Management

Cyrena-Marie Briedé, Director of Summit Operations

Cyrena's passion for extreme weather began in Aurora, Colorado, after seeing her first tornado when she was 5 years old. She remained focused on a future career in meteorology throughout her childhood in Winchester, Virginia, and attended the University of Oklahoma and Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she graduated with a B.S. in Meteorology in 2005.

Cyrena has worked for the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and has participated in mobile radar data collection of hurricanes and severe storms. She has also served with NASA contractors, earning the NASA Certificate of Appreciation for efforts toward aviation safety. Prior to joining the Observatory she worked for an air quality monitoring company in Alaska—a close second for the title of "the world's worst weather."

In her free time, Cyrena enjoys being outdoors running, skiing, sailing, hiking and traveling, as well as rehabilitating and riding ex-racehorses. She has a thoroughbred, Red, and two dogs, Diego and Gwen.

Michelle Cruz, Director of Education

Hailing from New York City, Michelle first began working with the Observatory in 2002 as an Americorps member. In 2004 she returned to join the staff as Outreach Educator, eventually moving into her current position as Director of Education. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Observatory staff and continues to look forward to expanding its educational endeavors. Michelle has a B.S. in Communications and is a graduate of Lesley University with a Master's in Education.

Michelle and her husband Dave are looking forward to introducing their new addition to the family to the White Mountains.

Bill Grenfell, Director of Museum Operations

Bill began working for Mount Washington Observatory as the Retail Coordinator in July of 2006, and stepped into his current role as Director of Museum Operations in July of 2009. After several years of working with the wonderful staff, experiencing the captivating beauty of Mount Washington, and learning much about the history of the mountain and the organization, he feels as lucky today to be a part of it all as he did on his first day.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Bill has been living and working in Mount Washington Valley since 1999. He enjoys hiking, playing guitar, and sitting on his back porch watching the wildlife pass by.

Scot Henley, Executive Director

As a youngster, Scot Henley traveled to New Hampshire's White Mountains from his home in suburban Boston on a regular basis, hiking, skiing and camping with his family. The North Conway area, with its rivers, lakes and mountains has always been a special place for Scot. After venturing to Salt Lake City for college, Scot moved back to his native New England, settling in the Mount Washington Valley.

Scot's Observatory career began in 2000, when he was hired as the organization's first marketing manager. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating the organization's public relations, special events, sponsorship and advertising efforts. Scot has served as the Executive Director of the Mount Washington Observatory since 2006, during which time the organization has seen tremendous success. During his tenure, the Observatory has launched an innovative distance learning program with national reach, signed a long term lease for its facility atop Mount Washington, built several significant corporate partnerships, expanded its income and reshaped its relationship with the National Weather Service.

Scot is a 2010 graduate of the Leadership Mt. Washington Valley program, and was honored in the November 2010 edition of New Hampshire Magazine by being named to the publication's annual "It List," which portrays the Granite State's "movers and shakers you should know."

In his free time, Scot enjoys skiing and snowboarding, running, gardening, passionately rooting for University of Utah athletics, and his newest passion, curling. In the community, Scot currently serves as a member of the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors and as the Vice President of Express Events, and formerly served as Chairman of New Hampshire Public Radio's Community Advisory Board and Vice President of the Mt. Washington Valley Children's Museum.

Scot lives in Madison, New Hampshire with his wife, Michelle, and their two boys, Owen and Cabot.

Eric Kelsey, Director of Research

Raised in picturesque New Hampshire, Eric has always loved observing the constantly changing weather. He took his passion for extreme weather to tornado alley, where he chased severe thunderstorms and worked as a broadcast forecaster while earning his degree in atmospheric science at the University of Missouri—Columbia. He then continued on to earn his master's degree in atmospheric science at the University at Albany in 2006. After graduation, Eric merged his interest in weather with his stewardship of the environment and New England's unique climate by studying climate signals recorded in ice cores for his PhD at the University of New Hampshire.

Eric is excited to be working in the White Mountains, a place he has skied, hiked, bird watched, and camped throughout his entire life. He resides in Ashland, NH with his wife, Julie, and their daughter, Sophie, and is looking forward to welcoming another addition to their family soon.

Cara Rudio, Director of Advancement

Born and raised in the flatlands of upstate New York, Cara fell in love with the alpine environment working ski camps on Mt. Hood, Oregon. Her passion for mountain living has grown through participation in her college's downhill ski racing team, as well as backcountry trips to the Tetons, Cascades, Chugach, Himalayas, and of course, New Hampshire's White Mountains.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Cara began her career as a designer and publications manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). She moved "back east" in 2008 to oversee the Observatory's marketing and communications department, and joined the management team in 2013. Cara is thrilled to be able to put her creative marketing and development skills to use helping people connect with Mount Washington and the Observatory.