We are a diverse community of people who are deeply committed to the lives of children and the well-being of the earth. Kroka’s teachers enrich students’ lives with a wealth of personal and professional experience along with strong, healthy characters and exceptional personal ethics. Kroka teachers are committed to growing and learning; they serve as positive role models for students in their quest for realizing each individual’s potential as a human being.

	LYNNE BOUDREAU and MISHA GOLFMAN are professional guides, teachers and the co-founders of Kroka Expeditions. They enrich the school with their clear vision for young people, 25 years of leading unique wilderness trips, innovative teaching styles and international teaching and wilderness guiding credentials. This year, as usual, their sons Mathias (5), Danya (8) and Miron (15) will be adding their expertise to many programs.
	JAMIE COULTER’S commitment to the education of youth, vast knowledge and diverse life experiences has provided an immense contribution to our community for the past nine years. Jamie came to Vermont from Minneapolis by way of New York City in 1995. Besides teaching and guiding, Jamie’s passions include working in organic agriculture and teaching yoga and Capoeira (the Afro-Brazilian dance/fight/game). He lives in Marlboro, VT with his wife Tonya and their two sons Cyrus and Isaac.
	THOMAS, MICHAEL and MATHIAS DAMMER: Our three Ecuadorian brothers, joined the Kroka community in 2003 and things haven’t been the same! They grew up on a farm near Quito, spending most of their lives in the outdoors, working and exploring by horse or bicycle, paddling or climbing, either in the mountains or the rivers or on the ocean. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from their country, infusing Kroka with the wonderful spirit of their culture, and their own contagious energy and enthusiasm. The Dammer brothers are exceptional athletes and climbers and are responsible for Kroka’s climbing program. In addition, Thomas is taking more of a lead in our white water paddling programs, Mathias in our school programs and Michael in the semester program. Both Thomas and Michael were co leaders on the Vermont Ecuador Semester this past fall. This is their sixth year with Kroka.
	JOHANNA GARDNER loves the outdoors. Canoeing, camping, biking, and hiking are among her favorite activities. Johanna grew up in Newfane, Vermont and resides in her childhood home with her husband and three children. Along with her husband, Bahman, she is a musician and member of Broadband that performs locally throughout Vermont. Johanna works as a French Teacher at the Putney Grammar School and has been with Kroka for nine years.
	LISL HOFER was born and raised in a small village in the Austrian Alps. As the daughter of a forester and a teacher, she had many chances to develop her love for nature. She became an avid skier and coach, and enjoyed hiking, mountaineering and climbing in the Alps. In 1985, Lisl moved to the United States. She taught at Kimberton Waldorf School for 13 years. Lisl has two children, Stefan and Katrin who have both taught at Kroka. Lisl joined the Kroka in August 2006 as one of our teachers and the Semester Program Coordinator.
	CHRIS KNAPP will be returning for his tenth year at Kroka. He spent many years as a student of Ray Reitze, Master Guide and naturalist, and as a teacher at Earthways School of Wilderness Living in Maine. He has a wealth of wilderness knowledge and experience to share. Chris and his wife Ashirah have been an integral part of Kroka’s development, designing and creating curriculum, as well as teaching the Vermont Semester in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Chris is now studying at the University of Maine and has a beautiful addition to his family, his son, Owen.
	MARCEA MACINNIS is a native Vermonter. Growing up immersed in nature, Marcea developed an understanding of the beauty, forms and cycles of nature. Marcea has pursued to perfection the expressions of nature’s messages through crafts, music and art. She has studied art in London, Ecuador and Vermont, specializing in welded art and print making. She plays drums in a Folk and Blue Grass Band and has acted in many plays, as well as directed children’s theatre at the Main Street Arts in Saxtons River, VT. Marcea is in her fifth year of research and practice of medicinal plants. She just returned from Equador, where she was an instructor for Kroka’s semester program. This will be Marcea’s forth year of working at Kroka.
	RAY REITZE, JR., is a Teacher, Naturalist and Master Maine Guide. Years ago, Ray was called to teach the skills and philosophy of the elders that have shaped him since he was a boy. Founder of Earthways School of Wilderness Living, Ray brings to the world a gentle and humble presence that draws all who meet him toward the peace, light and love that dwells within him. Ray is author of And We Shall Cast Rainbows Upon the Land, a book of wisdom and teachings from both Ray and his teacher, Grandfather, a Mic Mac Elder who greatly influenced Ray’s life direction and purpose.
	KATRINA WILSON, our business manager, is a native Vermonter. She has an Associates Degree in Fine Art from Greenfield Community College and a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Keene State College. She lives in Brattleboro, Vermont with her three lovely daughters ranging in age from 2 to 13.
	TOM ROSENBERG is one of the first Kroka Alumni to join our full time staff. Tom grew up in Portland, Maine and attended Kroka camp for many years. Tom has been on many advanced programs, including expeditions to Ecuador and Canada, as well as the 2006 Vermont Semester. Tom has been an apprentice at Kroka for several summers. He has also apprenticed at Mahoosuc Guide Service. Tom is working as a teacher assistant on the 2008 Vermont Semester.
	JASON BRUEK is an environmental educator, research biologist, and trip leader, living in Vermont’s rural Northeast Kingdom. Jason and his wife, Annie, are the founders of the educational non-profit, Siskin Ecological Adventures through which they strive to pass on the knowledge, lessons, and examples shared with them by Iowa farm families, research scientists, Australian sheep ranchers, Guatemalan biologists, and the countless students who have touched their lives. Jason and Annie’s lives have also been blessed by their three young children – Corbin, Cooper, and Sabine.
	DAN AND SARAH SIMONS, from Newfane, Vermont, have moved with us to our new home in Marlow. Dan brings to Kroka, a wealth of knowledge of the natural world, music, and an infectious sense of humor. Prior to joining the Kroka Community, Dan studied and worked with naturalists, herbalists, and farmers in Maine and Vermont. Sarah is our new administrative assistant. She has her Bachelor’s Degree from Marlboro College in Vermont. She is passionate about the connection between wilderness living, the arts, and healing, and loves quilting and making handcrafts.
	NICOLE KIELBLOCK is an an artist and teacher with particular interest in color and the archetypal forms of nature. She has a BFA in Sculpture from Parsons School of Design. After working for several years in New York City, she moved to Philadelphia with her husband to raise their two sons and help found the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, where she taught Handwork, Clay Modeling, Woodcarving and Drawing for many years.
	MICHAEL KOHOUT lives with his wife, Jessy, and children Owen and Natasha on the banks of the West River in Dummerston, Vermont. He teaches crafts and outdoor skills at the Greenwood School in Putney, VT. Soon after receiving his first jackknife at age six, Michael made his first bow and fishing rod, and armed with these, began a lifelong prowl through the woods of New England. Michael shared knife-making, birch bark canoe building and fishing with Kroka studentssince 2003.