President

Katie Brown

2nd Year Physics PhD

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

Am I allowed to say all of them? I’m a climber first (boulder bro at heart but finding my love for climbs longer than six moves), but also love trail running, backpacking, and eating snacks on top of mountains (which absolutely counts as an alpine activity). Since coming to Stanford I’ve also been so excited to be getting into backcountry skiing and mountaineering!

I just got back from taking Stanford’s trad climbing course that has me so stoked for all the new adventure possibilities that it opens up!

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

SAC has been a huge part of my life since I got to Stanford in 2024 (there’s an ongoing joke that SAC is my full-time job and my PhD is my side hobby). I ran for Social Chair last spring, but ended up stepping into the President role for the past year!

Why do you want to be president of SAC?

SAC has been the highlight of my time at Stanford, and I really believe in the impact it can have by bringing people into a supportive community and getting them outside. After this past year as president, I feel really invested in the club and where it’s going. I’ve learned a ton, and I’m excited to keep building on the progress we’ve made.

Tell us about your vision for the club. How do you think we should prioritize our resources? Do you have any ideas for changes you’d like to make or initiatives you’d want to start if elected?

I think SAC is at its best when we’re prioritizing three things: building a welcoming and engaged community where we can meet friends, mentors and adventure partners, creating opportunities for members at all levels to develop their alpine skills, and helping people actually get out into the mountains.

Over the past year, we’ve made some big changes that I’m really excited about, like introducing common adventure grants, starting the partnership with Lake Tahoe Community College, and putting more emphasis on community-building events. This year, I’d love to focus on dialing those in and making them run more smoothly and consistently.

I’d also love to increase the number of bigger group trips (both member- and exec-led), including bringing back Thanksgiving and Spring Break trips!

Vice President

Anna Janni

Physics PhD - 2nd year

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I enjoy trail running, climbing, backpacking, hiking, xc skiing, (newly) downhill skiing, and (aspirationally) mountaineering. I recently spent time in Bishop running, climbing, and camping. During the trip, Pine Creek sport climbs, beautiful flowers and views, and all my amazing friends got me so so stoked!

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I've been in SAC since fall 2024. I've participated in many SAC and SAC Womxns+ events by adding to pitch slide decks, showing up to socials and info sessions, and spreading stoke.

Why do you want to be vice president of SAC?

I want to be vice president of SAC to help continue the growth of the outdoor enthusiast community and to help Stanford folks realize their mountain dreams whether whimsical or wild!

Tell us about your vision for the club. How do you think we should prioritize our resources? Do you have any ideas for changes you’d like to make or initiatives you’d want to start if elected?

People don't shred or send alone, so... I think a number one priority for SAC should be building community--introducing people to mentors, friends, adventure partners. The ideas I have to build such community include: some sort of mentorship program and a yearly or quarterly service project like trail maintenance (call it "SAC Gives Back").

But, enough with my visions. I think SAC will be made the best it can be by considering member visions. I would love to see more member participation in all SAC actions and decisions and think this can be made possible by opening up SAC exec meetings to general members.

Financial Officer 

Nicole Meister

4th year EE PhD

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I like to climb, run, bike, and ski! 

I recently took Outdoor 15, an intro to trad climbing class, and it was so fun! I laughed a lot, over cammed a lot, and learned so much. I’m so stoked to climb in so many new places with new friends! 

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I've been an active member of SAC for 2 years and have actively participated in the social and climber coffee. I routinely go on trail runs and climbs with SAC members and have participated in the LTCC classes through SAC. I'm very grateful for all the friends I've met through SAC and hope that I can foster that for others!

Why do you want to be financial officer of SAC?

I want to be the financial officer of SAC to help members fund their ideas and provide resources to continue to grow our community through socials and beginner friendly trips and technical skills training.

Tell us about how you think the club’s financial resources should be allocated. What should we prioritize (or de-prioritize) with our funding?

SAC's financial resources should be allocated towards supporting our members at every skill level. Specifically, I want to continue funding beginner-friendly trips and socials to grow our community, while also creating support for experienced members accomplishing more technical alpine objectives.

Trip Coordinator

Emma Kerr

PhD Energy Science and Engineering, current 2nd year

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I enjoy mountain biking, gravel biking, backcountry skiing (+ alpine skiing), backpacking, trail running, and hiking. I recently did some touring in South Lake and I hope to get back out there this spring for a natural pond skim!

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I have been a member of SAC since my first quarter at Stanford (Sept 2024). I am Trip Coordinator for 2025-26.

Why do you want to be the SAC trip coordinator?

In my time as Trip Coordinator (aka Trip Guru) over this past year, I have learned so much. I have learned what the people want, where the people want to go, how much support the people need, and how to get the people to unleash their alpine dreams.

I desire to continue to serve the people—to serve you. As a potential incumbent, I will foster my learnings toward an even more epic second term. I will continue to provide the support for seamless Yosemite campsites (I am here for the selfies, as they are both cute and encourage accountability). I will continue to uplift the group trips through logistical planning for all members to achieve their greatness. I will continue to empower our people with Common Adventure Grant funding so that you can send your projects, and treat yourself to not one, but two bags of nerd’s gummy clusters. I will do all this, plus more, as I continue to improve my Guru-yness so that everyone finds enjoyment in SAC.

A Trip Coordinator must be organized, timely, creative, and full of stoke. I believe I am your gal. After a great year of supporting you, I hope I have your support in re-election. <3

Tell us about your vision for this role. Describe an idea for a trip that you’d want to organize if elected. 

Here’s the ideal line-up I have in mind for next year: Yosemite campsites starting in April ’26 and continuing through November ’26, with a pause in mid-summer due to peak crowds and hot temperatures. Backpacking trips to Point Reyes and Big Sur in the fall. A hut trip for backcountry skiing in Tahoe. Two bikepacking trips (one local where we can leave from campus, another further away and longer) in the spring/early summer [stay tuned!]. Thanksgiving and Spring Break trips, along with any other excursions, determined by club interests (i.e., Yosemite, Bishop, Joshua Tree, Shasta, trail running festival, climbing…).

Alongside all of this, I hope that many of you submit Trailhead group grants so we can continue to fund your own unique, club wide trips!

Social Chairs

Erinn Drage

First year PhD student, Environmental Social Sciences

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

Backcountry ski touring! Despite an "exciting" ending to my most recent hut trip that resulted in a broken bone and sprained ankle, my recent outing to Pear Lake Hut in Sequoia National Park definitely had me stoked. I love the mixed speeds of adventuring through the mountains on backcountry skis, where you can enjoy a slow walk (sometimes slog) up a mountain followed by a fast-paced, adrenaline inducing ski down. No matter the sport, I love being in the mountains to both connect with nature and to move my body and engage in fitness. Outside of backcountry skiing, other alpine activities I love include trail running, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and climbing. 

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I’m relatively new to SAC, having just joined in December, but I’ve been soaking up as much of the community as I can since then. I’ve especially enjoyed getting to know other members and finding friends at Stanford who share similar hobbies, passions, and interests. While I had hoped to participate more in SAC trips and organized activities this winter, a ski accident early in the year limited my ability to engage as much as I had hoped. That said, I’ve stayed connected where I could, and I’m really excited to hit the ground running this spring through events like Trailfest and general outings to continue deepening my involvement in the club.

Why do you want to be a SAC social chair?

I would love to be a SAC Social Chair because I’m deeply passionate about bringing people together and am bursting with fun ideas to keep SAC members connected to one another. I've seen firsthand the value of creating spaces where people can meet others with shared interests and build meaningful connections, and want to continue facilitating this in the years ahead. Especially at Stanford where academics can be all-consuming and it’s easy to feel isolated or caught up with work, I think SAC offers a really important and unique opportunity to connect over a shared love of the outdoors. As a real "people person", I want to help make social connections through SAC even stronger, organizing a variety of social events that appeal to different schedules, interests, and comfort levels.

My vision is to organize events that span from intense to creative, whether that’s casual meetups, skill-building mixers, multi-sport adventure days, or storytelling nights, so members can connect, try new things, and get outside together. So far, I have felt like SAC is more than a club— it's a community of likeminded, adventurous people who can support each other in alpine adventures and beyond. By creating opportunities for connection both on and off campus, I want to carry forward and strengthen the sense of community that makes SAC such a special part of Stanford.

Tell us about your vision for this role. Describe an idea for a social event you’d want to organize if elected. 

One event I would be excited to build out would be a "SAC Alpine Sampler" day. The goal would be to introduce SAC members to the foundations of alpinism in an accessible, hands-on way on or near campus through a fun, low-pressure event. I would picture this including different stations set up that reflect core alpine sports, skills, and activities, for example an intro to trail running station, a small mountain bike loop with test bikes to build comfort on varied terrain, a backcountry ski gear station to walk through the basics of equipment and safety for those who have not been exposed, a navigation basics station, packing and layering for alpine objectives, a simple knots and rope systems demo, etc. The idea would be to demystify alpine sports that can feel intimidating or inaccessible and show that alpine objectives don't have to be just about big expeditions, but are really about skills that can be learned and an alpine mindset. I think an Alpine Sampler day would allow for mentorship between more experienced and less experienced SAC members, and I would look forward to facilitating volunteers for the stations to share their breadth of knowledge and experience. The afternoon would include a casual social BBQ to relax and connect with other SAC members. 

Is there anything else you want us to know?

If I am elected to Exec, I am really excited about continuing to build on the direction SAC has been moving toward, expanding beyond a narrow focus on mountaineering and climbing to embrace a more inclusive, place-based idea of what “alpine” can mean. Being in Palo Alto, we’re not surrounded by glaciers or big peaks, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cultivate an alpinism-inspired culture rooted in pushing physical and mental boundaries and connecting to each other and to the landscape. I’d love to help continue growing opportunities for mountain biking, trail running, and other ways of moving through our local mountains, while carrying forward the alpinism values of resilience and stewardship and connecting as much as possible to the Sierra. While on campus though, I'm confident that SAC can continue to embody an alpine culture that we collectively create in our context here at Stanford, ensuring that we are accessible to a wide range of people without losing the spirit that draws us to the mountains.

Victoria Dinov

1st yr Masters Energy Science and Engineering 

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

All of the them! I love to run, ski, climb, backpack, etc. I really loved the LTCC backcountry course I recently took and it got me super stoked on backcountry skiing and potentially ski mountaineering!! I also took a fun trip to Red Rocks over winter break that was actually phenomenal... and also GETTING INTO TRAD!

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I have been an active member since coming to Stanford this fall. I have been attending the Windy Wednesday runs and a lot of the club events. I have also been participating in the LTCC events, like the backcountry ski class and upcoming mountaineering class. I haven't yet had the opportunity to lead much other than small group trips with friends from SAC, but I am looking forward to organizing more and getting more people excited!

Why do you want to be a SAC social chair?

I think SAC social events are so amazing and I think that fostering community outside of activities is really important. People can meet their new best friends, climbing partners, hiking buddies, etc at these events and I know I have had a lot of fun times and made a lot of friends through them. Also, for new people, it is a great way to get the vibe of the group. 

Tell us about your vision for this role. Describe an idea for a social event you’d want to organize if elected. 

My vision is honestly to be able to fill Karna and Rachel's shoes (haha). I would love to put on barbecues, picnics, etc. We could put out slack lines or do other fun activities during the events to get people to work together or force them to meet new people. I also think having more intimate events (i.e. events tailored to specific hobbies) could be another good way for people to connect to others they have not met before.

Women’s+ Chair

Meghan Marangola

Physics PhD, 1st year

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I enjoy skiing, hiking/backpacking, trail running, climbing, swimming, biking, and picnicking in pretty alpine areas! Recently I did some slushy spring skiing in the sunshine and it was warm enough to jump in Lake Tahoe afterwards, which was super beautiful.

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I joined SAC in September when I arrived on campus. SAC people brought me to my first trail run last spring, and I explored many parks on SAC trail runs this past fall. I went on the Mojave Desert Backpacking trip in December with an amazing group. This quarter, I went winter backpacking in Yosemite mid-February. I went alpine skiing most weekends as well with many SAC friends. I have also really enjoyed SAC social events (the pitch a trips, the pitch your friends, galentines, and of course the come eat pizza) and have met so many wonderful people who also enjoy getting outdoors! I am excited for many more adventures during my time here.

Why do you want to be the SAC Women's+ Chair?

We live in a really cool time and place where women+ are absolutely crushing alpine sports. I want to continue to create space for women+ who love the outdoors (the Mojave trip spawned out of a womens+ pitch-a-trip event!). Maintaining a welcoming environment for women and gender minorities who are new to alpine activities is also very important to me. 

Tell us about your vision for this role. Describe an idea for an event, trip or other initiative you’d like to organize if elected. 

I think Megan has done an incredible job with this role and I would plan to continue the very popular events that have happened this year, including the pitch-a-trip, wax n snacks, and of course galentines. I feel like there have been many texts in womens+ group chats about gear recommendations this year, and I would be interested in pulling together information on that to have a women's gear review and borrowing forum. People could list their gear, experiences with it, and whether they are happy to lend it to other women in the club. I would also love to plan a womens+ hike or backpacking trip to a peak named after a woman! (Melissa Coray Peak, Mount Eddy, Maggie's Peaks, or even the Old Woman Mountains)

Skill Development Coordinator

Karna Morey

3rd year Physics PhD

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I love trail running, skiing, and climbing! I recently did a backcountry traverse of Utah's 6 ski resorts which was really fun!

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I've been social chair for the past year, and an active member for the year before that!

Why do you want to be the SAC skill development coordinator?

I was the one who spear-headed the SAC/LTCC collaboration, along with Katie, and who's been organizing it. I have a lot of ideas for how to improve things in the next year.

Tell us about your vision for this role. Describe an idea for a skill-building initiative (e.g. course, workshop, etc.) that you'd want to organize if elected.

I'd like to streamline some of the courses that we have scheduled with LTCC, to make sure that things go better with respect to the partnership going forward.

Wilderness Medicine Chair

Sarah Rockwood

MD-PhD, 4th year

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I absolutely adore trail running, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and road biking, and hoping to get into mountaineering!

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I have been part of SAC since I started medical school in 2022, but I have been most active in the past 1-2 years when my friend Jardon and I started a back country skiing potluck series that became very popular in the club. I have also helped SAC Exec members lead and plan events such as Galentines Pariing 2025 and Trailfest 2025 in Mount Shasta. I have come out to almost all socials and have been engaged in the communication forums. 

Why do you want to be the SAC Wilderness Medicine Chair?

As a medical student hoping to go into Emergency Medicine and do a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine, I am passionate about bringing elements of wilderness medicine to SAC now during my medical training. I have already founded the SMS Wilderness Medicine Interest Group (WMIG), which has hosted multiple speaker series, such as most recently with Dr. Jospeh Forrester, a wilderness medicine trauma surgeon, that was open to all of SAC. I am planning a panel with the directors of multiple wilderness medicine fellowship programs. I have started a WMIG book club to read Dr. Paul Auerbach's Wilderness Medicine for the Outdoors. WMIG already has strong interest from SAC members and medical students, and I would love to continue to strengthen SAC's connection to wilderness medicine in this role. 

Tell us about your vision for this role. Describe an idea for a wilderness medicine event or initiative you’d like to organize if elected.

I would like to organize a summer camping trip in Tahoe this summer where we work on outdoor wilderness medical skills and recruit Stanford Emergency Medicine and Wilderness Medicine fellows, residents, and faculty to attend and teach us. I would also like to host a mixer event with Wilderness Medicine faculty and experts here at Stanford, which has the first Wilderness Medicine Fellowship in the country. 

IKON Liaison

Jeremy McCulloch

Mechanical Engineering PhD, 4th Year

What kind of alpine activities do you enjoy? Share a recent outing that got you stoked!

I enjoy climbing, backcountry skiing, trail running, and backpacking. A recent outing I enjoyed was a short tour in chickadee ridge near mount rose on a powder day. The snow was awesome, we did several short laps, and then also did some avalanche rescue practice to keep our skills sharp.

How long have you been an active member of SAC? Briefly describe your participation in the club, including how you've engaged with the community and, if applicable, any leadership opportunities you've taken.

I have been a member of SAC for the past 4 years. During my first 3 years, I planned a few common adventure trips to go backpacking or xc skiing, and also joined in on a backcountry ski trip to lassen. This year I've helped organize the LTCC classes with the help of other SAC exec members.