Fall Staff 2011

Rich Bowerman- Director - Dubuque, IA

That’s right: Rich is from the center of the known universe…Iowa! A graduate from the University of Iowa, Rich has also lived in Nebraska, the Atlanta area, and most recently Hendersonville, NC. His first career was with the Boy Scouts of America and that is where he gained lots of summer camp leadership experience. Before leaving Atlanta, Rich earned his Masters in Education from Georgia State University. The big news is he is very excited to be taking over this fall as director of our own Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center! If you give Rich any free time you will most likely find him hiking on a trail. Additionally he awakens each day with the realization there is no end to what he doesn’t know!

Jed Hewitt – Sylva, NC

Born in Sylva, NC Jed appreciates and values the calming effect of Appalachian life. However, at the age of 5, a move to the low-country placed Jed in Charleston, SC where he grew up. Even though a salt life was in his future, he never forgot his birthplace. Jed attended and graduated Clemson University with a B.S. in Environmental and Natural Resources in 2006. After a series of temporary jobs, he had the pleasure of working in Dahlonega, GA at Wahsega 4-H Center. Jed enjoyed sharing his knowledge with younger students during his three seasons as an Environmental Educator. He is extremely grateful for this opportunity to continue his career in education and looks forward to an exciting first season at BROEC. In his spare time, Jed enjoys to travel, play with his Aussie, experience live music, and tell tall tales.

Jennifer Caiello- NY

Jenn was born and raised in central New York, and until last year had never left the country! She recently completed a year-long program which incorporated service, international travel, and the study of spirituality and the whole human being; this life-changing experience brought her through India studying religion and into Guatemala where she lived and worked at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. She has a deep passion for animals and aspires to have a farm of her own someday. She believes that she was born to serve, and nothing brings her more fulfillments; Jenn is thrilled to be working with the Fall team and is brimming with excitement to share her respect and adoration for the outdoors with the students and staff!

Katherine White - Griffin, GA

Katherine White grew up in a rural section of Griffin, Georgia. Wildlife has always been abundant at her home, from the family of raccoons that once lived on the property to the family of owls and family of hawks that live there now. Over the years she has adopted a multitude of pets ranging from cats and dogs to bulls and pot-bellied pigs. Katherine graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in May 2011 with a BS in Biology and certificate in Environmental Science. While at GA Tech she was fortunate enough to study abroad for a semester in Australia and New Zealand where she enjoyed hiking at Mt. Doom, abseiling into caves, kayaking, and swimming on the Great Barrier Reef. Katherine’s hobbies include geocaching, hiking, travel, reading and music. This is Katherine’s first season at Blue Ridge OEC and she is looking forward to helping young people learn to love science and nature as much as she does.

I’ve been a Midwestern girl my whole life, spending a majority of my time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin along the Great Lake Michigan. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a B.A. in Journalism and Communication Arts. Since then I have been working as a “Mad Scientist,” teaching youth about the exciting world of science. I also recently served as an AmeriCorps volunteer working on energy conservation issues in my community. One of my favorite things is national park hopping while on long road trips through the country. This has brought me to the desert arches of Moab, the temperate rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula, and the glacier peaks of northern Montana. I am excited to spend the fall season teaching outdoors in the Blue Ridge Mountains, meeting new faces, working with kids and seeing all the beautiful fall colors.

Katie Bissell - Tallahassee, FL

Katie grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. Despite being from a land of beaches, Katie is fiercely loyal to the mountains and spent every summer since the age of 9 at a camp in the Blue Ridge Mtns. in NC. After graduating from Xavier University in December of 2010, Katie worked with Outward Bound Discovery leading canoe trips for at-risk youth. But in the flat lands of Central Florida, The Keys, and Southern Alabama she was craving the crisp air, crazy thunderstoms, beautiful sunsets, and fun rock-climbing of the mountains. This will be Katie's first season at BOEC and she is looking forward to working with students who might be as inspired as she by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mtns.

Megan schaefer - Cleveland, OH

Megan is from the Greater Cleveland Area and loves exploring Lake Erie and the Metroparks. In May 2010, she graduated from UNC-Wilmington with a degree in Environmental Studies and has volunteered with the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and the UNC Environmental Concerns Organization. Megan has studied abroad in Swansea, Wales during college and enjoys traveling, reading, and hiking. During this past summer, she worked at the Highlands Nature Center in North Carolina as a nature day camp instructor. She is really excited about staying in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains this fall and teaching environmental education.

Brian Suh - Philadelphia, PA

Brian comes from just outside of Philadelphia. He studied Biology and Environmental Studies at Haverford College, and spent some time at the beautiful Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This was where he figured out that nature was absolutely what he wanted to study and where he wanted to be. He comes to us here at Blue Ridge fresh out of school, surrounded by nature, ready to teach and be taught.

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