.

Sudhir currently associate with The Mountain Fund and the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC) as a Program Officer.

Karen Valenti, Program Manager, Moshi

Karen Valenti is from Denver, Colorado and has been with the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project since 2004. She had previously served as a volunteer in Moshi with Visions in Action in 2002-2003 and is thrilled to be living in Tanzania again.

Karen acts as the Program Manager, coordinating the Day Trips and Homestay Programs as well as the Teach in Kilimanjaro Volunteer Program. Her major focus is education of the tourists particularly at the gates of Kilimanjaro. Karen has bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Physical Therapy as well as a Masters degree in Nonprofit Management. She is also a former Peace Corps Volunteer (1990-1992).

Pemba Sherpa grew up in the Khumbu District in the shadow of Mount Everest. Pemba has been a professional mountain guide in Nepal since 1986. He has led over 20 trips to Nepal for the Colorado Mountain Club and the IMEC, including Island Peak, Lobuche Peak, Chulu East, and Ama Dablam. He has lived in the Denver, Colorado since 1991, but spends four months a year guiding trips in Nepal. He is the founder and director of Sherpa Ascent International, an adventure company.