Sunny Stroeer | AWE Founder & Expedition Leader
Sunny started leading multi-day backcountry trips in the mid-2000s as a student at Harvard College. She went on to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School and pursue a career as a management consultant while simultaneously expanding her climbing and mountaineering skill set. At the end of 2015, Sunny decided to leave behind the business world in order to focus full-time on climbing and running mountains. Today, she is a professional mountain athlete with multiple speed records on Aconcagua, the Annapurna Circuit, and in the Colorado Rockies. Sunny is a certified Wilderness First Responder; she has completed an AIARE 2 course, and serves on Kane County Search and Rescue. Besides AWExpeditions, she also co-owns Dreamland Safari Tours. You can find out more about her over at www.sunnystroeer.com.
Shea McCrary | AWE Operations Manager
Shea is the operations manager for AWExpeditions and an aspiring mountain guide living in Las Vegas, Nevada. After studying environmental science at Arkansas, Shea fell in love with rock climbing and the outdoors. She began a career managing commercial climbing gyms throughout the Southeast and prioritized the creation of affinity spaces and equitable access. Shea’s experience drew her to AWE where she began working in 2022. Shea is also a certified Wilderness First Responder and a major advocate for advanced medical training in the backcountry. Her favorite activities include climbing of all forms from Zion big walls to the Wind River Range and all the way to her home crags in Red Rocks. Shea is passionate about the women’s climbing and mountaineering community and hopes to empower as many women as possible to pursue their dreams.
Stephanie Kichler | AWE Chief Story Teller
Stephanie is AWE’s Chief Storyteller who joined our team in 2021. She is an avid hiker and lover of the Colorado Plateau which she explores from her home base in Kanab, Utah. With a background in Environmental Science and Biology, and long experience as a teacher, she is stoked to continue showcasing the transformative effects of the great outdoors while being an advocate for holistic land stewardship, indigenous representation, and equitable access for marginalized communities. Stephanie is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and some of her favorite backpacking trips have been through the Paria River Canyon and the Grand Canyon (which also happen to be two of our favorite Stepping Stone Experiences). You can find out more about her by heading to her Instagram @steph_anie.k and following along with our own feed @awexpeditions!