About Girls Education International

Founder and Executive Director:

Lizzy Scully, a professional writer/editor with a master's degree in communications from Utah State University, is also an avid rock climber who has been on numerous expeditions abroad, including to Pakistan and India. She's currently a senior contributing editor for Rock & Ice magazine and a columnist for Rocky Mountain Sports. She regularly volunteers for the HERA Foundation, and she's organized numerous fund-raising events for various nonprofits. Her life's goal is to empower women and girls with education and opportunities. She hopes to accomplish this through her work with Girls Education International. To read more about Lizzy, visit her blog: lizzyscully.blogspot.com

Founder and Chair/Board of Directors:

Heidi Wirtz is a North Face athlete who has traveled extensively around the world on climbing expeditions, from Canada to the big walls of Morocco. While continually raising the bar for her personal performance and for women's climbing in general, Heidi's vision for a broader view for her role in the sport in years ahead led her to co-found Girls Education International. She's now able to work with people in need around the world. She's also raised money and worked on projects for organizations such as the HERA Foundation and the dZi Foundation, and she regularly teaches Sherpas at the Khumbu Climbing School in Nepal. To read more about Heidi, please visit The North Face, Black Diamond, or La Sportiva websites.

Accountant/Board Member:

Justin Voorhees is a business analyst for Gaiam, Inc. with a bachelor's degree in finance from Susquehanna University. Justin's love for the mountains moved him from his home in Pennsylvania to the foothills of the Rockies in 2005. Since then, he has enjoyed rock climbing all up and down the Front Range. When he is not climbing, Justin enjoys mountain biking, skiing, playing music and spending time with friends and family. Justin's passion for GEI is driven by a desire to help those less fortunate and to strive towards making the world a better place for those in it.

Advisor/Board Member:

Elizabeth O'Neill, a GEI advisor and board member, is a sustainable development and biodiversity conservation planner, with experience spanning 15 years, five continents, and nearly 40 countries – mostly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. She is also a rock climber, having ventured to crags throughout the United States and abroad, including Thailand, New Zealand, and southern Africa. In 2007, Elizabeth moved to Boulder, Colorado, from Washington, DC , where she worked at Conservation International, supporting organizational development and strategic planning efforts. Elizabeth now works as an independent consultant specializing in conservation project design and monitoring, technical editing, and organizational planning.

Special thanks to web designer, Calvin Madison, and our webmaster, Craig Wilson, for all their hard work with the site. For questions about our site, please