Empowering Youth Through Positive Risk-Taking and Experiential Leadership, Science and Outdoor Education

Staff and Board

Partners

The SNJ team consists of friends and colleagues compelled to making the lives of youth more fulfilling.  They bring more than fifty combined years of experience educating – and empowering – youth and each has a personal connection to the outdoors, science, and leadership. 

Jonathan Mueller, Founder, Executive Director

Jonathan has been an enthusiastic outdoorsman since he first attended science camp as a 6th grader in Virginia.  He transitioned from the management consulting and corporate strategy world a number of years ago into an experiential education career in which he could pursue his passions:  the outdoors and educating youth.  He’s worked at schools and camps in New England, California, and Nevada.  A part-time NOLS instructor, he is also an avid climber, mountaineer, backpacker, skiier and yoga practitioner.

Bethany Steiner, Director of Programs

Bethany has more than six years of experience working with many diverse groups of students ages 5-25.  Her work in – and passion for –the outdoors and kids has taken her to Maine, Ohio, Washington, and beyond, teaching everything from winter wilderness survival on the shores of Lake Tahoe to running summer camps on Orcas Island, in Washington.  Her other passions include playing disc-golf, reading, and being outside doing almost anything!

Josie Glassberg, Program Coordinator & AmeriCorps VISTA

Josie credits her love of the outdoors to long summers in lush landscapes posing as ordinary places – like central Indiana and western Michigan.  Formerly a naturalist and teacher in northern Minnesota, Josie is excited to get involved with some serious green action in classrooms across Washoe County as the Wondrous Women of Science Coordinator.  Her other interests include running, climbing, drawing, and making good things to eat.

Kristen Ashbaugh , Program Coordinator & AmeriCorps VISTA

Kristen Ashbaugh is originally from Medford, Oregon but has lived in Reno for 9 years now.  She loves living in the Great Basin and spends as much of her time outside city limits exploring the vast wild land that is Nevada doing activities such as hiking, backpacking, rafting and snowboarding.  Though her favorite subject in school growing up was history, which led to her pursuing a BA in History from UNR, she also loved Geology and Biology because of their inter-relation to the natural world and the environment.  In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her dog Wallace, knit, practice yoga, and read.  She loves working with kids and is excited to be working for SNJ and helping to run the wonderful programs they have to offer.

Ted Oleson, Founder, President of the Board

Ted was profoundly affected by the “OB Club”, an after-school science group he became a part of in middle-school and worked with through his teenage years.  He has been a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Nevada-Reno for more than 20 years and has served as Executive Director of Non-Profits in Reno but has retained that connection to the outdoors through numerous excursions to the Sierras and beyond.

Kimberly Somma, Webmaster, Secretary of the Board

Kimberly worked for a global management consulting and systems implementation firm for a number of years after college.  Following a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2003 she transitioned her career to begin working with overweight youth.  She is currently combining her passions for the outdoors and healthy living by working as the Director of Wellspring New York, a camp dedicated to helping youth make dramatic lifestyle changes through Nutrition Education, Activity Managment, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy programs. For fun and relaxation Kim enjoys running, hiking, rock climbing, yoga and playing with her dogs.

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