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Scott Dimetrosky, Founder

After exhausting the exploration opportunities in the Pocono Mountains near Philadelphia, where he grew up, Scott ventured towards the higher mountains of the world. After numerous journeys in North and South America, he found his way to the Himalayas, the "abode of snow".

In his first excursion to the Himalayas, in 1995, he completed a six-month traverse of the entire Himalayan range, through Pakistan, India, and Nepal. Disturbed by the negative environmental and cultural impacts of tourism that he witnessed on this trip, Scott created the International Mountain Explorers Connection, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the deleterious effects of tourism on the fragile mountain environments and cultures.

Jack Zuzack, Coordinator

Jack has a love for mountaineering and travel. He is a leader and mountaineering instructor for the Colorado Mountain Club. After several climbing trips to Nepal and South America, he realized that at least half the fun of the travel is experiencing the culture of the local people. He saw first-hand the needs of the people living in these remote mountainous regions of the world. He noticed, in particular, how warm and generous these people are despite their having difficult lives.

Jack lives in Boulder, Colorado and joined IMEC's staff in 2005. He volunteers his time performing all of the office duties and also organizes the clothing donations and transport of the gear to Tanzania and Nepal. He brings to IMEC his commitment to help the people he has met in his travels.

Karen Valenti, Project Manager Kilimanjaro

Since her teen years Karen has always wanted to live in Africa. Her desire persisted after serving with the Peace Corps in 1992-1994 as a physical therapist on the island of Antigua. Karen’s dream finally came true after she received her Masters degree in Nonprofit Management and volunteered in Moshi, Tanzania with Visions in Action in 2002-2003.

Karen has been with the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project since 2004 and was thrilled to be able to live in Moshi again. She acts as Project Manager helping to guide and facilitate the development of the nonprofit organization and its Tanzanian porter staff. Although people may be a bit confused by her choice of lifestyle, Karen enjoys trying to help improve the porter conditions and the simpler life that Tanzania can offer.