Nancy is a strong supporter of the Traveling School and their mission in enriching the lives of young girls.  Her daughter, Megan, was on TTS 20 to Zambia, Mozambique, and South Africa, and attended college her freshman year in Italy.  Her son also did an exchange in Japan his junior year of high school.  She has a huge love and desire to travel, traveling to over 12 countries.  Her driving interest stems for her college friend who grew up in Nicaragua.  Nancy and her husband Wade have been a host parents to over 14 international high school students as well as a constant supporters of exchange opportunities. Nancy has a strong background in operations, planning, and project management.  She currently works for Medtronic’s as a Program Manager in Supply Chain and held similar roles at both General Mills and Schwan’s.  Nancy has seen the tremendous positive effect The Traveling School has on young women, opening the world to her daughter and other girls just like her.  “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

Emily’s believes passionately in the powerful intersection of education and travel. In high school she participated in international education programs that laid the foundation for her commitment to the field of education. In the U.S. and overseas, Emily has designed and facilitated education and training programs for young people and adults. One of her most rewarding professional experiences has been working with the Traveling School. Currently Emily is a middle school teacher at The McGillis School and the SHIFT Program Manager at the Utah Film Center, training educators to integrate digital media into the classroom. She has a B.A. in International Affairs and Anthropology from University of Colorado and a M.A. in Global Education and Social Studies from The Ohio State University. Fly fishing, hiking, dancing, traveling, speaking Spanish, and being in wide open spaces nurture Emily’s soul. Dan works as the Finance Manager for the Gallatin Valley Land Trust in Bozeman, Montana and brings his non-profit financial knowledge to The Traveling School Board. He has a degree in History from Williams College. Dan has had the pleasure of traveling to many places TTS visits including Peru, Mozambique, and Malawi and has worked as an outdoor leader and dorm parent at a semester school in North Carolina. Dan believes in the critical roles world travel and cultural exchange play in his own daughter’s education and is excited to be a part of helping TTS provide that for other girls. Dan can often be found trail running, skiing, or camping with his daughter and two dogs in the mountains surrounding Bozeman. As an alumna of TTS1 South America and TTS4 Southern Africa, Laura knows firsthand the profound positive impact a semester with The Traveling School has on students, families, and communities.  Since The Traveling School, she has had incredible opportunities to travel internationally and explore the mountains, deserts, and rivers of the U.S.  She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and is currently a project engineer for Lomax Tile & Marble, Inc. in Asheville, NC.  She likes to spend her free time practicing yoga or hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains with her pup, Addie.

 

Stephanie comes to the Traveling School Board as a parent of a TTS23 participant. Her daughter, Susannah, had a rich learning experience with the school in South America which solidified interests in social justice, international relations and Spanish language. Stephanie saw the ways her daughter’s direct involvement with other cultures’ day to day social issues impacted her and gave her real issues she wanted to study in college. Stephanie got involved with fundraising for TTS in order to help the school work towards having a Financial Aid endowment with the goal of making this tremendous experience available to all girls who want it. Living in Greece in the 1970’s allowed Stephanie and her family to travel to Europe and Turkey. There she developed an interest in understanding cultural differences. Today, Stephanie and her husband and kids continue to discover new places whenever possible. Stephanie has a Master’s in Social Work and was an elementary school social worker and also worked with child victims of abuse at a guidance clinic. She has worked on various development projects for her children’s respective schools and served on several local nonprofit organization Boards. Stephanie loves to take long walks with her dog in summer, enjoys snowshoeing in the winter and traveling whenever possible.

 

Ellie grew up in the mountains of Colorado, where her passion for outdoor places began. While at Colorado College, she studied Environmental Science with an emphasis in Biology to gain a greater understanding of the science within our ecological systems.  Her continued curiosity about the outside world prompted Ellie to seek out opportunities to work with others in wilderness-based programs, including Deer Hill Expeditions, SUWS Wilderness Therapy, and the National Outdoor Leadership School.  Through observing the power of place-based learning and the capacity for healing that can occur in a natural environment, Ellie sought greater understanding of why people do what they do, as well as how people change, so she pursued a Master’s degree in Social Work.  As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Ellie works as a mental health consultant at Routefinder Consulting, which focuses on leadership development and resilience building with individuals and organizations.  She brings her passions for expeditionary learning and empowerment to her role on the Traveling School board. When it’s time to play, you can find Ellie hiking, skiing, biking, and otherwise adventuring with her husband, Jim, and their pup, Riva.