Meet Our Instructors
Chadwick’s Outdoor Ed instructors are incredibly passionate people who have dedicated their lives to experiential environmental education. In addition to teaching survival skills, instructors act as emotional anchors for students as they navigate increasingly challenging endeavors out in the wilderness.
Outdoor courses present unique opportunities for students to experience powerful teaching moments that couldn’t possibly be mirrored at home or in the classroom. Using small group adventure as a vehicle for learning, Chadwick Outdoor Education instructors​ engage students in developing trust, critical thinking, community, independence, communication and an appreciation for nature.
As they advance through the grade courses, instructors thoughtfully encourage students to take physical and emotional risks while keeping actual risk to a minimum. As a direct result of these challenges, they return home having transformed their relationship to themselves, their environment and to each other.
Instructors follow a written syllabus for each course and adhere to a detailed set of risk management policies designed to keep students safe. All instructors have CPR and Wilderness First Responder certifications.
Co-Directors
Danner Bradshaw
Danner Bradshaw was named Co-Director of Chadwick’s Outdoor Education Program in September 2022. Danner began working at Chadwick in 2013, and has worked nearly every Chadwick Outdoor Education trip since then. He has led outdoor education programs for a number of independent schools, including Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, Dunn School, Lakeside School, Sequoyah School, Teton Science School and The Athenian School.
Danner grew up in Alabama where he spent most of his childhood roaming the forests and beaches along the Gulf Coast. At the age of 15, he moved to the mountains of Vermont and attended The Putney School. There he fell even more in love with the outdoors and began leading orientation trips for incoming students. After going to college to study fine art photography, Danner realized that his true passion was outdoor experiences and helping others discover the beauty of the natural world. As an extension of this passion, Danner became fascinated with birds and natural science, and majored in ornithology. He moved to Joshua Tree in 2005 to begin his career in outdoor education, working for many of the schools in the Los Angeles area. In the summers, he would travel to work avian research jobs at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming or Acadia National Park in Maine.
Emily Hargraves
Emily Hargraves was named Co-Director of Chadwick’s Outdoor Education Program in September 2022. Emily has led outdoor education and adventure travel trips for students in grades K-12 for 15+ years, including instructing Outdoor Education trips at Chadwick since 2010, and leading trips for independent schools, including Crossroads School of Arts & Sciences, Dunn School, Pear Tree Point School, Stevenson School and The Athenian School. She has also led adventure travel trips around the world with Adventures Cross Country, American Leadership Forum, Backroads Travel, Chadwick International, Eastern Sierra Youth Outdoors and the New Canaan Nature Center. In addition, Emily owns a winter ski guiding company for women called Backcountry Babes. Emily develops outdoor education courses to foster camaraderie, self-confidence, creativity, character-building and fun among our students. She also works to ensure that our trips inspire personal growth, self-reflection and deep connection to the natural world, and develop students' citizenship in their communities. She maintains a Wilderness First Responder certification, CPR certification and Leave No Trace Certification. She is also an AIARE Avalanche Course Leader, and has completed Sierra Rescue Swiftwater Course, AMGA Alpine Skills Course and AMGA Ski Guide Course. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in Art Studio at Colorado College.
Team Members
Drew Aaron
Drew Aaron is passionate about facilitating character development, leadership and outdoor competencies and creating safe opportunities for students to reach their full potential. He came to Chadwick as an outdoor education instructor in 2011 and has led teams of Middle and Upper School students in hiking and climbing. On every trip, Aaron is dedicated to facilitating Chadwick’s primary learning objectives and ensuring the safety of students. He has also instructed for the Crossroads school, has experience guiding students through mountaineering and whitewater courses, and has previously lead clients on multi-day trips through ice, snow, rock, and glaciers. He is currently certified as a WFR (Wilderness First Responder), an LNT (Leave No Trace) Trainer and a SRT (Swift water Rescue Technician). He also possesses an AIARE Avalanche level II Certification and an SPI (Single Pitch Instructor) certification with AMGA.
Sam Baum
Growing up in central Pennsylvania, Sam spent many of his formative years exploring the woods, streams and rock climbing near his home. After high school, Sam attended the University of Vermont where he studied mechanical engineering. During a semester off from school, Sam participated in a NOLS semester course where he was first exposed to outdoor education. Ever since that experience, Sam has pursued a career in the outdoors. He has worked all over the country teaching backpacking, rock climbing and canoeing, as well as working as a mountain guide and wilderness therapy guide.
Bri Boertman
Bri lives in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico in an old mining town-turned-tourist destination called Madrid, just south of Santa Fe. Bri is a certified yoga therapy teacher and she and her mom run a custom jewelry and clothing boutique. She worked in Wilderness Therapy for over a decade before starting her own company, Deva Healing Center. Each summer, her instructor teams guide groups of teen girls on three-week expeditions called SoulJourneys that incorporate yoga, creative arts and self-expression, backpacking, and multi-day rafting. Bri has worked with Chadwick since 2014 and enjoys traveling with groups through epic desert terrain and stunning glacial mountain landscapes. Her favorite thing about Chadwick trips is hanging around camp sharing stories and laughing hysterically at nothing in particular.
Kenzie Carson
Kenzie is passionate about fostering student experiences that allow them to grow and connect with themselves, their community and the natural world. She began working for Chadwick OE in 2010 and has worked for over 10 years as an instructor, guide, logistician and faculty member for Outward Bound, Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, Backcountry Babes and others. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in outdoor recreation and natural resource management, is a certified American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education instructor, professional member of the American Avalanche Association and is pursuing her AMGA Ski Guide accreditation. She is trained in nonviolent communication and starts her massage therapy licensure in the spring of 2020. When not traveling in the mountains on skis or working with students, Kenzie is boating the rivers of the Northwest, riding her mountain bike and growing massive kale plants in her garden.
Luis Miguel Castro
Luis Miguel Castro or "Luismi," was born in Colombia, holds citizenship in the U.S,, has lived and worked in six countries, and considers himself a citizen of the world. He's been working in the field of experiential education for the past four years, covering a wide range of outdoor education programs for schools, service-learning trips and summer camps. He enjoys rock climbing, SUPing and kayaking, and backpacking in the mountains. He's also really into chess and logic riddles, and loves challenge his students to think outside the box. This is his first program with Chadwick and he's very excited to embark on this new adventure!
Alison Lay Cranston
Alison Lay Cranston was born in Austin, Texas and spent many summers and winters recreating in Colorado and New Mexico. It was through these trips that she first developed a passion for the outdoors. Alison earned her bachelors degree in ecology and geography from the University of Texas at Austin, during which time she completed two internships with the Student Conservation Association. This led to eight subsequent summer seasons working at Glacier National Park in a variety of fields. In 2013, she made the career switch to outdoor education and has worked for many organizations and schools, including The Northwest Outward Bound School, Crossroads School, The Boojum Institute and the Athenian School. She has worked for Chadwick OE for six years. Currently, Alison lives in Bend, Ore. She also owns and operates Cascade Wilderness Medicine, LLC, which offers the medical trainings that are required to be an outdoor instructor. In the winter, she volunteers on the Mount Bachelor National Ski Patrol.
Elizabeth "Benny" Dalley
Benny developed a joy for the outdoors growing up in Charlottesville, Va., where she hiked and backpacked in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After attending Oberlin College in Ohio and working for the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona as a youth program coordinator and wildland firefighter, she chose to return to the field of outdoor education. Since 2014, she has worked as an instructor, course director and climbing site manager with many organizations, including Outward Bound. Benny is dedicated to empowering young people to learn about themselves through the challenges and adventures they face while hiking, backpacking and rock climbing. While she’s not working, Benny is an avid rock climber and backcountry chef. She spent her most recent winter in the Wasatch Mountains outside of Salt Lake City. She got out of her comfort zone learning to ski and continuing to develop her skills as an ice climber. Benny holds a degree in geology, is a Wilderness First Responder, a Leave No Trace Master Educator and an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor.
Gen Dron-Smith
Gen began working as a Chadwick instructor in the spring of 2015. Outdoor spaces for her have always brought an opportunity for both self-reflection and community-building. She grew up hiking and surfing in coastal Southern California, and took full advantage of the opportunities to sea kayak, rock climb and backpack with the outdoor program at Cate School. After graduating from the Australian National University with degrees in Chinese and neuroscience, Gen moved to western China to explore developing climbing areas, and lived in rural Dali and Yangshuo, where she began instructing youth outdoor education programs. Her career as an outdoor educator has since taken her throughout California’s mountains and deserts, as well as to Washington, Canada and South Korea. She is a certified Wilderness EMT and Apprentice Rock Guide with the AMGA.
Rachel Drattler
Rachel Drattler joined Chadwick School's team of outdoor educators in early 2020 after working for numerous outdoor education programs across the U.S. since 2014. Originally from the Northeastern U.S., Rachel completed her undergraduate degree with a bachelor's degree in human ecology at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME. Her passion for wild landscapes, rock climbing and moving meditations drew her west to California, eventually settling to live in June Lake, CA. As a passionate educator in the outdoors, Rachel focuses on building connections in her facilitation. Through challenge, adventure and reflection, Rachel strives to help her students connect with themselves, their communities and the landscapes around them, both on course and at home. Alongside working with Chadwick, Rachel works for Outward Bound California as an instructor and course director, and as an instructor for Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Rachel is a Wilderness First Responder, holds a Single Pitch Instructor certification with the AMGA and has completed her AIARE Level 1.
Dave Durant
Dave started his career as an outdoor educator at age seventeen, facilitating a high ropes course near Philadelphia. After graduating with honors from McGill University, he worked as a summer camp director, university outdoor program administrator, and director of an outdoor education center. In his sparse free time, Dave volunteered on the local ambulance squad and played B-league darts. He has taught for the National Outdoor Leadership School since 2008. He splits his time between the classroom and the field, leading backpacking, climbing, canyoneering, and backcountry skiing courses as well as WFAs, WAFAs, WUMPs, WFRs, WFR-Rs, and WEMTs. He is particularly proud of being a proctor for the first NOLS Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Semester. Dave has led more than 130 NOLS courses. When not working, he enjoys international adventures, more skiing and good books. He is excited to have the opportunity to share his passion for learning and overcoming challenges in the wilderness with Chadwick’s engaged and high-performing students.
James Eberhart
New to Chadwick and to California this year, James is excited to use his background in Outdoor Education whenever possible and to take breaks from his "day job" as the Director of Financial Aid. Growing up in New England, his passion for the wilderness led to a solo thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail between high school and college. After college and the Peace Corps, James joined the Hyde Wilderness School and facilitated programming for the next six years with adventures in skiing, backpacking, winter camping, canoeing, biking and sailing all over New England. He has worked for Thompson Island Outward Bound, for the MESAR wilderness rescue squad, many schools and camps, and has continued to explore the world with a backpack. While his work in schools has moved more indoors over the last 10 years (first to the classroom and then to admission and financial aid), James relishes any opportunity to help students learn how amazing the outdoors is and how much it can teach!
Oren Frey
Oren began his career as an outdoor leader in Vermont, guiding Mountain Club trips for his college and braving icy waters as a coordinator of the Polar Bear swim club. After graduation, he moved to California and enjoyed endless adventures working as a naturalist, guide and group leader. He has led trips focused on backpacking, canoeing, sea kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, bicycle touring and cultural exchange, in locations from Alaska to Ecuador. Years working on Catalina Island sparked a deep love of the California marine environment, and led him to complete a master’s degree in International Environmental Policy, to work for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and to co-found a community-supported fishery. Oren later spent five years managing a nonprofit program that aims to make outdoor adventure inclusive and accessible to all. Oren has explored over 60 countries, cycled over the Pamir Highway and across the Sahara, crewed on boats and worked on political campaigns. He is delighted to have the opportunity to share the challenges and joys of outdoor adventure with Chadwick students.
Kenny Goff
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kenny graduated from Indiana University with a double business major and a minor in outdoor recreation. While in college, he taught university courses in rock climbing and backpacking for Indiana University Outdoor Adventures. After graduation, he made the move out West to be closer to the mountains and subsequently climbed and instructed all over the states, as well as in Thailand, Ecuador, Mexico and Patagonia. When not working, he spends his time in the vertical pursuits of rock climbing, ice climbing, skiing and mountaineering. Kenny has been working for the Chadwick School since fall 2013. He splits his time between Joshua Tree, CA and Lander, Wyo. He works as a climbing guide in Joshua Tree and instructs rock climbing and mountaineering for NOLS out of Lander. Kenny’s professional certifications include being a Wilderness First Responder, American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor, AIARE Level 2 Avalanche and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. He is excited to share the joy and discovery of the outdoors with all who venture out
with him!
Lexi Golestani
Originally from the East Coast, Lexi wandered westward after finishing her bachelor's studies in geology and adventure literature at Penn State. She has enjoyed playing and working in Bend, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest for the last five years, with brief but wonderful stints in Wyoming and Colorado, and many a night spent in a tent in the field. She is fascinated by how our experiences outdoors help to shape our connections to place, community and ourselves, and is excited to continue learning about these connections when she returns to her master's studies at the University of Utah next autumn.
Lexi loves anything that involves intense joy and breathless wonder outside. She spends her free time ski touring, kayaking, frolicking in the mountains and doing her best to feed all of her friends delicious, locally grown treats! She is wildly ecstatic to have joined the Chadwick OE family and is looking forward to getting to know students on trips in the near future. She hopes to inspire them to dare greatly!
Anna Greenberg
Anna Greenberg began working with the Chadwick community in 2016. Although born and raised in Washington, D.C., Anna comes from a large California family and has spent most summers of her life exploring her beloved Sierra Nevada. Between childhoods spent seeking alpine lakes and a few formative years at a nature awareness camp in West Virginia, she developed a passion for wild and beautiful places, outdoor adventure and conservation. After graduating from Harvard University in 2007 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies, Anna was burning to adventure so she set off on a "stint" of traveling and seasonal work. That stint turned into more than a decade of exploring and teaching in the great outdoors, including leading canoe expeditions on desert rivers, backpacking trips in the mountains, and snorkeling and kayaking around various islands. In 2019, she completed a master's degree in Community and Regional Planning at the University of Oregon, a wonderful program that allowed her to study such diverse topics as bicycle infrastructure, sustainable materials management and public lands leadership. In her free time, Anna continues to explore the great outdoors, travel and connect with friends and family. Passionate about sustainable living, she has studied, resided in and helped build a number of natural buildings and eco-communities. She also enjoys cooking, art, running, costume parties and singing with her band, Cactus Alert.
Mary Kate Groark
Mary Kate grew up in Northern Alabama in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She lived there until 2015, when she graduated from college and moved out West to begin working as an outdoor educator. MK has been working in the outdoors ever since, connecting people to nature from the California deserts to the Alaskan fjords. Her favorite parts about this work are being able to share beautiful experiences with others, seeing the nature-inspired wonder and awe come alive in her students, as well as helping people grow and reach their potential. She wholeheartedly believes the outdoors is a great classroom to develop character, community and an intimate understanding of the world around you. When not at work, MK enjoys living on the road, traveling to foreign countries, climbing, backpacking and cooking feasts with friends. MK is a certified Wilderness First Responder and Advanced Open Water Diver. Lastly, she is immensely grateful to be a part of this community and working with Chadwick students.
Alyssa Grove
Alyssa Grove has been growing and working in the outdoor/experiential education field for the last 10 years. Starting with education-based internships with both the National Forest Service and National Park Service, her path took off from there. Her passion for conservation and place-based education has led her to work throughout California, Oregon, North Carolina and Wyoming, as well as abroad in New Zealand. Alyssa spends most of the year coordinating and leading environmental education field experiences in Bend, Oregon and in her free time she loves to hike with her dog and study plants, canoe lazy rivers, adventure Nordic ski, and garden. Alyssa holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Biology, and joined Chadwick in Spring 2019 where she is excited to inspire and lead students in Outdoor Education.
Nick Jump
Nick first discovered the restorative power of nature while spending summers in the Catskills with his brother, sister and father to escape the Texas heat. On this hollowed ground, Nick made lasting connections with the land. He learned to listen to, observe and steward the land by living in harmony with wilderness.
During his formative years, he uncovered an ability to connect with others. His teachers saw this gift as well, and throughout school, he was invited to help guide younger students —particularly those they struggled to connect with.
After graduating from Texas State with a degree in early disciplinary studies, Nick discovered outdoor education and quickly realized his mission to bring students into the outdoors to foster their connection with both their roots and their highest selves.
Nick has worked for Chadwick since 2015 and passionately supports the value the school puts on the outdoors as a vehicle for education and growth. Nick believes that with hard work from students, the outdoors allows a unique container to be created where humans feel empowered to rediscover their own divine gifts and aid in the sacred process of self-discovery. Nick is also passionate about dancing, permaculture practices, cooking healthy sustainable food and making daily contributions to the world around him.
Eddy Kim
Eddy Kim is a first-generation Korean-American from Orange County, CA. As a child, he learned to appreciate nature through bus tours of the national parks with his grandparents. After attending Claremont McKenna College, he began backpacking and climbing throughout California. Since then, he has gone on to guide climbing, kayaking and backpacking in Colorado, Wyoming and Alaska. He is deeply passionate about sharing the joy of the outdoors to multi-cultural audiences, and engaging youth with the healing power of the natural world. Eddy holds certifications as a Single Pitch Instructor, Climbing Wall Instructor, Avalanche 1 and Wilderness First Responder.
Ari Kosel
Ari grew up in a small mountain town in Northern California where her love for the outdoors was nurtured from a young age. After graduating with her B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems from UC Davis, she found herself drawn to the world of outdoor education and has worked as an instructor and course director with Outward Bound since 2015. When not leading white water rafting, rock climbing or backpacking trips for Outward Bound, she works as a trip leader for Unschool Adventures, an organization that facilitates domestic and international trips for self-directed young adults. She joined the Chadwick team of instructors in the Spring of 2019 and feels incredibly fortunate to continue sharing her love and curiosity for the natural world with Chadwick students.
Matt Lounsbury
Nature has always been central to Matt Lounsbury's life. Growing up in a small village of a few hundred in rural Vermont, life was dictated by the seasons and full of hunting and fishing. Following a degree in psychology and fine-art glassblowing, he left the northeast to search adventure in the greater world. This led to work in places such as Mexico, Peru, India and Belize, guiding a host of different outdoor sports, an adventure sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, and extensive time working with disadvantaged youth from Alaska's most remote villages. This has afforded Matt a life of continual learning and adventure. In his free time, Matt enjoys rock climbing, exploring whitewater, taking classes and making art with his homemade metal foundry. Matt feels incredibly fortunate to be a part of the Chadwick community and to share his passion for our natural world, simple living and creativity with the future leaders of America.
Ryan Mann
Through his own experience as a student on an outdoor education semester program, Ryan experienced firsthand the incredible growth that comes from confronting challenge in wilderness settings. In 2014, Ryan moved from Maryland to the West Coast to pursue a career in outdoor education. He went on to gain experience as an educator by leading students of diverse ages and backgrounds on trips in course areas spanning from the Mojave Desert of the Southwest to the Cascade Range of Washington and British Columbia. A student of art, Ryan is passionate about bringing students’ creativity and individuality into their interactions with nature. Ryan has instructed for Chadwick’s Outdoor Education Program since 2017 and feels incredibly privileged to continue to grow through fostering students’ understanding of themselves, their communities and the natural world. Ryan has received training and certification from NOLS, the LNT Center for Outdoor Ethics, the AMGA, and AIARE.
Karen Morse
Karen grew up playing in the rain in Portland, Oregon and spent her childhood exploring the forests of the Pacific Northwest. After graduating college with a double major in Communications and Cultural Studies, she began working year-round in outdoor education and recreation. She started instructing rafting, backpacking, and mountaineering expeditions with Outward Bound in 2011 and began working for Chadwick Outdoor Education in 2015. Watching students tap into their potential and develop meaningful relationships with their peers and environment is what keeps Karen coming back to Outdoor Education year after year.
When not working at Chadwick, Karen spends her time ski patrolling, teaching avalanche awareness and swiftwater rescue courses, and tending to her house plants.
Ari Migdale
Ari Migdale is excited to be working his first season with Chadwick Outdoor Education! Hailing from the rolling East Bay hills, he graduated from UCLA in 2016 with degrees in Biology and Spanish, and worked for the UCLA outdoor leadership program. Since college, he has instructed multi-week outdoor expeditions in California and the Northwest, in the summers working for Outward Bound California. Having spent extensive time studying and living in Latin America, Ari has also directed a cross-cultural immersion program, Amigos de las Americas, in Ecuador. In the winters, Ari works on ski patrol in Lake Tahoe and is a Wilderness First Responder and EMT. With a passion for sharing his love of the ecology and history of the American West, Ari is looking forward to facilitating powerful community-building and outdoor experiences with Chadwick!
Nate Pakula
Nate hails from the small state of Rhode Island and grew up playing in the lush mountain ranges of New England. In 2004, Nate moved to Vermont to attend the University Of Vermont. Upon finishing his B.A. in Sociology and Community and International Development, he moved to California to begin what became a career in Outdoor Education. Over the past 12 years, he has worked for a number of outdoor programs and has now found a home with Chadwick. Nate loves inspiring his students and helping them connect to the natural world through natural history, rock climbing, and backpacking. Between Chadwick Outdoor Education trips, Nate works as a rock climbing guide in Joshua Tree National Park. He currently lives in Joshua Tree, CA and goes to play outside whenever he’s not working.
Erin Rush
Erin Rush grew up in rural Kentucky and developed a love for outdoor adventure at an early age. She earned a degree in Hospitality/Tourism Management and Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Kentucky. Soon after her graduation in 2008, Erin began leading groups of teens on canoe and backpacking trips in national parks and forests throughout the western United States and Canada. She's been involved with outdoor education ever since, in the role of instructor, guide and program coordinator. She is passionate about creating a sense of community and connection among students and with the natural world. Erin is a Leave No Trace trainer and is Wilderness First Responder and CPR certified.
Caitlin S.
Caitlin loves spending time with people in the outdoors. She aspires to help others cultivate the connections that can happen when we are away from distractions and able to be authentic. Since 2006, she has been leading backpacking, rock climbing and sea kayaking courses and trainings, in addition to serving in administrative and programmatic roles at outdoor organizations. Since 2015, she has also worked in mindfulness education, bringing meditation and relational mindfulness skills to young adults. Caitlin brings experience from well-respected schools and non-profit organizations including Stanford University, Outward Bound, and Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. She holds a Wilderness First Responder certification, is a Leave No Trace Master Educator, has completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and has taken the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor course. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and a certificate in Community Sustainability Management.
Lucy Scholz
Lucy hails from the great Pacific Northwest (Eugene, OR) where she spends lots of time gardening and riding bikes. Lucy has worked as an outdoor educator for Outward Bound in Maine and Oregon since 2017, when she graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelors of science in gender studies and disability studies. She is also the founder and director of Dirt Maidens, a non-profit organization that aims to increase access to gravel and mountain biking for BIPOC women around the Willamette Valley/Eugene area. During the school year, she works for a hybrid high school program outside of Eugene assistant teaching biology and chemistry labs, as well as life skills and homeroom classes.
Ashley Schmid
Ashley grew up mucking around the woods of the Northeast, always set on landing in the bigger mountains of the Arid West. She has been working in the outdoors for over a decade as an environmental educator, expedition leader and mountain guide. Ashley is passionate about interconnectedness, risk management and having a good time outside! She is a Wilderness First Responder, Leave No Trace Master Educator and holds California Teaching Credentials in Multiple Subject Teaching and Education Specialist Instruction. These days, Ashley can mostly be found playing and educating on either side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Lawrence Schuessler
Lawrence Schuessler has spent the past 25+ years guiding and instructing people in wild spaces all over the world. Lawrence has a B.A. in Adventure Education from Prescott College, and an M.S. in Outdoor Education Sustainable Leadership from Gaia University. He has taught for Stanford University, Prescott College, UCLA, UCSF, the Eagle Rock School, the Dunn School, The Crossroads School, Outward Bound, NOLS and Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, to name a few. His skills set include program operations, program delivery and creating curriculum, as well teaching backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering and all the backcountry essentials. In addition to wilderness guiding, Lawrence has spent the past 15 years practicing Vipassana meditation and various styles of yoga. Lawrence holds certifications as an American Mountain Guide Association Single Pitch Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, Avalanche 1, CPR, Leave No Trace Master Trainer, 2 Stars British Canoe Association and has attended NOLS Risk Management Training for Administrators. Lawrence is passionate about experiential education in various forms and is grateful he is privileged enough to be able to do this work. When Lawrence is not working (which is rare), he can be found watercolor painting, riding his bicycle or hanging out with his partner on an adventure in Joshua Tree.
Liz Sequeira
Liz Sequeira has always found her own peace and independence through a life outside, and loves bringing that to her work here at Chadwick. She grew up exploring the hills in Northern California and going on camping trips with her family. Since then she has found a home working in the outdoor industry as a guide and educator across multiple states, from Alaska to Virginia. Liz graduated cum laude with a degree in Outdoor Adventure Recreation in 2013 from Humboldt State University. Liz now spends her time balancing jobs at Outward Bound California, Naturalists at Large and Chadwick School. Liz loves sharing the diversity and beauty of her home state with students. Whether it be hiking through coastal sand dunes, Sequoia groves or Joshua trees, Liz feels at home and loves sharing what the outdoors has to offer with students of all ages.
Joy Seward
There’s nothing Joy loves more than a good adventure that covers a lot of ground in the mountains. Joy first stepped into the education field when she earned her bachelor's degree in communications and social science. During this time, she completed her degree in Scotland and discovered sustainable outdoor education. Her career is now focused on engaging in outdoor education work for many organizations, locations and schools, including NOLS, OutWard-Bound, Wilderness Adventures and Naturalists at Large.
She brings to Chadwick her experience as an educator and backcountry wilderness guide for youth of all ages. She holds a passion for using nature as a teaching catalyst for personal growth, diversity understanding, authentic engagement and a sense of connection to the global ecosystem. Her driving purpose is to harness her years of experience to cultivate creative mindsets and help shape educational experiences using the surrounding environment as a classroom.
Hannah Siler
Hannah hails originally from the mountains of North Carolina, but now calls Tucson, AZ home. Hannah was first introduced to outdoor education as a timid eighth grader, and found a stronger sense of self and purpose that continued to evolve as she sought out more outdoor experiences throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Hannah has always been drawn to working with students and people to help foster connections to each other, to their environment, and within their own identity and lived experience. Since graduating from Prescott College, Hannah has worked for NOLS, Prescott College and multiple semester schools as a field instructor and course director, and as a chef and bike guide for the Cycling House. Hannah is a Wilderness First Responder.
When Hannah’s not working, you can find her riding bikes (hopefully for extended periods of time), trail running through the desert, cooking or reading a good book with a cup of coffee in hand.
Meredith Strunk
Originally from the Midwest, Meredith graduated from Indiana University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs. Her desire to study and protect our natural environment while intimately working with people, led to her career in adventure education. She has worked primarily on rivers and in the mountains with the Northwest Outward Bound School. Meredith has a passion for connecting with young people and fostering their journey of self-discovery and growth. She aims to create a space where individuals feel comfortable exploring what it means to be uniquely themselves. She believes that Chadwick's Outdoor Education program provides the space for Chadwick students to unplug from the stresses of daily academic life, connect with their peers and recenter themselves through the peaceful landscapes of their adventures. She has been a part of Chadwick Outdoor Ed since Spring 2015, working as an instructor and assisting with logistics. She is excited about the opportunity to provide comfort through deliciously fueling meals, and connecting with students on the Palos Verdes campus!
Shane Stump
A native of Santa Barbara, California, Shane Stump has been an avid explorer and nature lover since early childhood. He has spent most of his life adventuring and exploring all over the US, fly-fishing, mountaineering, canoeing and generally enjoying the beauty and majesty of the wilderness wherever he goes. He has been leading wilderness trips for over 19 years and joined Chadwick 10 years ago, where he works as a highly-stoked field instructor. Shane has a gift for making people laugh and helping students discover their hidden strengths on course. He also believes in the power of nature to heal and inspire. He graduated from St. John's College in 2002 with a degree in philosophy. When he's not working, Shane keeps busy surfing, reading novels, watercoloring, traveling the world, playing basketball and guitar, and sitting still to listen and watch the birds sing and the waves roll in. Always on the lookout to find opportunities lurking just below the surface of all things, Shane describes himself as stoked, subterranean and sensitive. Each day is a miracle and with this outlook there is no wonder that Shane keeps coming back to bring his own style of service to the world.
Jamie Tinnin
Born in Northern Arizona, raised in Southwestern Colorado and now living in southern Arizona, Jamie calls the southwest home. Jamie graduated from Prescott College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. It was during his time at Prescott that he was introduced to Outdoor Education. Since graduating, Jamie focused on his development as an Outdoor Educator. He has worked as an instructor for Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences and the Northwest Outward Bound School. He currently works as a Course Director and Instructor for Prescott College’s orientation program and teaches in Prescott College’s Adventure Education program. Jamie holds a Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification.
Dayna Vogt
Dayna Vogt is a lover of all things outdoors. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2014 with degrees in Global Economics and Psychology, and after a brief stint working in finance, she moved her office outside. Since 2015, she's instructed for school groups all over California doing hiking, backpacking and canoe trips. In the summer, she works for the North West Outward Bound School in Oregon, leading trips rafting, mountaineering, backpacking and rock climbing. Additionally, she's worked as a mountain guide, adaptive ski instructor and ski patroller. She believes being in nature provides the best classroom for learning about ourselves, each other and the environment. Dayna loves to share her passions for outdoor adventure, natural history, and fun and games with Chadwick students!
Ian Zatarain
Ian Zatarain enjoys international travel, rock climbing, backcountry splitboarding, trail running, and motorcycle riding. He feels the most inspired when he connects and spends time with indigenous populations in Colombia, supporting them with community-focused service projects. He also founded the educational non-profit, The Mojave Center, in Nevada where he teaches courses on sustainable living in the desert, natural building, and rainwater harvesting. When he is not traveling abroad, working for the Wilderness Medicine Training Center, or rock climbing, Ian works as an outdoor educator in California and South Korea for a variety of non-profit organizations. Moreover, Ian owns and teaches for Guardian - Cultural Expeditions & Wilderness Medicine, an international expedition company based in Colombia and the U.S. focused on wilderness medicine certifications and remote service projects.
Sending your student out into the wilderness is both exciting and extraordinary.
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