Alexa Medina (she/her/ella)

Oregon Course Advisor

Alexa grew up in a small agricultural town in the Central Valley of California and went to college in the Bay Area of California. She graduated college with a degree in Communication and Latinx Studies. It was there that she reignited a love for the outdoors that she had forgotten about. She also began working with youth in classroom settings as well as in the outdoors. Alexa realized her passion for working with youth in the outdoors and pursued that work after graduating from college. She has experience working with youth in the outdoors from California to New York, as well as leading restoration projects, camping, and backpacking trips for Bay Area youth.

Alexa strives towards diversifying the outdoors as it can be an intimidating and non-inclusive space for BIPOC. Alexa knew she was going to work for Outward Bound when she was on a 65-day course as a student with OB California. She transitioned from directly working with students in the field to working with students and families as a course advisor for Voyageur Outward Bound School, and now with NWOBS. Alexa is perfect for the course advisor role because of her direct experience as a former OB student. She can really answer all the pressing questions folks might have. When Alexa isn’t working she likes to eat a ton of ice cream (she does this on the job too). She also likes to spend a day at the beach no matter the weather, and she loves to watch scary movies. 

Anne Morrison (she/her)

Senior Director, Programs & Safety

Born and raised in Vermont, with roots tracing back to the 1700s, Anne has been exploring the outdoors from a very young age.  Throughout college, Anne began her migration west and fell in love with rivers by guiding on the Arkansas River in CO.  In 2006 Anne began her Outward Bound career with the Colorado Outward Bound School in the Southwest region of Utah.  Falling in love with the desert through canyons and rivers, Anne worked as an Instructor, Course Director, Trainer and Associate Program Director for Utah’s Southwest Program.

In 2014, Anne swapped desert sun and sand for the lush forests of the Northwest with a move to Portland, OR.  During her time in the “big city”, she worked as a Course Advisor and urban Instructor with NWOBS.  She took a brief hiatus from outdoor education, in 2015-2017 to complete her masters in school counseling and worked with high school freshmen just south of Portland.  Since mid-2017, Anne has worked in various program and safety admin roles with NWOBS, mainly with the Odin Falls program.

Anne believes deeply in the power of connection to change lives and build community.  The outdoor classroom is uniquely suited to this work and Anne is constantly in awe of the transformations she see through expeditions.  Facilitating connection between individuals has been foundational to all of her professional work and she is continually pursuing opportunities learn and grow.  Anne has most recently learning through wrestling with her power and privilege as it relates to her career path and overall experiences in the outdoors. 

Anne is so grateful and fortunate that she can often be found exploring the mountains, rocks and rivers of Central Oregon from her home in Bend.  She loves spending time outside with her partner, Rob, and two silly dogs, Freya and Salix.

Cauri Hammer (she/her)

Course Advisor

Cauri grew up riding horses in the rolling hills of Northern California. Spending much of her time outside with animals during her formative years, she became deeply connected to the outdoors and the role she plays in the landscape around her. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Environmental Management and Protection. While at Cal Poly, she discovered a community of athletes through the Cal Poly Triathlon Team and became infatuated with challenging herself physically.

After graduating, she embarked on a solo, 18-day hike of the John Muir Trail, which further deepened her interest in stepping out of her comfort zone and connecting with the natural world. Her experience has served as inspiration for spending most of her professional life working outside. She has worked as a naturalist, wilderness therapy guide, horseback riding instructor, mountain biking camp leader, plant care specialist, and barn manager. 

She loves giving her energy to causes she is passionate about and spending time with her dog Juniper. She can usually be found running, skiing, or climbing in the many amazing areas Central Oregon has to offer. She is excited to be a part of the NWOBS team and to play a role in setting up students for meaningful experiences in the outdoors. 

Charley Downing (she/her)

Director of Equity, Inclusion & Diversity

Chris Bartram (he/him)

Washington Program Director

Growing up in Stamford, CT, Chris was not raised as an avid outdoors-person. However, when he went on his first outdoor education experience as a first year going to Plymouth State University he instantly fell in love with the outdoors and dove in head first into outdoor education. He began volunteering as an instructor for the Outdoor Center at Plymouth State and earned a Bachelor's in Adventure Education. After gaining a little more experience he started working for Colorado Outward Bound School as an Instructor where he spent a couple of years developing his skills and experience.

Chris, devoted to affective development through outdoor education experiences, decided to then pursue a Masters Degree in College Student Development. Through his degree Chris explored how the amazing experiences we offer transform students as well as how to make these experiences inclusive and accessible to all who wish to experience it. Chris believes that outdoor education experiences provide a catalyst for positive change in people's lives and that through this we can make positive change in the world.

When not delving into changing the world through outdoor education, Chris can be found playing in the mountains with his partner Hannah and their dog leaf.

Esther Wenzel (she/her)

Student Services Manager

Esther grew up adventuring in the forests on Mt. Hood and has called the outdoors home as long as she can remember. While attending college in Eastern Washington, she had the chance to run her first marathon and fell in love with the running community and seeking out opportunities to push the limits of what she can do. Since then, she's been able to challenge herself by running several more marathons and completing the Timberline Trail around Mt. Hood in one day.

Following college, she moved to the Seattle area to teach math and coach eighth graders for several years, then returned to Portland to be closer to her family and work with high school students. She survived Zoom classes during the pandemic and was proud to finish her Masters in Education through the University of Washington.

After eight years of working in the classroom, she is excited to serve students in a new capacity. Esther is passionate about supporting students in getting outdoors to learn more about themselves and what they're capable of, and is stoked to be able to do that on the NWOBS team. When she’s not working, she loves to train for new races, play fetch with her dog Zuzu, and go on long roadtrips.

Ian Moore (he/him)

Odin Falls Program Director

Ian has spent his entire life learning and adventuring outdoors. Growing up in the woods of Asheville, North Carolina, he became an avid mountain biker at a young age and, through becoming an Eagle Scout, learned many outdoor and leadership skills early on.

Ian went on to study Adventure Education at Prescott College, is a Wilderness EMT and Waterfront Lifeguard, and has training and experience as a Class V Raft Guide, Swift Water Rescue Technician, and American Red Cross Instructor.

With a passion for outdoor education, he became a Field Instructor for an adventure-based boarding school and summer camp serving students with ADHD and Learning Differences. While working in the field, he balanced teaching middle and high school academics, helping students grow socially and emotionally, and teaching wilderness skills while leading a wide range of outdoor activities on multi-week expeditions all over the country. Ian then became a Course Director in the summertime and trained, mentored, and supported staff becoming field instructors while continuing to lead expeditions and wilderness activities. Ian loved the field lifestyle and spent many years and hundreds of nights in a tent while becoming a guide in many adventure activities, including backpacking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, caving, and mountain biking. Ian then became the Director of a GAP year program facilitating trips all over Wyoming and the Western US, preparing young adults for their next step in life through college courses, life skills lessons, volunteer service, and multi-week expeditions.

Ian decided to chase a new adventure and is grateful to be a part of the Northwest Outward Bound School community and serve as the Odin Falls Program Director. Leading a stellar team of dedicated humans to facilitate whitewater rafting, backpacking, mountaineering, and climbing courses across Oregon is the best way to continue showing students and staff that the great outdoors is the best possible classroom to learn and grow in!

Ian continues to be an avid mountain biker, paddler, climber, and snowboarder in his free time. He also enjoys skunking his partner in cribbage, listening to music, and reading anything outdoor-related.

See ya on the trails:)

Jenny Huq (she/her)

Director of Business Operations

Jenny joins Northwest Outward Bound School after working extensively with international education and experiential learning programs. She has been fortunate throughout her career to work with values-driven organizations that promote transformational learning and social impact. She is honored to join this incredible Outward Bound community.

As former Executive Director of Carpe Diem Education in Portland, OR, Jenny managed gap year programming on 5 continents and in 18 countries. Her work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Singapore Management University created opportunities to deepen student engagement through service-learning and cultural immersion experiences. In 2010, Jenny was awarded Civic Engagement Professional of the Year from North Carolina Campus Compact. She holds a B.A. in Global History and a M.A. in International Studies.

Jenny learned to explore different parts of the U.S. at a young age as her family relocated. She attended college in the northeast and took her first professional position as a paralegal in Boston. Feeling unfulfilled on the corporate path, Jenny traded in her suit for hiking boots and headed to the Dakotas. There she found her passion for purposeful, community-based initiatives as a full-time volunteer on the Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River, and Standing Rock Reservations. While exploring other countries and cultures will always be on her list, Jenny and her family are becoming rooted with the natural beauty and grandeur of the Pacific Northwest. She is proud that both her sons have served as AmeriCorps members working on conservation, disaster management, and wildland firefighting.

Jenny enjoys photography, hiking, biking, and hosting people from all over the world in her Airbnb. A fun fact about Jenny is that one of her first homes was a converted cable car along the Great Highway in San Francisco and she and her husband currently live in a 200 sqft tiny home on wheels.

Jonathan Beckhart (he/him)

Capital Campaign Officer

Jonathan believes that the collaboration and self-discovery realized in outdoor education is key for individuals to understand their best selves. He is excited to work with the team to help drive support for the transformational experiences and outcomes delivered by NWOBS programming. Previously, he spent time at the University of Oregon Alumni Association in partnership and business development roles, building collaborative support for the UO alumni programming and engagement efforts. Most recently he served in a development role at the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space division, helping the public provide support to their parks and lands and working with the Eugene Parks Foundation to focus their giving efforts on initiatives to improve park and recreation access and equity in the community.

Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism Management from the University of Illinois. His free time is spent encouraging the many passions of his children, Clementine and Lucinda, as well as hiking, biking, camping, woodworking, gardening, running slowly, cooking, crossword puzzles, and co-ed rec softball. 

Kelley App (she/her)

Safety Manager

Kristin Kanan (she/her)

Business Operations Manager

Kristin grew up Los Angeles. She discovered her passion for photography at an early age and spent her days exploring every corner of her world, seeking to capture images of the beautiful and interesting things around her. That has never changed. Kristin has held marketing and project management jobs in industries including film, video games and social media. In 2015, it was time for a new adventure. Her love of nature and community drew her to Portland. Her wish was to find job working for a non-profit, one that helped people and had something to do with nature. That dream came true for her in June 2018.  Kristin enjoys exploring and capturing the world around her, from the forests to the quirky neighborhoods. She also loves cooking plant based meals and learning new crafts. And you may even see her in the Timbers Army supporting her beloved Portland Timbers. 

Marc Heisterkamp (he/him)

Executive Director

A Washington native and now Oregon resident, Marc’s life and career has a foundation in outdoor and experiential leadership education. A strategist and growth leader at heart, Marc is always mission driven, choosing to focus his attention on creating positive impact in people, communities and our environment. He is honored to be able to do this in his home communities in the Pacific Northwest. Marc believes strongly that future success of individuals and communities is based on emotional intelligence, people-centric leadership and other skills best developed and honed through experiential education. A lifelong learner, Marc works every day on these same skills, knowing that the best teachers are always learners first.

Marc holds a bachelor’s degree in biology & Natural Resources and a master’s in business administration. In addition to a stint in the financial sector, he spent many years building the U.S. Green Building Council and the LEED program, one of the world’s most successful and impactful industry-led environmental movements.

While not working to make amazing Outward Bound experiences available to people of all backgrounds, Marc spends his time making sure his young son grows through outdoor experiences, whether in the backyard sandbox or splashing in an alpine lake. In his house “a dirty day is a good day.”

Mariah Chapman (she/her)

Development Manager

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, lands of Cowlitz, Mariah has been surrounded by the beauty of the Cascade mountain range and is thankful for the opportunity to explore its dense forests and vast landscapes. The outdoors is Mariah’s outlet to get more connected to herself and learn valuable life skills from nature. Mariah is passionate about creating inclusive outdoor spaces and increasing access for all individuals to get outside and enjoy the benefits of nature. 

After graduating Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, Mariah felt called to work for a non-profit organization. She worked in communications at a local food bank, but soon realized she wanted to make an impact in the outdoor community. Mariah was happy to join NWOBS and combine her interests in non-profit work and the outdoors. 

Outside of the office, Mariah enjoys adventuring with her partner Josh and dog Ruca. Never leaving her dog behind, Mariah loves being outside rock climbing, camping, hiking, mountain biking, trail running, and sleeping in hammocks. Mariah is grateful to have the privilege to recreate in the outdoors and she is excited to continue exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. 

Morgan Oyster-Sands (she/her)

Director, Student Services & Partnerships

Throughout high school and college, Morgan, had many opportunities to experience the outdoors combined with service in the states and abroad. After completing her degree in Intercultural Studies and Urban Studies she worked in both education and the Outdoor Industry. Wanting to combine her passions, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and began working for NWOBS first as a Logistical Coordinator, then as a Portland Programs Instructor and now Student Services Director. New to the Pacific Northwest, you can find Morgan and her family discovering the rich landscapes by foot, bike and kayak any chance they get!

Rachel Johnson (she/her)

Partnerships Manager

Rob Healy (he/him)

Portland Program Director

Rob is a lifelong Northwesterner originally hailing from the greater Seattle area. His background in outdoor education has spanned collegiate recreation and athletics, classroom and field based environmental education and mountain guiding as well as over a decade of volunteer work in Search and Rescue. Crediting the lessons he learned in the high country as some of the most profound in his life, Rob now directs the Portland Programs seeking ways to provide greater access to these experiences and opportunities in the Portland Metro area. When he is not working, Rob can be found exploring the outdoors, working on his expansive tabletop miniature collection and spending time with his wife, cat and chickens.

Sarah Mackay (she/her)

Donor Relations Officer

The Pacific Northwest’s majestic mountains and the bountiful waters surrounding beautiful communities is where Sarah calls home. As a lifelong world traveler, she believes exploring our natural world is a transformative opportunity to expand our potential in life. She’s an ardent advocate of supporting strong communities and inspiring people to act. Sarah brings her love of raising money in support of meaningful, life changing organizations.

Sarah is a fundraising professional and certified auctioneer who enjoys calling the word, Sold! She’s no stranger to the stage. A performer at the age of five years old, she sang Glen Campbell’s "Rhinestone Cowboy" and never looked back. 

She’s attended school at Colorado State University, Gonzaga University, and Northwestern, earning bachelor’s degrees in public relations and journalism as well as a master’s in leadership and a master’s in counseling. 

Some of Sarah’s additional experiences include being a Dale Carnegie Leadership Development Trainer striving to create energetic and positive environments to transform communities and change lives.  From reducing stress to improving communications for enhanced relationships, she delves into the process of expanding horizons for both individuals and organizations. You may hear Sarah speaking about yoga and meditation, which are ways Sarah goes with the flow. Sarah believes strong individuals create strong communities. When people come together, great things happen.

Sarah Stuart-Sikowitz (she/they)

Associate Program Director

Born and raised in Maryland, Sarah’s love of the outdoors came from exploring the forests and rivers of the East Coast. Although access to nature was limited, it quickly became the place where she found peace. Once she found the Outdoor Adventure Leadership major at Ithaca College, it became clear that teaching, guiding, and being outside was the only career path for her. 

Since college, Sarah worked her way from firefighting and trail crew, to summers of guiding backpacking and rafting trips, to teaching science in wilderness areas, and to eventually running a backpacking program for an Oregon nonprofit organization. That has led them to the Associate Program Director role with Odin Falls. They believe that the transformative nature of wilderness education can change lives, as it did hers.

Outside of work, Sarah is eager to push herself by tackling new alpine ascents, progress in her skiing, and continuing to go on long, strenuous backpacking trips across the world. Sarah is always looking for the next adventure, whether that be a circumnavigation of one of the PNW’s larger mountains, learning technical skills around mixed climbing, or picking up a new sport.

Sierra Farrell (she/her)

Alumni Engagement Coordinator

Hi, my name is Sierra Farrell and I am the Alumni Engagement Coordinator at Northwest Outward Bound School.

Sonja Renner (she/her)

Director of Marketing & Communications

Sonja has worked in education and communications for more than 15 years and is excited to be part of the outdoor education community in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up in the Midwest, she came to love the outdoors by exploring the muddy rivers, overgrown trails, and wildflower fields. During her pursuit to visit all 50 states, Sonja fell in love with the magical PNW and moved here in 2016 to spend more time outside. Since then, she has been exploring nonstop and is always ready to discover a new trail. 

She was introduced to hiking, climbing, and outdoor skills later in life and is inspired by the Northwest Outward Bound School’s mission to change lives through challenge and discovery. She hopes more students will learn outdoor skills at a young age and more adults will be inspired to jump into outdoor recreation at any point in life.

Sonja loves working with students and is proud to have a history with organizations that put students and equity first. She’s served in marketing and communications roles at Drury University, the Kansas City Art Institute, University of Washington, and North Seattle College. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Journalism) and Master in Education from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.

Spencer Gordon (he/him)

Odin Falls Logistics Manager

Spencer was born and raised in Southern California where he first found his love for the outdoors and a deep connection to the beauty and wildness. From his first climb in Joshua Tree to surfing up and down the West Coast, Spencer found a love for exploring and adventure. During high school he got the opportunity to go to Africa to work with a program focused on clean water and medical access for all. Through this experience, Spencer knew he wanted to devote his time and passions to serving others within the outdoors and do all he could to assist others in finding their passions and desires driven by experiential learning. Spencer went to college in Denver and graduated with a business and Outdoor Leadership degree. During college his love of skiing, climbing, and all things water continued to grow. He spent much time exploring and working for multiple companies leading youth and school programs through the mountains of Colorado and Utah. Spencer was able to do a full semester program for credit with North Carolina Outward Bound School, which went from Patagonia to Florida and back to North Carolina. That was when he knew that one day he hoped to worked for Outward Bound and give back to an organization that was so critical in his development and pursuit of an outdoor career. 

After college he spent time in multiple roles, from being a Project Manager in Seattle, WA to being part of a startup company in Bend, OR. Through these experiences, Spencer knew he wanted to get back to Outward Bound. Lucky enough, he found out about Northwest Outward Bound School in Redmond, OR, and knew he wanted to serve his community in Central Oregon. Spencer has always found himself being a very community driven individual who loves to be a part of something bigger, while being part of a team and pursuing challenges and hardships together. He continues to work on his own growth and to learn how to be the person others can count on in hard times and in the good times. Spencer continues to pursue his passions of skiing, climbing, and water sports and can be found on the river wave in Bend most weekends. He is very lucky to have family in Oregon, as well as his dog Copper who is always up for an adventure or just sitting by the river all day. Spencer is so excited to give all he can at Northwest Outward Bound School to support staff and students to have meaningful and impactful experiences. 

Stephanie Schmitt (she/her)

Washington Logistics Manager

Steph went on her first backpacking trip the summer after finishing high school. It rained every day and there were no views to be had - and she absolutely loved it. She was hooked. She spent her University days in Vancouver, BC exploring all that the surrounding mountains had to offer. Through friends and mentors she was able to learn to safely move through the mountains whether backcountry skiing, climbing, or mountaineering. She is so grateful for everyone she has learned from along the way and loves being able to pay it forward by introducing and sharing the outdoor world with others. After finishing her degree in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Steph yearned for more time outside of her stuffy lab. It was time to trade in her lab coat for a Gore-Tex jacket and she leapt into the outdoor industry. She began ski instructing in the Cascades as well as guiding backpacking trips in the mountains, rainforests, and beaches of Washington's Olympic National Park.

Stu Montgomery (he/him)

Washington Associate Program Director

Valerie Plummer, CFRE (she/her)

Development Director

Valerie is a passionate advocate of inclusion, and the power of bringing people and resources together to change the world. She served as the executive director of the Oregon Microenterprise Network for eight years, building Oregon’s statewide financing and service infrastructure for underserved entrepreneurs. Most recently, Valerie served in a development role at Harper’s Playground, and prior to that, completed a $9M capital campaign at Community Vision, building a collaborative one-stop location in Portland that serves families and individuals experiencing disabilities. Valerie believes that the outdoors should belong to everyone, and is excited to work alongside the Northwest Outward Bound School team to ensure equitable access to life-changing Outward Bound experiences for all.

Valerie holds a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College, and a CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) certification from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  In her free time, she enjoys skiing, hiking and spending time with her two children, Sophie and Zach. Valerie currently chairs and has served on the Board of Livelihood Northwest since 2010, helping entrepreneurs of color access financing and successfully start and grow their businesses.

Will Winham (he/him)

Associate Director of HR & Recruiting

Though Will grew up in the biggish city of Fort Worth, TX, he associates home with the family farm in Arkansas, when he spent weekends and holidays working, playing, and exploring outside. Experiences like going on a Nat Geo cruise to Alaska at eighteen and finding a love of rock climbing at twenty-three further solidified that the concept of place and his relationship with it would play a major role in his life choices. Since then, Will has had the privilege to live all over the West, earning a Master’s in Environmental Literature, working in various, people-centered professions, and every now and then engaging in intense and memorable experiences in the outdoors.  

Will most recently came from working in wilderness therapy, first as a Field Instructor in Utah and finally as Field Director and Recruiter in Bend, OR. He credits the more than six years working in that industry with radical personal and professional growth, and, much like the programming of Outward Bound, because he was outside, with a community, learning from one another how they might live a little better. Will hopes to provide that chance at self-discovery to the next generations of Outward Bound employees, reach a wider audience of applicants, support current staff in their roles, and keep people coming back.