JHStyle Magazine Winter/Spring 2023-24

PUSHING BOUNDARIES
MOVING
MOUNTAINS
Dr. Sheila Walsh Reddy breaks the mold in athletics,
conservation and mentorship
WORDS Brigid Mander | IMAGES Chris Figenshau
When Dr. Sheila Walsh Reddy embarked on a short trip to Jackson in the winter of 2020, she wasn’t looking
for anything other than a pleasant getaway into the mountains with her family. But, a seemingly simple
cross-country ski outing underneath the peaks in Grand Teton National Park with her then 3-month-old
daughter strapped to her chest had big implications.
“That was the moment I knew I wanted us to be here, amongst
all of this big nature,” Sheila says. In early 2021, Sheila, her husband,
and their now 4-year-old daughter made the leap and purchased
a home in Teton County. Since then, she has wasted no
time in immersing herself into both the natural and human elements
of the area, mainly as a dedicated climber and backcountry
skier, conservationist and champion for women in the mountains
through the Teton Climbers Coalition.
For Sheila, time playing outside is more than just recreation. It’s an
enriching, motivating connection with nature and her own capabilities
which fuels both her professional career in conservation
and family time, and inspires her to help other people as she was
helped. “In my early climbing days, I received a ‘Live Your Dream’
grant from the American Alpine Club, and I realized first-hand how
climbing and climbing groups can be influential in changing people’s
lives.”
The family still spends part of the year in Durham, North Carolina,
where her husband works in biomedical science research
and where Sheila has an office as senior director of conservation
impact for The Nature Conservancy on a global scale. But a direct
connection to the outdoors was still missing. “We wanted to get
back to the mountains – my husband and I met skiing in Tahoe,
California,” she said.
Given the track of Sheila’s career, the irresistible pull of the outdoors
in the Tetons makes it — in hindsight — seem like a no-brainer. As
a scientist with a PhD in marine biology and research in economics
and ecology, her profession is built on a deep understanding of the
connection between the health of ecosystems and sustainable economic
development. At work, she oversees and tracks the impact of
The Nature Conservancy programs as they work to address the biodiversity
and climate crises globally.
As a driven athlete in her personal life, she’s also passionate about
immersing herself and connecting to the outside realm as a climber,
a backcountry skier and on water. Since she’s arrived in the Tetons,
Sheila has jumped at every opportunity to provide more visibility,
support and connections for women, chances to test themselves, to
lead in the mountains, and to redefine for themselves what they are
capable of mentally and physically on and off the mountain.
We asked her a few questions on how the natural world of the
Tetons and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem speaks to her,
and how it inspires her to keep pushing forward in her career as a
leader and a modern-day renaissance woman in science, conservation,
art and as an athlete.
How does the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem give you a greater
connection and drive in your professional life?
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a massive symbol of conservation;
the history of this place is so inspiring (in protecting nature).
Today, around the world we have challenges to climate and biodiversity,
and countries around the world have pledged to protect 30
percent of lands and waters by 2030. The creation of Yellowstone
National Park was just the beginning, and it’s more complex today,
but it’s an inspiring reminder of what we can achieve.
You work in conservation on a global scale — how does Teton
County stack up?
The places people like to live are also important for wildlife. So
there’s a lot to balance. It’s true, for example, that most of the
county is public lands but research has shown that private lands
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JHStyleMagazine.com | WINTER • SPRING 2023-2024