Spring Staff 2008

Josh Rood - Director - Interlachen, FL

Josh hails from rural Florida, born and raised on a lake with the sun as his guide. It was waves and boards growing up, he traded it for woods and backpacks. He came to Georgia by way of California and got a gig on the Blue Ridge staff after a couple of months of getting reconnected to the Earth hiking a few hundred miles on the Appalachian Trail. After a trip to grad school at UGA with the dream of becoming the director of the experiential education program he fell in love with, he is in his third year at the helm of Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center. Josh greatly anticipates the changes of this new season and sharing the excitement of discovery with kids of all ages as nature's mysteries are revealed in flora, fauna and friends.

Lisa Ferensak - Assistant Director - Holland, PA

Lisa is originally from Connecticut but has spent the past 8 years wandering from Pennsylvania to Boston to Vermont to Kenya to the Berkshires to Michigan to western North Carolina to the Virgin Islands and now to Georgia. She has been keeping busy building trails, getting chainsaw and wildland firefighting certified, attacking invasive plants, landscaping, mapping trails, cleaning tents at an eco-resort and various other odd jobs...some odder than others. She loves being outside and loves living the transient life. She is happy to be back in the Blue Ridge Mountains and so excited to be working at the Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center. Besides being in the great outdoors, she loves listening to bluegrass and all kinds of music and reading great books! She is eagerly awaiting learning and sharing everything she can with all the people she will meet here!

David Funderburk - Taylors, SC

Now in his third season at Blue Ridge, David was born and raised in Greenville, SC, the son of a piano teacher and a physicist. Early on, his mother nurtured his interest in music and the performing arts as his father instilled in him a fascination with the sciences and the natural world. David taught himself how to play guitar and began writing original music when he was 13 and attended a magnet school for the performing arts in high school. In college, his focus turned more to philosophy and science. He received a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Geology from Brevard College. At Brevard, he founded and presided over an environmental education club and worked at the Pisgah Forest Institute, a non-profit earth and environmental science school for K-12 educators. He enjoys any chance he can get to share his fascination with the natural world with children of all ages. In his leisure time, he continues to write and perform original music, and he loves to travel. If you ever want an earful of travel stories, ask him about his adventures in Bolivia, Peru, Patagonia, Mexico, or the great wide United States.

Penny Krakoff - La Quinta, CA

Now in her second season at Blue Ridge, Penny loves the Georgia lifestyle. Although she grew up in the California desert, Penny is enjoying her time in the forest. While in school, Penny studied Social Work, Spanish, and Latin American Studies. Penny loves to travel and it is hard to find her in one place for too long. Penny loves cooking delicious (and nutritious) vegetarian food for her family and friends. She recently discovered the amazing flavor of local honey. Be prepared to meet the next American gladiator.

Ashley Amsden - Orwell, VT

A true Green Mountain Girl, Ashley grew up in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, climbing trees, catching bugs, and riding her bike through mud puddles. After receiving a degree in Music Performance from the Crane School of Music in upstate New York, she served ten months with the SCA New Hampshire Conservation Corps. From a wood stove heated one-room cabin in New Hampshire, she spent the winter teaching environmental education in public schools and during the summer, camped and worked on NH trails and lands. Ashley loves getting lost in books, playing saxophone, singing silly songs, and being part of the magic that exists outdoors. She is excited to explore the Georgia hills and can't wait to share the enchantment of the mountains, forests, and wetlands with Blue Ridge visitors.

Dave Daly - Braintree, MA

Dave Daly was born and raised in Massachusetts just outside of Boston. For the past few years he's been studying Land Stewardship at California State University in Chico, CA. Having just graduated, Dave made the trek to Georgia to work with the Blue Ridge staff. Dave loves hanging out in nature, listening/playing music, and reading a good book. He's looking forward to meeting all of you. Ask him about Recycling.

Heather Bennett - Asheville, NC

Heather is a Texas native however she has called many places home over the years including upstate New York, Raleigh NC, Asheville NC, Glacier Park Montana, Guatemala, and Denali Park Alaska. Over the past five years she has enthusiastically pursued an Anthropology/Sociology degree at the University of North Carolina in Asheville. In her pursuit of education she was fortunate enough to spend 3 months living abroad in Guatemala. While there she studied Spanish, built relationships while living with a Guatemalan family, and indulged in the magic of traveling abroad. Her love of meeting new people and learning from her travel experiences has luckily brought her to Northern Georgia to work as part of the Blue Ridge Outdoor Education staff. She is eager to explore and share her love of the Blue Ridge Mountains with others. If you are interested in knowing a good recipe for guacamole, or care to learn about bicycle maintenance (two of Heather's favorite things) she's your gal!

Coral Bass - Marietta, GA

Coral (yes like the animal in the ocean) is a true Georgian, born and raised in Marietta, just north of Atlanta. At Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, she majored in Environmental Studies with minors in Anthropology and Political Science. At school she was highly active in the recycling group on campus and the gardening club. After graduation, she went into the Peace Corps and spent 4 and 1/2 months in a rural village in Malawi (Southeast Africa). For hobbies she enjoys traveling both internationally and nationally, kayaking, hiking, and anything artistic.

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