Lauren Franks
Mountain West Leader

Lauren's Story

Lauren  is a commercial pilot, mountain guide, and 14-year U.S. Air Force veteran currently based in Colorado Springs. She graduated from Abilene High School in Texas and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She later completed a master’s degree in Sports Health and Science.

During her military career, Lauren served as a T-6 instructor pilot in Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), an AC-130W gunship pilot, and a UV-18B pilot and skydiving instructor at the Air Force Academy. She conducted 5 deployments to Iraq, Syria, and Africa.  She now flies commercially for Frontier Airlines and works as a mountain guide for the Academy’s Outdoor Adventure Program.

Lauren has climbed major peaks including Mount Rainier (twice), Mount Hood, Aconcagua, and Pico de Orizaba. She is further pursuing AMGA mountain guiding certifications with the goal of bringing additional technical expertise to the Veteran Expeditions leadership team.