and spent nine years in finance with Intel Corporation, working with everything from an internet start-up to a $2.5 billion factory construction project. In 2002 he made a career shift and moved back to the Twin Cities. He spent nine years as the President of Youth Frontiers, a nonprofit organization that partners with schools to improve school climate, and reaches more than 100,000 students annually, before joining the VOBS Crew.

Outside of work, Jack is active in his church and community and enjoys traveling with his wife, Laura, and their three children, Elisabeth, Catherine and Timothy.

She is proud to serve on our leadership team, head-up strategy and partner with community stakeholders for a more compassionate and resilient future. Marlais believes in the power of group learning and outdoor education. She is dedicated to creating inclusive and safe spaces, and is always eager to put people on course for character and leadership. Marlais is also an Outward Bound alum, writer, and mother of twin daughters. She loves to travel everywhere, and considers Lake Superior her True North.

Penny has a long history with Voyageur Outward Bound and Outward Bound USA. Spanning some 30 years, Penny's expertise, operational acumen, and leadership are critical elements in the school's safe and empowering delivery for students.

He also educated himself on what human activity is doing to the environment and tries to make lifestyle choices to minimize his impact and help heal the Earth. He is fortunate enough to share the stewardship of a summer cabin on a small lake and a few acres of woods and fields in the Avon Hills of Central Minnesota and it is his happy place.

Jay’s many interests and activities over the years have included running marathons and triathlons, playing in a folk music group and with a west African drumming group, Latin dancing (and even a bit of teaching) and organic gardening.  His winter focus over the last decade has been Nordic skiing – he hopes to complete his 8^th American Birkebeiner in 2021 although it will be a strange pandemic version of this much-loved ritual of winter.   He is primarily a skate-skier but plans to get back into classic skiing also because he can’t wait to explore the woods and waters around Homeplace!

Jay’s motivation to return to VOBS, other than the opportunity to work with awesome people, was that he believes that two qualities we need a lot more of in today’s society are compassion and resilience.  Development and nurturing of these qualities is central to the mission of Outward Bound and he can’t think of a better way to contribute than to lead the financial stewardship of VOBS.

In Stacey's role as Director of Development, she is committed to building the VOBS family of individuals, foundations, schools, and companies to advance a shared goal - a compassionate, resilient community. Stacey holds a master's degree in philanthropy and her non-profit experience includes leadership roles in education, healthcare, and international development. She loves the outdoors and can't wait connect with you to partner to deliver this incredible mission.

He ended up applying for the internship at VOBS and has now worked for VOBS since 2019, at both the Ely, MN and Redford, TX bases.

Thomas loves the sense of adventure and purpose that comes with expeditions.

Thomas stays at VOBS in large part because of the continued challenge and growth everyone in this community – students and staff alike – experience. There is something about spending time in the wilderness that gives people permission to let their walls down and open up in ways that you don't see in “everyday life.” Thomas believes that these moments of challenge and authenticity that come with wilderness travel are what make Outward Bound expeditions a life-changing experience. 

When not working, you can find Thomas paddling his whitewater canoe, playing board games, fetch with his puppy, or scheming ways to get his friends to come on an adventure with him.

From there, she developed her roles and experience as an assistant instructor, lead instructor, course director and trainer, working in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Costa Rica and the Twin Cities.

The time came when she knew it was time to expand her comfort zone and practice what she preached on oh so many courses. In 2016, she applied to Teach for America and moved from her 100 square foot cabin nestled at the bottom of the North Cascades to a triple decker in South Boston. Laying the tracks as she drove the train, Anabell taught middle school science while simultaneously attending night classes, earning her Master of Education in Teaching and Curriculum from Boston University.

Yearning to be “home” and near family, Anabell moved back to Minneapolis in 2020 and began teaching with Hiawatha Academies. She has always lived and worked along Outward Bound's values and is beyond excited to be back within the community, back once more flying the Blue Peter, back “home”, ready to serve, to strive and not to yield!

working up a sweat, bathing in rivers and writing postcards to loved ones. During some very long walks in the woods, Dan learned a little about gratitude, resilience, loneliness, compassion, positivity and the unforgiving wonder of wilderness.

A random act of kindness by a stranger during one such walk in led Dan to the Boundary Waters and VOBS in 2014, where he has traveled by canoe, foot, ski and dogsled ever since.

She has had numerous roles here over the years and is currently the Winter Program Director. In her current position she oversees the dog sledding and cross-country skiing programming at the Ely base from November to April, and is in charge of our 62 sled dogs all year round. In her off season she supports the summer program as a course director while also making sure that her own dogs get enough attention!

She holds a Master's degree in teaching from St. Scholastica and a BA in Management & Psychology from Hamline. 

Based out of the Twin Cities, Susan is a self-reported life-long learner who enjoys tennis and live music. She is an avid hiker, waterfall lover, forest bather and rescue dog mom (she's also a human mom)! 

She returns to VOBS after earning a Master’s in Education, classroom teaching in Minnesota and Alaska and raising her family (which included homeschooling her children). She is the parent of three children who have been traveling in the BWCAW and other wilderness areas since they were infants. She lives on a small hobby farm in Duluth with her family, goats, chickens, cats and dogs. Libby enjoys running, reading, and wilderness travel with family and friends whenever possible. She is thrilled to be working with VOBS again and believes passionately in the Outward Bound mission and values. “We can do more than we think we can and we need each other.” (Kurt Hahn)

at Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School for a year before returning to VOBS and committing to year round work in Ely, Minnesota and Redford, Texas. Yoshie's experiences with VOBS also inspired her to co-found Wheels for Mental Wellness, a cycling trip across America to raise awareness around mental health. In 2018, Yoshie and fellow Outward Bound instructor Catherine Dyer spent 54-days cycling from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida. Along the way they conducted interviews and wrote blog posts about a myriad of mental health issues. This expedition challenged Yoshie to apply the skills she had learned at Outward Bound in a new context and further informed her love for expeditionary learning.

Outward Bound has opened a world of challenge, adventure, and discovery that Yoshie never knew existed as a teenager. Her time at Outward Bound has informed her values and given her invaluable tools to communicate with the people she cares about. She is honored to be a part of imparting those same experiences and tools to the students she works with and supporting them through challenge and adventure. 

they've spent nearly a decade serving local non-profit and artistic organizations alike, creating community and connecting people through everything marketing, media, and communications. An Outward-Bound alum, Elise is a believer in experiential education, is dedicated to inclusivity in their work, and is thrilled to be a part of the VOBS team and mission. In their free time they love to craft (knit, collage, draw), travel, hike, and spend time with their cat Elaine.

You name a job at the school and Ledoux has done it. Currently, she is the Logistics Manager at our Ely basecamp.

Of her current post, Ledoux says, “It’s a perfect job for me; I get to create systems that make gear and food an easy part of packing for a course. I truly enjoy working with all of the instructors – they are loud, entertaining, and inspire me every day with their love for their students.” When she’s not fixing something, cleaning something, or organizing something in the Trips building, you can find Ledoux running a small carpentry business, learning to skate ski in the winter and spending her springs coaching The Bears, a local Little League baseball team. Go Bears!

Of Outward Bound - Chandra says that just like for our students, working for Outward Bound has been a formative experience, one that has shaped who she is, what she values and how she is in the world. She credits Outward Bound with helping her realize that attitude is everything and that by empowering yourself and others, you can achieve more than you think. She keeps coming back because the people - staff and students, are the best people. 

Outside of work, Chandra enjoys spending time with her family - including two young boys. When possible, camping and recreating outside is one of their favorite ways to spend time together and connect. She can often be found skiing in Colorado or more recently, learning to canoe on the lakes and rivers of Minnesota. 

Her background is in events and communications, with experience at Minnesota State Parks and Trails, the Minnesota Zoo, and both National Public Radio (NPR) and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). In her free time, Jennifer loves being outdoors, and one of her favorite places to explore is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA)—in any season!

she served two years in AmeriCorps, leading paddling, hiking and other educational events for an environmental advocacy nonprofit in Asheville, NC. During her time in AmeriCorps, she also worked as a campaign manager for a North Carolina State Senator. Her time working in local politics and nonprofit advocacy lead her to pursue a Master's degree in Planning at Clark University. However, after two years of virtual classes and working remotely for a Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, she was swayed by an offer to instruct a 15-day multi-element course at the Twin Cities Center for VOBS. Working outside, in-person, helping students find their confidence in the outdoors felt like returning 'home' and Catie is beyond grateful to be working at VOBS for the foreseeable future.

Tessa also spent some time as a senior naturalist in Homer, Alaska. 

Tessa came to Outward Bound in 2015 as an instructor and now works on our Student Services team year-round as a course advisor.  When Tessa isn’t busy helping prepare students and families for their expedition, she gets out alongside our students as a field instructor in the winter and summer seasons!

It is evident that Tessa has sought out a life filled with adventure in her professional and personal life. In 2014, Tessa was a part of the 8 Rivers North Expedition, where she and her crew paddle over 900 miles in 60 days, connecting 9 different rivers in the Canadian Arctic ending on the Arctic Ocean.  When she is not working Tessa spends her time thinking of the next adventure. She also enjoys exploring the local flora and fauna, canoeing, baking bread, and spending time with her community here at her home in Ely, Minnesota!

Initially he came to Outward Bound searching for adventure and the wilderness, but ultimately stayed because of the values and curriculum Outward Bound teaches. Dan resonated with the idea of restorative justice and that harm can be repaired through intentional communication and compassion. He continues to instill the belief that these skills can not only be taught, but also practiced and strongly believes the wilderness is the greatest classroom to learn this in.

When he is not working for Outward Bound, Dan can be found hiking up the Bridger Mountain Range with his snowboard, Kayaking on the Gallatin River and playing country music across Southwest Montana. He loves his job and is committed to working with young people and their families and seeing the “light bulb” moments happen as they solidify strong learnings on course and improve their relationships

Kelly Refsnider joined Voyageur Outward Bound School in 2025 as the Development Communications Coordinator. Her prior work in nonprofit education spans nearly two decades and includes strategic marketing and communications, development, enrollment, and cross-functional project management experience. Kelly is eager to support the VOBS mission and support fundraising growth through storytelling and stakeholder engagement.

After graduating she began her Outward Bound journey, first working with VOBS in 2018 as an Intern at Homeplace.

She returned to VOBS summer of 2022 after various jaunts, including working for NYC Outward Bound Schools, spending a summer guiding in Alaska, and teaching at a forest preschool in central New York. When not at the St. Paul office or in the field with students, you can find Claire riding her bike around Minneapolis, hiking with her dog Mud, and swimming in one of the many lakes the Twin Cities has to offer!

After spending a few years working in a laboratory studying water quality, Megan was eager to get back into working with kids in outdoor education. This brought her back to Ely where she worked at the Camp Widjiwagan Outdoor Learning Program before coming to work for the Voyageur Outward Bound School. Here at Outward Bound Megan loves getting to talk to families about all the opportunities they can have in the wilderness, and seeing how much students grow and change through experiential education. When she is not working you can find Megan out paddling in the summer, cross country skiing in the winter, and making lots of homemade pasta with friends and family.