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Meet Our Staff
Program Staff | Support Staff | Food Service and Grounds/Facilities Staff
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has assembled an excellent, experienced and enthusiastic team to carry out the mission of connecting people and nature. Here are some of the people you may come in contact with as you prepare for your visit to Tremont and as you enjoy your stay here.
Program Staff
Tiffany Beachy - Citizen Science Coordinator
Tiffany was born and raised in Roanoke, VA. She earned her BS in Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech in 2003 and her MS, also in Wildlife Science, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2008. Her graduate research was part of a multi-state effort to assess the effects of forest management on Cerulean Warblers. She lived the life of a bio bum for a while between schools and has participated in avian research in Tennessee, Canada, Mexico, the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, Venezuela, and Missouri. She became quite addicted to Cerulean Warblers and continued to follow them to all parts of their global range. She worked as a Private Lands Wildlife Biologist in Smithfield, VA in 2010 and joined the ranks as Tremont’s Citizen Science Coordinator in early 2011. Tiffany is delighted to be back in East TN, and thinks it is appropriate that she now lives directly in the shadow of Cerulean Knob. Her hobbies include bird-watching, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, star-gazing, running, biking, listening to live music, dancing, cooking, drawing, reading, writing, spending quality time with close friends and family, learning, worshipping God, and just being outside.
Caleb Carlton – Teacher Naturalist
A Michigan native, Caleb holds a degree in Environmental Studies from Michigan State University. Recently he was a naturalist with the "Inside the Outside" Outdoor Science School (Orange County Department of Education, California). He has also worked on an organic farm. An avid backpacker, he has hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails. He is a Wilderness First Responder. Check out Caleb's blog!
Dawn Dextraze – Teacher Naturalist
Dawn was born in Vermont, raised in Florida and has been traveling around all her adult life. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Mars Hill College, just over the mountains in North Carolina, in 2002. Dawn has been working at residential education centers since that time. She has worked in Massachusetts, Washington, North Carolina, Maine, and New Hampshire. Dawn earned her M.A. in Environmental Education from the University of New Hampshire in 2009 and started working at Tremont in 2010. In her free time, she enjoys reading, gardening, sewing, crocheting, looking for wildflowers, listening to birds, and playing with her three nephews.
Kathleen Durkin - Teacher Naturalist
Kathleen was born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay, in Baltimore, MD. She learned to backpack as a young girl on the mid-Atlantic portions of the Appalachian Trail. She has a BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She was most recently the Artist in Residence and Intern Interpretive Ranger at North Cascades National Park where she was able to combine her love of the outdoors and her knowledge of environmental education with art, represented through interpretive mural projects and native plant gardens in the National Park and surrounding school districts. Kathleen has also managed projects and taught lessons for The Living Classrooms Foundation, First Bloom (NPF outdoor education program), Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation, and non-profits in Baltimore (afterschool programs). And after recently spending a year visiting 27 states, National Parks, and other public lands, she is excited to return to the Southern Appalachian Range to immerse herself in the natural and cultural history of the area. She just completed her Wilderness First Responder in Boone, NC and is excited to get out on the trail with students in the Park. Kathleen loves expressing herself through visual arts, listening to live music, contra dancing, cooking Indian food, and spending time in the woods.
Gina Lappé - Teacher Naturalist
Gina grew up on the coast of northern California surrounded by redwoods, bobcats and salmon. After attending Stanford University for both her Bachelors and Masters in environmental science she decided it was time for a change of scenery. Since moving to the Smokies she has fallen in love with the incredible diversity of flowers, trees, bird and everything else in these mountains. On days off she can be found on a bike ride, hiking the mountains, playing ultimate frisbee in Knoxville or curled up in her hammock with a good book.
Jeremy Lloyd – Special Programs Coordinator
Jeremy began working at Tremont in 1996. Originally from Western Pennsylvania, he received a B.A. from Calvin College in 1994, and, an M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 2001. He’s written for a number of national publications including Gray’s Sporting Journal, Sojourners, The Sun, and North Carolina Literary Review. He directs Tremont’s summer camps, Road Scholar programs, college consortiums, and family camps. He also teaches several courses in the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program. He is the author of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Pocket Guide & Journal as well as A Home In Walker Valley: The Story of Tremont, both published by Great Smoky Mountains Association. Additionally, he has released several recordings of original music. Books, wilderness, fly-fishing, hunting, good food and good conversation number among his many loves. And of course his wife, Elan, who he married in 2006.
Patrick McNamara - Teacher Naturalist
An Illinois native, Patrick has spent the past year teaching environmental education at Eagle Bluff Residential Environmental Learning Center in Minnesota. He holds a degree in recreation and park administration from Illinois State University, and recently completed a certificate in environmental education from Hamline University. He has taught environmental education at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and two different centers in Illinois, and guided adventure trips in Colorado. He is a Wilderness First Responder.
Jennie McGuigan - School Programs Coordinator
Jennie was born in Jacksonville, FL and spent most of her childhood mucking about the North Florida/South Georgia marshlands and waterways. In 1999, she received a BS in Recreation Management with a concentration in Outdoor Experiential Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. After that she spent 3 years, gaining experience working on educational farms, teaching at nature centers and leading backcountry travel expeditions throughout the US including being a Teacher/Naturalist at Tremont (2000-2001). Later, she attended Western Washington University, and graduated in 2004 with a Masters of Education in Natural Science/Science Education with a certificate in Non-Profit Administration and Leadership.
Jennie met her husband at North Cascades National Park where she worked as a Wildland Firefighter, and together they purchased a small farm and had two beautiful daughters (Olivia, 5 & Morgan, 3). She continued to work part-time for a variety of EE organizations in the community, until working full-time as Program Supervisor for an Early Learning Center. Personally, Jennie enjoys gardening, saving heirloom seeds, watercolor painting, fishing, cooking, and martial arts. She also enjoys singing, music, laughing with friends, and spending time with my family.
John Rakes - Teacher Naturalist
John was born and raised in the foothills of North Carolina where he
spent his childhood turning over rocks and logs, looking for anything
that slithered or crawled. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Mars Hill
College (2003) and a M.B.A. from Averett University (2009). John has
worked in residential therapeutic wilderness programs for at-risk youth
as well as intensive community support programs for adults diagnosed
with mental illnesses. He enjoys camping and hiking, has hiked portions
of the Long Trail in Vermont and portions of the Appalachian Trail, and
has canoed sections of the Suwannee River in Florida. John loves
traditional blue grass music and aspires to play the banjo (Scruggs
style). Family is a central part of John’s life and he spends as much
time as possible with them. He is especially proud of his three nieces:
Claire (19), Katie (7), and Addison (4).
Part/Time and Volunteer Teacher/Naturalists:
Robin Goddard
Jamie Matzko
Michael Matzko
Julie Brown - Registrar/Assistant Office Manager
Julie has been in love with the Smoky Mountains from the time she began visiting the National Park on camping trips. She’s lived in Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Asheville, North Carolina. Julie says, "There is something about these mountains that I can’t explain to people who don’t feel it. I feel at home in these mountains. And at peace." Julie says when it comes to learning about the flowers, trees, birds, and history of the Park, she can never get enough. She has a growing collection of old postcards, brochures, maps and books about the Smokies.
Sandi Byrd - Development/Public Relations Director (sandi@gsmit.org)
Sandi grew up in Memphis and has worked in development/public relations for over thirty years. Before coming to Tremont, Sandi served a number of non-profits, including Habitat for Humanity International, the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation at Callaway Gardens and the Devereux Foundation. She is pleased to be back in Tennessee and working inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a park that she and her husband have visited and enjoyed since childhood. Sandi is a music lover who also enjoys traveling with her husband, playing with her six grandchildren and two great grandchildren, and reading mystery and spy novels.
Heather Davis - Marketing Communications Specialist
The Smokies have always been a part of Heather's life since she grew up in nearby Knoxville, TN. She has spent several years in the middle part of the state where she received her B.S. in Mass Communications at MTSU and worked in marketing for a healthcare technology company.
Heather joined the Tremont crew in December 2009 and has enjoyed working in the woods every since. Heather is excited to be back in East TN with her husband (Josh), daughter (Molly) and her super pug (Butch). A Video Hello from Heather!
John DiDiego - Education Director (john@gsmit.org)
John grew up catching snakes and turtles in the creeks of upstate South Carolina, and he has never lost his love of wild things and wild places. He holds a BA degree in English Literature from the University of Notre Dame and an MS in Natural Resources/Environmental Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He has always enjoyed international travel and served two stints in the Peace Corps in Morocco and Russia. In over 12 years experience in environmental education, he has worked in places as far-flung as New England, Yosemite NP, far eastern Russia, and Georgia; but there is no place he’d rather be than the southern Appalachians. He is looking forward to experiencing the changing seasons and the magic of changing students’ lives at Tremont. He and his wife Michele are settling into Maryville and enjoying spending time on the trails with their two young boys, Thomas and Mario. He enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, turning over logs, and playing/singing folk tunes. Check out John's Blog!
Mary Dresser - Program Specialist
Mary grew up in Wisconsin and has worked in environmental education and natural resources management in several states including Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Illinois. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh and a Master of Science degree in Wildland Recreation Management/Environmental Education from the University of Idaho, and is a member of the National Association for Interpretation and the Tennessee Environmental Education Association.
Mike Gross - Finance Manager
Although Mike has lived the last nineteen years in Charleston, SC, he is a long- time resident of Tennessee. Mike holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His main career has been the chief finance officer for two technical community colleges in higher education. Mike and his family have camped, hiked, and biked the Cades Cove area for over thirty years. He refers to the Smokies as a "little heaven on earth". After retirement from higher education, Mike and his wife, Helen, reside in Townsend, Tennessee.
Charlene Stewart -- Human Resources/Office Manager (charlene@gsmit.org)
Born and raised in the state of Florida, Charlene’s parents taught her to love the outdoors and appreciate animals in their natural environment. She has passed that love on to her own children as the family traded vacations between the ocean and Great Smoky Mountains for many years. Around 2001, Charlene and husband Doug made the decision to retire close to these beloved mountains and bought property in Walland, Tennessee to make that dream come true.
Her passion for people and nature have brought her to the Tremont team where she brings 30 years of extensive team building experience; hiring, developing, and motivating individuals to exceed expectations. She attended the University of Florida, with plans to work in elementary education before Sales and Service organizations took her career down a different path. Charlene’s interests are varied and include scuba diving, hiking, camping, photographing wildflowers and wildlife, as well as building birdhouses, quilting by hand, and growing herbs.
Ken Voorhis - Executive Director (ken@gsmit.org)
Ken has served as executive director of Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont since 1984. He holds a B.S. from West Virginia University in Parks & Recreation with an emphasis in Nature Interpretation and a M.S. in Experiential Education, from Mankato State University in Minnesota. He has been involved in environmental education for over 25 years working in programs in Ohio, North Carolina, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. He lives at Tremont with his wife Jennifer and three children Bonnie Jo, Woody, and Robin, whom they have home schooled. His interests include, family, hiking, canoeing, birding, trees, storytelling music, Christianity, and exploring out of the way places in the Smokies.
Greeting you in our store and welcome center:
Gary Carpenter - Store Manager
Linda Vananda - Assistant Sales Manager
Food Service and Grounds/Facilities Staff
Dave Osborne (a.k.a Chef Dave) - Chef/Director of Food Services
As a 5th-grade participant in Tremont's school program in 1970, Dave remembers being awed by the beauty of the mountains but more surprised that adults would encourage kids to take night hikes and learn about the animals of the region. Born and raised in Oak Ridge, TN, he has lived and worked in various locales in the Southeast but returned to the area to be around family.
As an adult he earned a Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, SC and is a veteran of restaurant, catering and industrial food service positions. Dave is thrilled to have the opportunity to help provide the fuel to power other kid's exploratory excursions at Tremont. In his spare time he enjoys gardening, reading, home restoration, and the company of family and friends.
In the kitchen keeping participants well-fed and happy:
Linda Hatcher
Fleeta Mathes
Chuck McElroy
Melody Phelps
Emma Wilson
Phillip M. Johnson (a.k.a. Doc) - Grounds and Facilities Manager
Doc was born and raised in the foothills of East TN. He has traveled enjoying adventures of all sorts and seeing the beauty that this world has to offer. Doc left East TN several times but has always been drawn back by its unique beauty and mountain magic. As the old saying goes “You can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man”. He has attended several community colleges for various subjects and enjoys learning new things. Doc is a TN State certified level III Firefighter, a EMT IV Therapy, High Angle Rope Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, a PADI Dive Master, Dive Equipment Specialist, NSS Cave Diver, USUA Pilot, USHGA Pilot and some other stuff too. Some of his favorite hobbies are hang gliding, motorcycles, scuba diving, cave diving, ultra light flying, camping, hiking, spelunking, reading "The Good Book" and various other activities. Although time does not allow him to do all of these things as much as he desires, since he started a family, he still tries to balance a few . . . especially The Good Book.
Sam Crowe – Grounds and Facilities Assistant
You may see Sam in any one of a number of places throughout the GSMIT campus. When he’s not working on the facilities to help keep the institute running like a well-oiled machine, he may be in the dining hall, helping the kitchen staff prepare and serve meals. Before hiring on with GSMIT, Sam spent 22 years as a professional musician, much of that time with very prominent Nashville based country bands. In 1998, he decided to get off the road and settle close to the mountains of east Tennessee. Sam enjoys hiking and camping and appropriately refers to the national park as "our blessed place."