Dave Clark-Barol (“DCB”) and Em Powers Ducharme have held a combined 21 different roles at HMI. They are without a doubt HMI’s most versatile employees! We asked each to reflect on their winding HMI professional journeys–and why they keep coming back for more.
Dave Clark-Barol
I’m honored to be recognized as an HMI Jack of all Trades. It feels like a natural extension of my life philosophy; embracing seasons, conditions, and whims to do whatever feels fun, rewarding, and interesting, and I see it as a sign of support that HMI has allowed me to apply this approach in my 13 years working at the school.
It is a little-known fact, that the full quote is, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” In that vein, the surfeit of roles I’ve held at HMI has given me a unique understanding of the inner workings of programs, course areas, partner organizations, food ordering, faculty housing insulation envelopes, water treatment systems, and more. And while I don’t bring all of that to bear on my work on a daily basis, I do feel like it sets me up to support my coworkers, provide perspective, and step in to help with the general functioning of the school.
Em Powers Ducharme
What a long, beautiful, winding path it’s been so far! My timeline at HMI spans 22 years, having first met HMI Founders Molly and Christopher Barnes in 2001 at a prospective student slideshow. Over the course of all my different roles, experiences, and adventures at HMI, I honestly can’t pick a favorite because they’ve each been so transformative and unique. I had the most pure fun as a student in RMS 8, and can clearly remember every single day of the expeditions I went on, having never backpacked before in my life. My teachers, apprentices, and fellow students at that time influenced me to the core and I walked out of that semester a more confident, adventurous, compassionate, and creative human. I loved my HMI English class so much (thank you Sean Bowditch!) that I decided my next big goal would be to come back to HMI as an English apprentice. And thus, the boomerang mentality was set inside of me before I even left!
Through every role since, I have continued to be inspired by my HMI colleagues and students for their abundant intelligence, ingenuity, competence, and silliness. I got to bring RMS 20 on HMI’s first trip to the KOFA, led alumni hut trips to Uncle Bud’s cabin, listened to Danny O’Brien realize he brought two left hiking boots to the canyons, and helped continue in-person programming in the depths of Covid. When I start to think of the list of Legends I have worked with, led trips with, and learned from over all the years, I could fill the rest of this newsletter.
The thing that has kept bringing me back, and what keeps me here currently, is the integrity of the humans here. I genuinely enjoy coming to work every morning because no matter what challenge I face on any given day, I know the people beside me here will always have my back. I’ve worked in many places at this point in my career, and HMI is where I’ve been privileged to feel the most supported, challenged, and thus rewarded. I’m excited to get back into the field and continue to help serve as a strategic thinker for a place that has always, always, always felt like home.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 HMI Newsletter.