Kathryn Bernard

I was born and raised in Northern Virginia, and spent many summers at camp in rural Michigan, where I developed my love for the outdoors (and for the Midwest). I played a lot of sports growing up, but I was looking for something new in college when a friend invited me to go climbing at our school's tiny climbing wall. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't until a few months later, when I moved to Madison, that I went all-in on climbing.

Moving to a new city and not knowing anyone was hard, and climbing gave me the community and support I was searching for. Recently, I served for several years as the co-leader of Madison Women Climbers, an affinity group that provides a space for female-identifying climbers to connect, learn, and climb together. 

I credit climbing, and the love and appreciation for Wisconsin's natural resources that it inspires in me, for my decision to make a career change and go back to school for a master's degree in environmental conservation and geospatial analysis. I now work for a conservation non-profit, making maps and conducting spatial analyses to inform land protection and conservation initiatives across the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River region.

Outside of work and climbing, I enjoy running, biking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and gardening in my community garden plot.