Aspiro is the pioneer of Wilderness Adventure Therapy offering short-term, intermediate treatment options for teenagers and young adults.

Health Services

Aspiro Group

William Travis is the Associate Operations Manager at Aspiro, a highly skilled and dedicated professional with a passion for recreational therapy and outdoor programs. Born and raised in Mooresville, Indiana, William graduated from Indiana University with a major in Recreational Therapy and a minor in Therapeutic Outdoor Programs.

Having started as a field guide at Aspiro in 2020, William brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. He has a deep appreciation for the great outdoors and enjoys participating in outdoor activities such as skiing, fly fishing, and backpacking. William’s commitment to providing top-notch service to Aspiro’s students, combined with his passion for recreation and the outdoors, make him a valuable asset to the team.

William Travis

Born and raised in Utah, Whitney joined the Aspiro team in early 2018. Whitney’s study of the arts has allowed her to look at systems with a creative and fresh perspective, making her an integral part of Aspiro’s office management team. She is eager to jump into new projects and broaden her understanding of the inner workings of Aspiro. Whitney’s attention to detail and family focus has enriched the family services department and added an important element of attention and care to everyone she works with. Whitney enjoys spending her free time with her daughter and camping with her friends, family, and dogs.

Whitney Fox

Eliza first joined the team at Aspiro Adventure in 2020 as a field guide prior to moving into the logistics department. In her current role as Vantage Point Program Coordinator, Eliza develops and facilitates a weekly curriculum for the Vantage Point students, focusing on social-emotional themes and goals. Eliza holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from The University of Vermont. 

Eliza Maas

Grant Nickles is Aspiro’s Skills Camp Facilitator. In this role, he facilitates a unique experience where students build self-efficacy while learning the arts of leatherworking, primitive skills, basic metalworking, and archery. Grant is originally from Wyoming, where he grew up camping, hunting, backpacking, and hiking. Grant earned his associate’s degree in outdoor education and recreation leadership from Northwest College and his bachelor’s degree in recreation and outdoor education from Western State Colorado University. After graduation Grant spent ten years leading youth backpacking trips, ski patrolling and even portered loads for a mountain guiding company in Montana.

Grant loves working at Aspiro most of all because of the “Ah-Ha!” moments when students learn a new skill or something new about themselves. When Grant is not working, he enjoys running, bowhunting, mountaineering, backpacking, rock climbing, skiing, primitive skills, and reading.

Grant Nickles

Natalie Thacker is Aspiro’s Human Resources Generalist. In this role, she wears many hats and does a great job balancing recruiting, onboarding, compensation, benefits, and ensuring that company policies and procedures are followed. Natalie has worked at Aspiro for over eight years. Prior to coming to Aspiro, Natalie worked as a childcare provider where she incorporated the outdoors as much as possible and encouraged the development of a lifelong connection with the natural world. Natalie has called Utah home for over the past 20 years. Prior to Utah, she lived in the Czech Republic, Virgin Islands, and Colorado. Natalie enjoys working for Aspiro because she feels it is a company with a positive growth mindset that supports individuals reaching their true potential.

Natalie Thacker

Michael is a Utah native who grew up among the red rocks near Zion National Park. He is a storyteller at heart. Michael is passionate about sharing the inspiring stories of transformation and reconciliation he is privileged to witness in the lives of Aspiro students and their families. He holds a degree in Media Arts with an emphasis in non-fiction film production. He enjoys adventure and wildlife photography and takes pride in helping Aspiro showcase its beautiful and awe-inspiring areas of operation. He’s also a dad joke aficionado and loves nothing more than to help guides and students find the joy and humor in everyday situations. Among his many adventures, being a dad to his son and daughter is his favorite.

Michael Stanley

Robert Baldassari is one of two In-Field Trainers at Aspiro. It is his job to support Field Guides by providing on-the-job evaluations and coaching. Robert works with our Field Guides to grow their toolbox of guiding techniques. In this role, Robert has the pleasure of visiting several student groups each week and is able to get to know most of the students at Aspiro. Robert grew up in California and moved to Utah in 2006 to live near the mountains. His background is in ski instructing, where he has over 10 years of experience and holds several certifications, including his PSIA level 2, AASI Level 1, and Children Specialist 1. During his free time, Robert enjoys skiing, hiking, and backpacking. He has also been known to rock climb and ice climb. Some of his more memorable expeditions include climbing Mt Gannett, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Hood.

Robert Baldassari

David Gutierrez is Aspiro’s Logistics Manager. In this role, David provides oversight to the logistics department, including fleet management, transportation coordination, student gear distribution, and supervises logistics staff. David attended [Northern Illinois University](/org/northern-illinois-university), earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in History. David also served in the [United States Army](/org/united-states-army) and worked for several years in the logistics field as a Service Coordinator for a medical courier company. David is originally from Chicago, Illinois. He grew up snowboarding and playing football and lacrosse. When David is not working enjoys hiking with his labradoodle Walter, hunting, snowboarding, and watching football.

David Gutierrez

Kelly grew up in Stamford, Connecticut but moved out West for college and graduate school. She received a dual bachelor’s in Psychology and Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado and a Master’s in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver. Before Aspiro Kelly worked in military mental health, treatment of eating disorders, and adolescent mental performance. Kelly was a field guide from 2021-2022 before transitioning into the food room. Now when she isn’t resupplying the students and guides of Aspiro with their weekly supply of food she is rock climbing or exploring new regions of Utah.

Kelly Dipietro

Kaili Young is the Controller at Aspiro. Born and raised in Delta, Utah, Kaili graduated from Utah State University. She is proud to be a part of the brilliant, kind, and fun team at Aspiro and values the opportunities she has to learn from her colleagues. With more than a decade of accounting experience, Kaili brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role at Aspiro.

Kaili Young

Tyler grew up in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in the Ohio River Valley. He graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, where he earned a BA in Psychology and a BA in African American & African Diaspora Studies. In 2017, he moved to Utah and began working as a field guide with Aspiro. He then joined the Transport Team and has been the Transport Supervisor since 2022. He has a great love for animals, and currently has 7 pet rabbits and 4 guinea pigs.

Tyler Knigga

Dr. Whiting has served as Executive Director, Clinical Director, and therapist at Utah therapeutic boarding schools and therapeutic programs. He specializes in working with adolescents diagnosed with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. He also has experience providing in-home family therapy.

Shane Whiting

Colleen grew up in Massachusetts and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. After graduating, Colleen worked as a counselor for a therapeutic school before leaving to hike the Pacific Crest Trail & the Appalachian Trail. Colleen’s passion for mental health and the outdoors led her to Aspiro as a field guide in 2020.

Colleen Dawson

Ally has been working in the treatment industry for over six years in various admissions and marketing roles for residential treatment centers and wilderness programs. Ally graduated from Utah Valley University with her Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and also brings four years experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused and neglected children to the team. Admissions is something Ally is very passionate about and she understands the importance of connecting with and supporting families throughout the admissions process in order to help find the right fit for each family. Ally loves spending time with her friends and family, and when not working, she can be found spending time with her dog and exploring all of the beauty Utah has to offer.

Ally Jackson

Kate has worked in the wilderness industry for over twelve years, spending the majority of that time with Aspiro.  Kate has gained vast experience in numerous departments including working as a field guide, logistics coordinator, purchaser, accountant, and now as the Family Services Coordinator. The different roles she has played at Aspiro plus her great attention to detail and organization, make her an incredible asset to the Family Services team as she has an in-depth knowledge of the details of each department and of wilderness therapy as a whole. Kate’s experience allows her to easily arrange details for clinicians and families when organizing Family Days, and to answer questions for parents on all of the aspects of Aspiro.  Kate enjoys gardening, reading, knitting, and spending time with her husband, two little girls, and three dogs.

Kate Crowell

Luke has been working as an instructor and guide in the outdoors since his was 14. Since receiving his undergraduate degree he has funneled his experience into creating safe and therapeutic experiences at Aspiro Adventure. During this time, he pursued opportunities to learn more about medical safety in the wilderness context, resulting in a number of certifications including Wilderness First Responder. Luke also spent more than 6 years working as a volunteer responder for a rescue squad. His passion for the both the physical and mental health of Aspiro students makes him an ideal Medical Coordinator.



Luke Eckert

Trever Ahlquist is Aspiro’s Associate Operations Director. In this role, Trevor oversees Aspiro’s expeditions and weekly staffing needs. Trevor has held many roles within the Aspiro group since he started as a guide in 2006. These include being a lead field guide, the logistics coordinator, and an in-field trainer. In addition to his work at Aspiro Adventure, Trevor also has experience as a shift lead at a residential treatment center and spent a year in Costa Rica working as a guide at another adventure-based wilderness program. Trevor is excited about his new role as Associate Operations Director at Aspiro as he enjoys the company culture and believes in the work that Aspiro does. Trevor’s favorite outdoor activity is backpacking and in his free time, he enjoys going disc golfing and exploring new restaurants.

Trevor Ahlquist

Jamie has been a mental health therapist since 2011. He was first introduced to wilderness and adventure therapy as a field guide at Aspiro. After working as an Aspiro therapist for nearly 4 years, he relocated and provided therapy services in an underserved area of rural Montana. It was during this time that he found a passion for helping his clients recover from trauma, utilizing EMDR therapy as a core treatment modality in addition to a variety of other therapeutic modalities such as CBT, DBT and motivational interviewing. He returned to wilderness therapy after working with community mental health and is happy to now be back at Aspiro. Jamie is a warm and inviting therapist with a passion for helping young people and families in need. He strives to establish a non-judgmental and mutually respectful therapeutic relationship with his students and works very closely with their families, supporting them during their child’s stay and inviting them to challenge their own patterns.

Jamie wholeheartedly believes in and is passionate about the healing power, growth opportunities and excitement found in the outdoors. His free time is spent with his wife in pursuits such as fly fishing, hunting, mountain biking, and skiing. He also enjoys tying flies, playing the banjo, and spending time with his dogs.

Jamie Ahern

Kayleen Richter, Chief Compliance Officer for [Aspiro Group](/org/aspiro-group), is an HR professional with over 16 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She is certified through Human Resource Certification Institute as a Professional Human Resource, PHR. Kayleen has been with the Aspiro team since April 2013, managing employee relations, training, recruiting, compensation, performance management, employee engagement, Licensing compliance, workers compensation, benefits, risk and more. She has been a Society for Human Resource Management Member since 2015. Kayleen loves working with people and helping employees have a great experience while employed at Aspiro. Kayleen enjoys running, volleyball, camping, boating, and most of all spending time with and raising 6 beautiful children.

Kayleen Richter

Dr. Rachel Wheeler provides Aspiro students with psychiatric care, including medication management. She received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and has practiced medicine for more than 20 years. Dr. Wheeler completed an adult residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, during medical school. After residency, she transferred to The University of Utah and completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Primary Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wheeler believes in the importance of involving the family in psychiatric care and is an advocate for doing so. She also recognizes the importance of various treatment modalities when working with her patients, including adventure therapy. She believes that wilderness adventure therapy increases gratitude and helps students overcome stressful and unique circumstances. Dr. Wheeler lives an active lifestyle and has personally benefited from various activities that nurture the mind and body.

Rachel Wheeler

Leah is a graduate of Sterling College, where her passion for outdoor education and wilderness therapy truly began. She joins the Aspiro team with over 20 years of experience in the field of Wilderness Therapy where she has worked in various capacities, ranging from Field Guide to Director of Admissions and Outreach. Leah brings with her a genuine passion for assisting families and referring professionals in finding the best possible solutions for the difficult situations they face. Leah is dedicated to helping students, families and employees achieve growth, healing, and personal well-being. Her professional and caring approach instantly fosters trust and connection for those with whom she works. While she has lived in many beautiful regions of the country, Leah grew up in Western Massachusetts and still remains a New Englander at heart. When she is not working Leah enjoys spending time with her husband, friends and fur baby, Josie. She also loves watching most sports, eating most foods, playing golf, road biking, adventuring to new destinations and finding new home-improvement projects to do.

Leah Shingler

David comes to Aspiro with almost 20 years of experience working with families in therapeutic programs. Originally David received his Bachelor’s degree in Government and Politics and went on to earn his Master of Social Work.

Prior to joining Aspiro, David served in many capacities at highly respected residential treatment centers as a primary therapist, Admissions Director, and Clinical Director. After working as a primary therapist for two years, he was awarded his License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) in 2003 and has continued practicing therapy with students and their families. His desire to help families heal and overcome obstacles, his years of experience, and his clinical sophistication, make him the perfect match as the Family Services Director where he continues to help families heal through parent coaching, therapy sessions, webinars, and during groups over Aspiro’s Parent Seminars.

David is passionate about helping others and guiding families through their journey of connecting and healing as a system. David enjoys talking politics, playing a round of golf, and especially cherishes time with his beautiful wife and three children.

David Mayeski

Carl began working in mental health in 1990 and soon thereafter entered a Ph.D. program in Psychology at the [University of Utah](/org/university-of-utah). After completing his degree, he supervised three school-based mental health programs around the island of O’ahu. Carl moved back to Salt Lake City because of his love of the outdoors and opportunities to work in wilderness programs completing psychological evaluations. He has an in-depth knowledge of learning and developmental disorders, as well the ways they interact with mental health and other adjustment problems. At Aspiro since 2012, Carl runs a weekly supervision meeting, mentors field guides, consults on difficult cases, and completes psychological evaluations.

Away from work, Carl enjoys fly fishing and duck hunting. He has been married for twenty years to Dr. Tracine Smoot. Together they have three children and one grandchild.

Carl Smoot

Rick has been working with adolescents and their families since 1995. Rick joined the Aspiro Leadership Team, in 2014, serving as both Executive Director at Aspiro Adventure and CEO of the [Aspiro Group](/org/aspiro-group).

Rick brings considerable experience to Aspiro having worked as a Primary Therapist in 3 wilderness programs; Clinical Director at both a Residential Treatment Center and a Wilderness Program; Founder, Owner, Therapist, and Executive Director of Outback Therapeutic Expeditions; and National Director of Clinical Services and Vice President of operations at CRC Health Group. These roles prepared him well to lead the small group of Aspiro programs.

Rick was recruited to Aspiro to bring stability, integrity, sustainability and his leadership to each of the Aspiro programs; to help each program carry out its mission in creating the best possible experience for clients. Rick enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys, watching his boys play a lot of basketball, road and mountain biking, golfing and serving in his local community.

Rick Meeves

Katie graduated from [University of Northern Iowa](/org/university-of-northern-iowa) and brings over 18 years of experience in accounting and business management to the [Aspiro Group](/org/aspiro-group). Katie has been with the Aspiro since 2013 and oversees the company’s financial planning and management. She is a valuable member of the leadership team and brings her business management knowledge, as well as her insight and practical viewpoints, to the planning and oversight of the company. Katie enjoys running, biking, and spending time with family.

Katie Thoma

Kip grew up in eastern Washington where he quickly found a love for the outdoors. After going to school at [Central Washington University](/org/central-washington-university), he traveled to Honduras to volunteer as an English teacher and manage a  program on proper nutrition for the local youth. It was in Honduras that Kip learned that service was his passion, thus leading him to wilderness therapy. Kip has been with Aspiro since early 2016. He started out as a field guide where he was able to develop a diverse skill set to help our unique and complicated students. Following that, he transitioned into the role of recruiter where he discovered our staff and helped them develop to a high standard which Aspiro holds. As an associate field director, Kip now manages Aspiro’s field staff and focuses on training them to be as effective as possible. Kip can likely be found visiting student groups in the field, hiking into a backcountry lake, or planning his next adventure.

Kip Swem

Elise began working at Aspiro as a field guide in 2015. After witnessing the profound impact that wilderness therapy had on the youth and young adults she worked with, Elise decided to return to school to become a wilderness therapist. Elise moved back to her hometown of Portland, Oregon, to attend graduate school at [Portland State University](/org/portland-state-university) where she earned her Masters of Social Work and became a Licensed School Social Worker. Her Bachelor’s degree in Social Justice that she received from Quest University Canada in Squamish, British Columbia, helped provide a strong foundation for her focus on equity as she completed her master’s program.

Elise’s therapeutic approach is strengths-based, student-centered, and trauma-Informed. She integrates Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy while maintaining an equity lens with her students. Elise has used this approach while working with children in the foster care system and with teens in academic settings who struggled with challenges such as early trauma, depression, anxiety, and identity development. Elise believes that everyone deserves to live a life worth living and sees therapy as one step that can help young people move towards achieving their goals. In her free time, Elise likes to adventure. She enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, backpacking, biking, and sailing.

Elise Scribner

As a youngster, Jamie was climbing trees and catching fireflies in the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois. Her love for the wilderness influenced her decision to obtain a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation with an emphasis in Environmental Education from [Indiana University](/org/indiana-university) in 1999. With the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Baja, Mexico, Jamie was educated in leadership and team dynamics through an experiential adventure approach. She then began her career in 2000 serving adjudicated youth in the wilderness working for Alternative Youth Adventures (AYA), in South Central Utah.

Jamie Kaczmarek

Dr. Adam Balls is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who is actively practicing in the Salt Lake City area for Utah Emergency Physicians. He obtained his MD degree from [Georgetown University](/org/georgetown-university) in 2004. In 2007, Dr. Balls completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ where he also served as chief resident. After his residency, Adam and his family relocated to San Antonio Texas where he served on active duty for four years as an EM physician at Wilford Hall Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center, and EM Residency Program. During his time in the Air Force, he served as a team leader for a Critical Care Aeromedical Transport Team on deployments to Iraq, Germany, and Afghanistan.

Adam currently resides in Salt Lake City with his wife and three children. He serves as Medical Director for Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, a Level 1 Trauma Center and the largest ED in the state of Utah. He also works as Medical Director for Murray Fire Department. Adam is passionate about delivering excellent patient care in the Emergency Department and enjoys training and teaching. He is excited to support the needs of Pure Life in his Medical Director role. Outside of his clinical work, Adam enjoys the outdoors in Utah, supporting his children in their various sports and school activities, and living life through travel experiences around the world.

Adam Balls

Jordan Cox

Reuben is an In-Field Trainer at Aspiro. It is his job to support field guides by providing on-the-job evaluations and coaching. Reuben works with our field guides to grow their toolbox of guiding techniques. In this role, Reuben has the pleasure of visiting several student groups each week and is able to get to know most of the students at Aspiro. Reuben attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising, public relations, and social psychology. After graduating, he worked as the director of marketing for an insurance company. When he decided that the corporate world wasn’t for him, Reuben decided to search for more meaningful work. He chose to work for Aspiro because he agrees with the company’s philosophies and loves the supportive community. When Reuben is not working, you can find him rock climbing.

Reuben Hoyos

Nick Pellitteri

The leadership team at Aspiro Group has a history of working in the wilderness adventure therapy industry and compliance. The team is also experienced in human resources.

Leadership Team

About

Team members

Other teams at Aspiro Group

CEO and Executive Team

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