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Matt Wagner - Interim
Director - Roswell, GA
Matt has been coming to Camp Mikell since the summer of
1989. He became
a counselor in high school and served as a Summer Staff member in the
summers of 2000, 2001, and 2003. In the spring of 2003 he graduated from
Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina with a History major.
After
college, he lived in Charleston for a year, worked as an outdoor therapy
counselor, and served as a youth director in Madison, Georgia. In the
summer
of 2007, Matt accomplished a life goal in completing a thru-hike of the
Appalachian Trail, spending six months hiking from Georgia to Maine. In
the
summer of 2008, he was Dean at Outdoor Youth Camp, a week that he enjoyed
so much that he applied to be on Blue Ridge Staff. Matt enjoys hiking,
playing
music, and learning new information about nature. This is Matt's third
season
at Blue Ridge OEC.
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Thomas Dunbar - Assistant Director, Warner Robins, GA
Thomas Dunbar has been involved with Blue Ridge since he was a wee little camper during the summer of 2000. Since that time, Thomas has looked for any and every opportunity to be as involved with the BROEC program as possible. In the spring of 2008 Thomas received a BA in Philosophy/Religion from Piedmont College. While he was there he developed a love for reptiles and amphibians that continues to this day. Since the fall of 2008 he has been the youth coordinator of a church in Athens. In the Spring of 2009 Thomas achieved a lifelong goal (well, since 2000 at least) of joining the Blue Ridge Staff and hasn't looked back since. This is his third season on staff and he hopes that you'll enjoy his classes!
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Rachel Biggs –
Freedom, ME
Rachel was raised in a small coastal New England town, comprised of forests,
farms and lakes.
Her passion for the outdoors
stemmed from an early age, and rarely would you find her inside
when there were woods to navigate,
bodies of water to discover, and fields to inspect. Her
undergraduate studies helped develop her understanding of the world around
her, and in 2008
she received a degree from Marlboro College in the field of Forest Ecology
(with a minor in photography, another one of her great passions). Before
coming to Georgia
she worked on a Sustainable Forestry crew in Nevada, helping to create
healthy forests and
to prevent forest fires. Harnessing the spirit of her hometown’s
name (Freedom), she has eagerly
explored a great variety of ecological settings. Her explorations have
taken her all over the world,
and she hopes that her travelling lifestyle never ceases. Rachel is excited
to be teaching at Blue Ridge this spring,
and to learn all about the wonderful environment here.
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Anton MacFarlane - Marietta,
GA
Anton grew up surrounded by the Kennesaw Mountain National Park in Marietta,
GA.
He was a soccer player and a boy scout so he was never found inside. In
1994 he went
to Junior Camp at Camp Mikell and well, he's been here ever since. A counselor
1997-2001, ran the Mikell/Emmaus House Program in 2002, and was on Mikell summer
staff from
2003 to 2005, finishing up as Counselor Coordinator his last year. This
camp is very important to him, and these grounds are his home. Outside of Toccoa, he is on a
mission to see the world. He went to college at the University of Glasgow in Scotland where he studied
Electronical Engineering and Music, worked as a DJ for Subcity Radio and passed the
time playing what they call football. Since then he has lived in Athens with his dog Lennon,
played guitar in a band that never fully decided on a name and in the men's soccer league
at the YWCO. He is known to take impromptu road trips across the country, laugh often
and have too many names to remember. This is his second season on the Blue Ridge staff,
and he's very excited to learn more and pass that knowledge on to you!
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Kim Mock
- East Granby, CT
Kim is from a small town in northern
Connecticut. She graduated from Texas Christian
University with a degree in Environmental Science. After college, she
did some graduate
work in Environmental Education with the Audubon Expedition Institute
at Lesley University.
She completed two action-packed semesters living outdoors and traveling
in different bioregions
on a renovated school bus. Kim has spent a year and five summers working
in central Appalachia
with the Appalachia Service Project, an emergency home repair ministry.
She learned a lot about
construction and the region while working in the mountains. She is very
excited to return to the
area and to be a part of Blue Ridge this spring.
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Taylor
Shorey - Greenville, SC
Taylor was " loaned " to
us last year from YMCA Camp Greenville for
one week as a high ropes specialist. That's all it took... he fell in
love
with BROEC and vowed to be back. Taylor has just returned from a
Medic Relief adventure in Ecuador and fell in love with its people.
Hopefully we can keep him for a while because the children of the
remote villages his team served captured his heart. As a Wilderness
EMT, Raft Guide, Swift water Rescue certified, Leave No Trace
Master Educator; Taylor has more experience than you can find
in most 21 year olds. He has been a camper and a counselor at
Camp Greenville since 1996. He has led several adventure trips
and has been teaching Outdoor and Environmental Education for
the last year. Passions include music and more music, surfing,
kayaking, snowboarding, backpacking but the greatest thrill
comes from introducing young and old to wonders of our natural
world. Grab a guitar and Taylor will dive right in on his mandolin.
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Lani Meyer – Wichita, KS
Born in the lovely state of Kansas, Lani is a prairie girl at heart but absolutely
loves her new mountainous home here in Georgia. She completed her undergraduate
degree in Horticulture Science from Kansas State University. One of her passions
is gardening and would love to someday have a career in children’s gardening.
Much of her spare time is spent hiking and playing fetch with her little doggie,
Lili, but she also loves music, cooking, crafts, and reading. Oh, and teaching kids
about the environment!!!
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