Author's Posts
Feb 01, 2017
Wind is blowing sand in every direction. There’s sand in my teeth, eyes, and ears. The other guides and I are doing our best to cook dinner for our 20 …
Emma Wharton
After spending many years trying to combine her love of rivers with her enthusiasm for working with young people, Emma found Grand Canyon Youth www.gcyouth.org. She is celebrating her 14th year as the Executive Director of this small non-profit with a powerful mission. Emma has her master’s degree in Social Work and her undergraduate studies focused on negotiation, service-learning, and environmental education. Much of her education came between being a commercial river guide and working as a seasonal park ranger, in-patient counselor with teens, and at the YWCA in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has served on many non-profit boards, loves to volunteer and was honored to be selected for the “2010 Caring for Children” award from the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth. This past summer, Emma was thrilled to share the transformational power of the river with the Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and a stellar group of young people. As a parent of two girls and guardian to her niece, she enjoys spending time outdoors away from her computer whenever she can.