Our Leaders
The difference between a good summer program and an exceptional summer program is the quality of its leaders. One of the main ingredients to the “secret sauce” of what sets Apogee apart from other organizations is our incredible leaders. We hire people who are not only committed to the success of our students, but are also responsible, compassionate, and just plain fun. Simply put, our leaders love working with kids and they love the outdoors. Students look up to our leaders as role models and overwhelmingly rate them with the highest marks on end-of-trip surveys. Here are a few more details and important information about Apogee’s selective hiring processes, our extensive leader training program, and our leaders’ qualifications and certifications.
- We look for individuals with outstanding leadership skills and wide-ranging experience working with young people in the outdoors.
- We hire leaders from all corners of the United States who come to us from a range of backgrounds including top colleges and universities and related industries (teachers, wilderness therapy instructors, coaches, etc.).
- Every applicant fills out a detailed application and is carefully interviewed by our directors. We conduct multiple rounds of interviews before hiring our leaders and are able to be highly selective – we hire approximately one out of every ten applicants.
- We check references thoroughly and perform a full background check (SORI, CORI, and when applicable, driving record) on every staff member.
- Our leaders are a minimum of 20 years old, and most are between 21 and 26.
- Leader training takes place over the course of an intensive, two week-long program at Apogee’s headquarters in Brunswick, Maine. We work with our leaders both in the classroom and in the field to cover everything from safety and group dynamics to trip logistics and outdoor skills. Leaders also spend time reviewing student files before the start of the program so they are familiar with each individual in their group. By the end of their training, leaders are well prepared to safely and effectively lead their group on the adventure of a lifetime.
- All of our leaders are certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Many also hold higher wilderness certifications, such as Wilderness First Responder or EMT. Additionally, all of our trips that engage in swimming activities will have at least one leader certified as a Wilderness Lifeguard.
- Apogee enjoys a very high leader return rate. Many veteran leaders return for multiple summers.
Read more below to meet a few of our outstanding Trip Leaders.
Meet Our Leaders
Jordan Johnson (he/him)
Arcata, California
School: Cal Poly Humboldt, Class of 2020
Apogee Leading Experience: Europe Coast to Coast ’25, Pacific Coast ’24, Vermont to Montreal ‘23, and Cape Cod & the Islands ‘23
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Kayaking, biking, and skateboarding
Highlights of the past year: Jordan has done a century ride of 100 miles in every season this past year – and he is excited to complete his summer century soon! He also emcee’d Humboldt County’s Emerald Triangle Skateboarding Contest.
Where you can find Jordan when he’s not adventuring: Jordan enjoys cooking and baking, and he is currently learning Dutch! This spring he held the first clinic for a passion project he has been working on with the City of Arcata Recreation Division, called Shred Scouts – a youth program focused on developing community and empowering youth through skateboarding and outdoor skill development.
Other reasons we think Jordan is the bee’s knees: A native of one of the towns that our Pacific Coast groups will pass right through, Jordan has actually biked to San Francisco on his own via a very similar route to Apogee’s Pacific Coast route! Jordan has also been the director of several local summer camps, and in previous summers he has gotten to interview visiting professional skateboarders for various publications.
Ellie Churchill (she/her)
Richmond, Vermont
School: University of Vermont, Class of 2023
Apogee Leading Experience: Alps Explorer ‘25, Pyrenees Mountains and Coast ‘23, and Vermont to Montreal ‘21
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Skiing, running, hiking, and paddling
Highlights of the past year: Ellie spent much of the last year traveling and volunteering in Central and South America before heading to the western part of the US where she worked as a ski instructor in Idaho!
Where you can find Ellie when she isn’t on the slopes: Hailing from Vermont, Ben and Jerry’s is basically in Ellie’s blood, so she’s constantly on the lookout for new flavors. Otherwise, she is probably out for a run (Ellie captained her D1 Cross Country and Track and Field teams at UVM).
More reasons to love Ellie: Ellie loves getting to work with students, she has spent the past two years coaching high school cross country. During her time at UVM, she tutored math, taught ski lessons, flute lessons, and mentored peers on her cross country and track teams! On top of her dedication to working with youth, Ellie not only speaks fluent Spanish but is also able to differentiate between the different accents and dialects of all Spanish-speaking countries around the world.
Jacob Teer (he/him)
Williamsburg, Virginia
School: Washington and Lee University, Class of 2025
Apogee Leading Experience: Northwest Mountains & Coast ‘25, New England Mountains & Coast ‘24-’25, and Maine Coast Junior ‘24
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Canoeing, kayaking, climbing, backpacking, and mountain biking
Highlights of the past year: Jacob took full advantage of the many great Parks in the US this past year, visiting Glacier National Park, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, the Badlands, the Black Hills, Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons! He was also able to spend a week sea kayaking in Everglades National Park with his school’s outing club!
Where you can find Jacob when he’s not exploring outside: Jacob loves all kinds of music, and tries to go to every concert that he can. He is currently learning how to play guitar, and when he is not jamming out, he can be found reading a good book!
Some other fun facts about Jacob: Jacob just recently retired from being a collegiate swimmer after 14 years of the sport. He has taught swim lessons for several years, and before Apogee, he spent several summers coaching a summer-league swim team with kids of all ages. A Recreation Assistant of the Washington & Lee Outing Club, Jacob works at the rock wall helping teach climbing, belaying, and maintaining the equipment. He was selected to participate in a competitive internship for the Nature Conservancy in Yellowstone, where he helped advance their community-based conservation goals.
Nellie Simmonds (she/her)
Northfield, Massachusetts
School: Vassar College, Class of 2023
Apogee Leading Experience: Pyrenees Mountains and Coast ‘25, Europe Coast to Coast ’23, Alaska Mountains & Coast ’22, and Pacific Coast ’21
Certifications: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Skiing, running, hiking, biking, and dancing.
Highlights of the past year: Nellie spent loads of time outside this past year: rock climbing at the New River Gorge in West Virginia, hiking part of the Camino del Norte in Spain, and hiking in Olympic National Park in Washington State.
Where you can find Nellie when she isn’t on the trail: Nellie has the dancing bug and loves it. She also loves making art collages with just about anything she can find (newspapers, magazines, pressed flowers, fabrics, grass – you get the gist…). She’s also a big podcast listener – especially anything science-oriented – and loves curling up with a good book.
Further proof why Nellie is so cool: After spending a semester of her junior year in Uganda, Nellie’s research paper about women working in the Ugandan salt mines was published! She is also conversational in Swahili and captained both Vassar’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams. On top of those very impressive accomplishments, Nellie has won not one, but two hula hooping competitions and holds a personal record of 103 miles for longest bike ride! Go, Nellie, go!
Kendall Hermanson (she/her)
Chicago, Illinois
School: Wake Forest University, Class of 2025
Apogee Leading Experience: Alps Explorer ‘25, Europe Coast to Coast ’24, Cape Cod & the Islands ’23, and Vermont to Montreal ’23
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, backpacking, biking, caving, whitewater kayaking, and hacky sack!
Highlights of the past year: Kendall traveled around Slovenia with friends and backpacked on the Pacific Crest Trail! Kendall also mastered the art of cartwheeling and yo-yoing (her favorite move is ‘walking the dog’).
Where you can find Kendall when she is not hiking or exploring: Kendall enjoys making her own clothing by sewing and up-cycling materials from second-hand stores or from her own wardrobe. Each year, she plans a sustainable fashion show with a club she helps run at school! Kendall also enjoys playing club field hockey at Wake Forest, crocheting, listening to music, taking her dogs on long walks, and playing piano.
Further proof of Kendall’s awesomeness: She has volunteered for the past two years at a local elementary school to tutor and interact with native Spanish speaking-students who are learning English. Kendall hosts her own radio show at her school where she interviews her guests about their favorite albums and music in general (her favorite genre is 90s alternative, with indie folk music as a close second). She also leads backpacking, canoeing, and climbing trips for other students through the Outdoor Program at Wake Forest!
Seamus Fagan (he/him)
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Schools: Hamilton College, Class of 2023 & Rutgers Business School, Class of 2024
Apogee Leading Experience: Iceland Mountains and Coast ‘25 and Colorado’s Rocky Mountains ‘24
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, Skiing, Camping, Swimming, Basketball, and playing hacky sack
Highlights of the past year: Seamus has spent most of the past year living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and working as a ski instructor at Steamboat Ski Resort! He skied 128 days in a row and over 140 days total!
Where you can find Seamus when he is not on the mountain: Seamus can be found dancing to a freshly made playlist, hanging out with friends and family, reading a good book, or watching and/or playing in a sports game.
Facts that will make you say “Wow Seamus rocks”: He’s an accomplished lacrosse goalie; Seamus has earned accolades as a First Team All-American and First Team All-Conference during his time playing varsity lacrosse in college. In addition to his playing career, Seamus also has extensive lacrosse coaching experience from his time coaching the sport to kids aged 8-18 in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Virginia. This past year he was elected Steamboat Snowsports School’s Rookie of the year for the 2024-25 season. Off the fields and mountains, he spends a lot of time jamming out to a wide range of musical artists, most notably including Taylor Swift (she was in his top five artists last year).
