Meet Our Team
Stephanie Millane
Owner
Stephanie grew up in the backwoods of Wisconsin, running through the forests and fishing the rivers. Skiing during the winter left her summers open for exploration. She began guiding in SE AK in 1998 and found her way to Sunny Cove in 2006.
Once here she soon became our Operations Manager and a full-time Alaska resident. She shares with us her nearly two decades of Alaskan experience and is a Wilderness First Responder, and a Certified Alaska Tour Guide Trainer.
In the fall of 2019, Stephanie purchased Sunny Cove and she’s looking forward to continuing Sunny Cove’s exploration of wild places.
Jen Schuler
Trainer, Year 4
Jen spent the first 18 years of her life exploring Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes, camping, and traveling to find new adventures before heading off to Minnesota for college.
After studying recreation and tourism she has guided sea kayaking and canoeing on the North Shore of Lake Superior and the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness spent a winter in Maui kayaking with Humpback whales and is looking forward to her return for another season guiding adventurers in Alaska.
Taylor Cline
Guide, Year 4
Taylor grew up in Colorado spending the majority of his free time backpacking, climbing, and skiing. While attending Colorado Mountain College, he obtained a degree in Outdoor Education.
After graduating college, he spent time as a rock climbing guide in Wyoming and Montana. He eventually found his way to Sunny Cove and discovered a love for the vast Kenai mountains and the abundant wildlife surrounding them.
Laurie Millane
Guest Experience Coordinator, Year 13
When Laurie is not in Alaska, she calls Wisconsin home. Over the years, she's hiked, camped, and paddled the multitude of waterways of home, finding fun around every corner.
Her ties to Alaska began at three years old when her Native Alaskan sister came to live with her family. The first time she visited Seward, she fell in love with the area and has been returning every year since. Look for Laurie at the Adventure Center or out adventuring around Seward!
Joshua Jackson
Owner/Captain
Seward Coastal Charters
Joshua moved to Seward and fell in love with working on the water and the community, more than 20 years ago.
He spent the winters working with whales in HI, helping with deliveries along the coast of Mexico, and as the first mate on yachts in the Caribbean. Now, Joshua enjoys winter traveling with his wife Audrey, and boys, River and Silas.
During the 20+ summer seasons working on boats, all Joshua could think was 'how amazing it would be to just pull up to the beach, walk off and explore, spawning the dream with ownership of Ascension. Joshua is excited to share the wonder of Kenai Fjords and Resurrection Bay.
Liz Rasmussen
Trainer, Year 6
Liz grew up on a dairy farm in NY, spending her time playing in the fields. A graduate of Colgate University, she majored in History, with a double minor in Educational Studies/Peace and Conflict Studies.
Liz enjoys exploring, and educating, and aspires to become an outdoor educator as a professional career. She is a Wilderness First Responder, and a NOLS Instructor, and is looking forward to sharing in the energy and experiences of another summer with Sunny Cove.
Maggie Wagner
Guide, Year 2
Maggie grew up in central Ohio attending numerous camps at the area's extensive metro park system, taking annual ski trips, and camping with her brother's scout troop.
As an adult, she enjoys kayaking at sunset and taking an annual National Park trip with her dad and so far has visited 24 National Parks.
She looks forward to sharing the natural and historical points of interest in the Seward/Kenai Fjords National Park with guests to help them better connect to the area.
Amelia Nommensen
Assistant Ops Mgr, Year 1
Growing up in the mountains of Frazier Park, California, Amelia has always maintained a deep connection to nature. She calls the sagebrush and snow of the high mountain desert home. During undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, she began sea kayak guiding and continued the pursuit for eight years.
She has also worked with Naturalists at Large, UCSF, and the California Academy of Sciences as an outdoor educator, trip lead, and naturalist. When she is not on the water, you can find Amelia choreographing modern dance.
Annie Pelletier
Driver Guide, Year 1
Annie grew up in a mountain town in Colorado, where her family helped her to understand the beauty of the natural world, as well as the beauty of community.
She has spent time kayaking, paddleboarding, rafting, hiking, climbing, and skiing throughout her life. She’s new to Alaska and is looking forward to learning more about the Greatland and breaking into guiding!
Cassandra Hunter
Guide, Year 1
A Colorado-born, Florida-raised adventurer, Hunter is always seeking new experiences. After briefly attending Santa Fe Community College to study anthropology, she realized her true passion was experiencing history and culture firsthand, not just reading about it.
She landed her first seasonal job in Yellowstone, discovering the vastness of nature. Next was Glacier National Park, driving the historic red buses. She also snowcoach tours in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, deepening her passion for the outdoors and guiding.
Emma Ellis
Guide, Year 1
Emma grew up in the skyscraper swarm of Chicago, where she spent her time swimming in the lake while pondering how it is possible that Lake Michigan was carved by glaciers. Eventually, she made it out into the world where she lapped the globe three times over 8 years, living and teaching on 7 continents.
A coin flip brought her back to the States, where she has been backpack guiding and teaching outdoor education in every corner of Oregon. As a guid,e she aspires to find new vistas of curiosity and let them guide and reign.
Drew Fuentes
Guide, Year 1
Drew grew up right outside Philadelphia, PA, in small-town suburbia. As a super active kid, they really found their passion for outdoor adventuring around 16. After a few years of casual hiking and road tripping, they moved to Oregon to pursue guiding in the outdoor school setting with a mission to share a passion for the outdoors with kids and adults!
They’ve spent the past few years hiking, backpacking, and exploring the magic of the Pacific Northwest while growing and getting to know themself in so many new ways!
James Shaw
Guide, Year 1
James grew up skiing in MA and VT and spent time near the ocean in the summers. After leaving college, he joined the Maine Conservation Corps to participate in trailwork/maintenance. This put him on the outdoor industry path. He moved out to Utah in 2016 to join the Utah Conservation Corps, and joined ski patrol in the winter of 2016/17.
He participated in a guide school in UT and became a guide on the Green River. In subsequent seasons, he was a multiday guide on the Green and Yampa rivers.
Kendel Fenton
Guide, Year 1
Growing up in the suburbs of Dallas, Kendel was always eager to escape the city, and her mom’s love for spontaneous getaways sparked a deep passion for exploration. After high school, she embarked on a journey through Costa Rica, Cambodia, and Swaziland. At Texas A&M, she took on a leadership role in the Aggie Outdoors Organization, cultivating her love for the outdoors.
As an amateur wildlife, landscape, and astrophotographer, she continues to pursue her passion for adventure and guiding, sharing the beauty of the world with others.
Oleksandr Andriushchenko
Guide, Year 1
Oleks grew up in a small town on the Black Sea coast and has always felt connected to nature. He started to travel in 2014 and has continued since then, living in 4 countries, and has visited around 30.
His goal is to live in and visit at least 100 countries in his lifetime. Oleks became an outdoor guide in 2018 and has led activities such as hiking, fishing, boating, caving, snowmobiling, and snorkelling all over the world.
Matthew Thornton
Guide, Year 1
Matthew grew up spending his summers working for his dad at a remote and rustic fishing resort in the cascade mountains of Oregon and fell in love with the outdoors.
Since then he’s traveled through Southeast Asia, hiked the Annapurna circuit in Nepal, lived in a small village in Eastern Europe, and hiked 1500 miles of the PCT. Among many other adventures. he seeks simple and honest work where he can practice my core values and spread kindness through earnest interactions with others!
Sven Johnson
Guide, Year 1
Sven grew up in California playing on the beach and in the mountains with his family. He is a lover of water in all forms and has a big spot in his heart for snowboarding. He’s spent many summers goofing around with kiddos at summer camps and in outdoor education.
he went to college on the beach in Santa Barbara, CA where he started leading trips outdoors for other students, and when Sven graduated, he took a 5-month bicycle tour up the west side of South America. Since then, he has worked as a whitewater rafting guide and at a couple of ski mountains.
Ezekiel Churchill
Guide, Year 4
Ezekiel is a seasonal worker and world traveler, with three and a half years of humpback whale interpretive kayak guiding in Hawaii. He is an adamant adventurer and explorer who finished a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, in the summer of 2022.
As a guide, he is primarily motivated by a passion for wildlife, as well as adventure. He is committed to learning and retaining new knowledge, and is a great teacher. He aspires to open his own outdoor adventure company someday.
Monica Connors
Deckhand, Ascension
This is Monica’s first season in Alaska! She is stoked to meet new people and facilitate adventure on board the Ascension! Monica grew up in northern Utah, skiing, biking, and enjoying the vast outdoor recreation accessibility. She went on to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Botany.
She’s enjoyed working in greenhouses, farms, and for natural resource management programs. Monica is an EMT and has logged many hours leading crews in the backcountry. She is passionate about learning, playing, and building a strong community. She is excited to be a part of the team and to be in Seward with her wonderful partner and pup.
Matthew Barnes
Deckhand, Ascension
Originally from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Matthew shunned a conventional career path and fully embraced the migratory life of a sea kayak guide. Holding a B.A. in Philosophy, he became a studious generalist of natural history and feels most in his element coaching and interpreting from sea level.
He spent 12 seasons in Seward, leading tours for Sunny Cove Kayaking, while also chasing endless summer via travel gigs in places like the Caribbean, New Zealand, Baja, and Hawaii. Based for several years in Savannah, Georgia, he became an ACA Open-water Kayak Instructor and avid sea kayak surfer. Since 2023, he has worked on cruise vessels in the Antarctic and South Pacific.
Brent Pikolas
Captain, Ascension
Brent joins the Seward Coastal Charter team with a true passion for the natural world and the ocean. He grew up in PA, but after more than two decades of exploring wild Alaska as a guide, naturalist and captain, he now calls Seward hom
Brent has a degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in environmental and adventure education from Prescott College. Captaining tour boats out of Seward since 2012, Brent has gained an in-depth knowledge of the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Gulf of Alaska.
When Brent is not working on the water, he is usually playing on the water. He is an enthusiastic, if not obsessed, sailor, surfer, fisherman, and kayaker. He is also a block print artist, working in both wood and linoleum to create landscape and wildlife images inspired by his exploration of wild places.