NOLS named two new members to its Board of Trustees: Tori Murden McClure and Sarah Hiza. The new trustees were chosen for their professional achievements, leadership roles around the world and individual contributions to the school, said NOLS. They will serve two three-year terms effective as of September 1, 2020.
The two new trustees join an established board of 19 current members. The Board provides guidance for carrying out the school’s mission: “To be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment.”
Hiza’s relationship with the school began on a backpacking course in Scandinavia. Since then, she has remained involved and committed to the NOLS mission, values, and community and especially enjoys participating in alumni trips. Hiza is the vice president for Lockheed Martin’s Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) Programs. In this capacity, she oversees the design, development, productio, and sustainment of the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent program. Sarah is responsible for a team consisting of 3,000 employees at 14 locations around the globe and for maintaining a decades-long partnership with the U.S. Navy.
For Hiza, “Joining the NOLS board during a time of unprecedented global uncertainty brings both a profound responsibility as well as opportunities for change. NOLS skills and lessons—grounded leadership, dynamic teamwork in adverse conditions, and risk-based judgment—are more relevant and needed today than ever before. I’m honored and eager to contribute to the future of NOLS and to expanding our impact,” she said.
Murden McClure is the president of Spalding University in Louisville, Ky. She previously served on the NOLS Board of Trustees from 2005-2011. She was elected Chair in 2010 and served for two years as Chair (2010-2012). She was the first woman and first American to row solo and unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to being an accomplished outdoorsperson and mountaineer, she has also commited her time to various areas and interests, including working as chaplain of Boston City Hospital, as policy assistant to the Mayor of Louisville, as director of a shelter for homeless women.
On rejoining the board, Murden McClure said, “I’m delighted to be coming back and rejoining the board; it’s a great group of people! It’s a group composed of astronauts, mountaineers, captains of industry, and just plain-old nice folks. And I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to become a student at NOLS.”
