Founder/Director/Guide
WIll Lillard
A New Jersey native, Will spent his summers backpacking at camp in Colorado and fishing at his grandparent's in Western North Carolina. His time spent in the outdoors instilled a growing passion for environmental conservation. After playing lacrosse and earning a BA in Political Science at Kean University, he followed his love for the outdoors into teaching outdoor education. He has led outdoor education trips for Sanborn Camps in CO, Wilderness Adventures in HI, WY, MT, Naturalist at Large in CA, and the Outdoor Academy in NC. After graduating from a fly fishing guide school at Cutthroat Angler in Silverthorne, CO, he went to work for Crested Butte Angler. While exploring the small mountain streams and lakes during his time off, he decided to turn his passion for the outdoors into a career. He returned to school at NYU for his graduate degree in Environmental Conservation Education. During his time at NYU he worked at the Orvis 5th Avenue store in the fishing department, where he taught fly fishing 101 and fly tying 101. He also volunteered for Trout Unlimited, teaching and developing lesson plans for their youth education program, "Trout in the Classroom." His passion for fly fishing, conservation, and teaching inspired him to create Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions as his Master's thesis. His goal is to encourage appreciation for nature through participation in backpacking and fly fishing while inspiring future generations of sporting conservationists. When he's not working, he enjoys adventures with his wife Kim and three kids, River, Bailey, and Blake. He is a Wilderness First Responder, Registered Maine Guide, Montana Outfitter, and Colorado Outfitter.
Rocky Mountain Regional Director/Head Guide
Charlie Parr (April 21, 1985 - September 2, 2021)
When LFFE became a reality, Charlie was the first person Will called. From that moment forward, he was dedicated to building LFFE into what it is today. He was an avid outdoorsman whose parents taught him to fly fish when he was just nine years old. Since then, he spent his summers exploring the mountains and rivers of southwest Colorado. Upon graduating from high school in Oklahoma City, Charlie threw himself into a life dedicated to exploring the outdoors. While pursuing a degree in History and Political Science at Colorado College, Charlie led outdoor education trips for Sanborn Camps, held a leadership position in the ski club, engaged in conservation work, and was involved in planning and executing many backcountry excursions with friends and various organizations on campus. Over the next 16 years, Charlie lived, worked, and played in Colorado, Montana, and New Zealand, gaining a great deal of experience in various outdoor pursuits, including backpacking, fly fishing, whitewater rafting, backcountry skiing, sea kayaking, and mountaineering. Through his experiences, Charlie ascertained that “for young adults, active participation in the outdoors is invaluable for fostering the growth of important life skills such as leadership, responsibility, self awareness, and independence. It also teaches the importance of environmental and resource conservation and just simply knowing how to have fun outside anytime, anywhere.” Charlie died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm stemming from an undiagnosed preexisting condition in Denver on Thursday, September 2, 2021. He was 36 years old. Charlie is survived by his wife, Jessica Parr, MD in Salida, his sister Katy Parr in Carbondale, his parents Doug Parr and Patricia Gallagher in Oklahoma City, his Maine Coon cat Grayling, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, countless friends, and LFFE alum, who will miss him today, and all days. He left a lasting impact on LFFE, and a scholarship fund has been established to help build on that legacy.
Charlie Parr Memorial Scholarship
Office Director/Trip Coordinator
Kim Lawson
Kim graduated with a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Before returning to school for her Master's degree in Special Education, she discovered the joy of teaching outdoor education. While leading wilderness trips for adolescents with Naturalist at Large in CA, Kim loved showing girls how much fun backpacking and river trips could be. Kim used to spend the school year teaching a Kindergarten class for autistic children. Now she manages our office full time. Kim does all the behind-the-scenes work that keeps our trips running smoothly. If you have any questions during the summer, Kim is happy to help. When she is not managing our adventures, she can be found on her own adventures with Will and their children River, Bailey, and Blake.
Operations & Enrollment
Ben Scott
Growing up in Kansas City, Ben worked hard to escape to the Colorado mountains every summer. It was there that he discovered and grew his love of the outdoors (and where he met Will!). He received his undergraduate degree in sustainable agriculture and then a masters in elementary education. During college, he worked as a ski instructor, raft guide, goat milker, preschool teacher, and bread baker. At LFFE, Ben works on enrollment and operations, working to ensure families know what to expect and that our guides are always ready for their trip. When Ben's not working on LFFE, he's likely either playing with his two young kids or trying to get through a home reno project.
Montana Regional Director / Head Guide
Pat Sheehy
Another NJ native, Pat Sheehy, first learned about LFFE when Will gave a presentation to his Boy Scout troop. Already an experienced angler Pat jumped at the opportunity to refine his skill on our 2012 Blue Ridge Adventure. Three trips later, he started working as a co-leader while attending Montana State. He earned a degree in Early Childhood Education in 2020, and we are lucky to have him direct our Montana and Yellowstone Expeditions. Pat's participants love his sense of humor, patience on and off the river, and his knack for putting kids on big fish. When he is not on the water, you can find him hunting ducks and turkeys. Pat is a certified Wilderness First Responder and licensed Montana Guide.
Summer Office Manager
Margot Drennen
Margot teaches preschool during the year, but when it comes to the summer, she is here to help with all your questions. Margot manages our office, making sure someone is available to answer your calls from 8AM to 5PM, 7 days a week. After hours she is available in case of emergency. When not working she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, two dogs, and the occasional foster dog from the local shelter.
Medical Advisor/Fly Fishing Instructor
Dr. Jessica Parr
Jessica grew up fishing on the Connecticut River before attending Colorado College, where she fell in love with the mountains. Fly fishing has remained a central part of her life throughout her medical training. She has observed that many of the skills developed through fly fishing can contribute to academic and professional success, which is one of the reasons why she loves teaching adolescents how to fish and safely enjoy the outdoors. Jessica is also a fly fishing instructor for Casting for Recovery, an organization that plans therapeutic retreats where women affected by breast cancer can enjoy nature and learn how to fly fish. Jessica is a board-certified MD specializing in internal medicine and is completing a subspecialty cardiology fellowship.
Meet our Guides
We provide top-quality teen and custom wilderness fly fishing expeditions at Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions. Therefore, our guides must possess diverse skills not required of a typical fly fishing guide. This is why our team of Trip Directors and Guides are almost entirely returning staff and alums of our programs. Their LFFE experience had a lasting impact on their lives, and now they work to provide that same experience for the next generation of LFFE guides. Many of them have been a part of LFFE for over five years, and we are proud to call all of them a part of the Lillard Fly Fishing Family. They are excellent guides, great leaders, and, most importantly, great people.
Montana Regional Director / Head Guide
Pat Sheehy
Another NJ native, Pat, first learned about LFFE when Will gave a presentation to his Boy Scout troop. Already an experienced angler Pat jumped at the opportunity to refine his skill on our 2012 Blue Ridge Adventure. Three trips later, he started working as a co-leader while attending Montana State. He earned a degree in Early Childhood Education in 2020, and we are lucky to have him direct our Montana and Yellowstone Expeditions. Pat's participants love his sense of humor, patience on and off the river, and knack for putting kids on big fish. When he is not on the water, you can find him hunting ducks and turkeys. Pat is a certified Wilderness First Responder and licensed Montana Guide.
Trip Director
Will Yantis
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Will grew up fishing and hunting in the fields of Western Kansas and the Ozarks of South Missouri. After a trip with his father to Montana at the age of 8, he knew he would eventually move out west. He started with LFFE in 2015 as a participant in our Yellowstone Adventure. After a few more LFFE trips in Yellowstone, Maine, and the Winds, Will graduated high school and made his way west to the University of Denver, where he is majoring in business marketing with a minor in sustainability. When Will isn’t in class or at Pioneer hockey games, you will find him on local rivers or in search of the next storm. Will joined the LFFE team as a co-leader after his freshman year and is looking forward to his fourth guiding season and second as Director of the Thorofare and Yellowstone Expeditions.
Cole Hauswirth
Born and raised in San Francisco, Cole grew up fishing the native trout and steelhead rivers of California. He did his first Yellowstone Expedition as an eighth grader, and after that trip, he fell in love, doing three more Yellowstone Expeditions in the years to come. He later went on the first Thorofare trip as a camper and returned to co-lead the next two. After graduating high school, he instantly gravitated toward the mountains. He is entering his senior year at Colorado College, where he studies economics and business, and is writing a thesis about the economic value of fisheries in the United States. Outside of school, Cole loves fishing, skiing, and camping all around the western United States. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and focuses heavily on conservation and sustainable fishing practices.
Trip Director
Hunt McClary
Hunt grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, but has since lived in a few different places, including Steamboat Springs. He is a student at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and is pursuing a degree in Health and Exercise Science. Hunt went on his first Lillard trip seven years ago and immediately fell in love. He knew he wanted to work for LFFE after his first trip to Maine; he hopes he can help ignite someone’s passion for fly fishing just like the Lillard guides did for him. When he’s not on the river, you can find him hunting ducks, trail running, skiing, or camping. Hunt is a certified Wilderness First Responder and loves throwing meat for buck nasty browns.
Connor Stanley
Born and raised in North Carolina. Connor grew up with the abundant small wild trout streams in Western NC and East TN. What started as a hobby turned into an obsession. Connor first started with Lillard on the Yellowstone expedition in 2018. He returned the following summers to do other Montana and Maine expeditions. Since then, Connor has guided the Montana Guide Schools and Road Trips. His time working for LFFE has assured him that guiding is a full time passion. Most recently, Connor is working at Trophy Water Guide Service in East TN back near his home waters doing float trips on the South Holston and Watauga rivers. Getting others on fish is Connor's focus most of the time. You can find him skiing, hunting, and camping all throughout the East Coast the rest of the year.
Jack Kenney
Jack has been with LFFE on fly fishing trips across North America, first as a camper and now as a guide and trip director. Originally born near Boston, he now lives and studies at the University of Vermont in Burlington where he majors in Sustainable Entrepreneurship with minors in leadership and public speaking. Outside of the classroom, you can find him hiking and camping in the nearby Green Mountains or spending time out on the nearby Champlain Valley waters searching for prized native Vermont trout. With a passion for traveling and seeking new experiences, he has found himself living in four different countries across the world studying, exploring, learning new languages, and of course, fishing. His love of education and the outdoors keep him directing trips with Lillard Fly Fishing year after year.
Hunter Shumaker
Hunter was raised in a military family, and has lived all round the United States and overseas. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in Textile Engineering, he moved to the Jackson, Wyoming area to work in the outdoor apparel industry. It wasn’t until then that he took an interest in fly fishing. Hunter quickly became a passionate angler, motivated to explore the waters of Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming. While much of his time spent fishing was spent solo, some of his favorite moments have been getting friends and family on their first fish. This will be Hunter’s first summer with LFFE– he’s excited to continue exploring new waters and sharing his love for fly fishing with others.
Sean Swenson
Sean grew up in upstate New York in the small town of Saratoga Springs. Since he was young, he spent his summers in the Adirondacks chasing brook trout on the fly and on the coast catching stripers with his Dad, where he fell in love with fly fishing and knew it would always be his passion. Since then he has gone all over the world chasing fish with a fly rod and experiencing all that the sport has to offer. He heard about LFFE through his friend and fellow guide Hunt McClary while they both attended Roanoke College, where he graduated in 2024. He knew that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to guide such amazing experiences in such beautiful places. Sean loves catching big fish on big dries and will never pass up an opportunity to get an eat on top.
Leo Sperry
Leo grew up in the hills of Connecticut. He learned to fish in small streams and on the famous Farmington River. He spent a summer guiding on the Farmington and has been going on Lillard trips since he was in 8th grade. In his free time, you can find him on the water hunting trophy fish or exploring new places. His love for photography (@Leos_Flicks on Instagram) has brought his adventures to life.
Kitchel Snow
Kitchel Snow – Kitchel has grown up and has lived his entire life in a suburb of Chicago, IL. He is a current student at the University of Denver where he is majoring in data analytics. Prior to his first Lillard Wind River trip, Kitchel had done very little fly fishing, but instantly fell in love. Growing up, Kitchel focused his fishing on golf course ponds and occasionally a trip out on Lake Michigan. He has recently spent most of his fishing time in Colorado and Idaho. When he is not on campus or on a local river, you can find him skiing, playing sports, or camping. Kitchel is joining the LFFE team as a co-leader and is looking forward to a great summer.
Max Fishman
Originally from Sudbury, Massachusetts, Max has been fishing since age 14. Now a 20-year-old living in Montana, he still strives to get on the water as much as possible. After graduating high school and two LFFE trips, he knew moving out west was the right move. Even though he is an experienced fisherman, Max enjoys almost everything outdoors. From skiing after class on a Tuesday afternoon to camping in the backcountry, he demonstrates and carries the knowledge of an outdoorsman. On top of this, Max earned the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 63 Sudbury, MA. Currently in school and working as a line cook, he is very excited for this summer and all that it has to bring!
Phillip Thompson
Phillip is from Richmond, Virginia and is currently a rising junior studying business at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He grew up fishing for native brook trout in the mountains of Virginia and attended his first Lillard trip as a freshman in high school. Ever since then he has been involved in the program and attended a handful of other trips. Phillip has a great passion for conservation and the outdoors, some of his other hobbies include hunting and skiing.
