The Boojum Institute for Experiential Education: Outdoor Education and Challenge Course Programs Throughout California and the Southwest

Board of Directors and Staff

Board of Directors

Carrie Boutros, Chair William A. Norred Family Foundation Wanco Development Woodland Hills, CA	Irene De Anda Lewis Divisional Director of Youth Development, Salvation Army Southern California Division Los Angeles, CA
Greg Von der Ahe, Vice Chair VP Advanced Technology, Time Warner Cable Stamford, CT	Jerome B. Martin Chair, English Department Milken Community High School Los Angeles, CA
Judy Zulfiqar President, RKR Marketing & Advertising Temecula, CA	Rikki Schisler President/Founder Families for Hope Foundation Los Angeles, CA
Jeff Nicholson, Secretary Owner, Nicholson Fitness, LLC Pasadena, CA	Kurt Merrill, ex officio Executive Director, Boojum Institute for Experiential Education Temecula, CA
Kenn Heller University Administrator (UCLA) and Consultant Los Angeles, CA

Boojum Institute Staff

Kurt A. Merrill, Executive Director
Kurt has been an outdoor educator and administrator for nearly twenty years and currently serves as the Executive Director of The Boojum Institute for Experiential Education. Formerly, Kurt taught academic courses, administered the Outdoor Program, and developed the award winning ORION: Freshman Wilderness Orientation Program during his tenure at Penn State University. For nearly a decade, Kurt served as the National Director of Risk Management and Safety as well as the National Director of High School Programs for the nation's largest conservation corps, the Student Conservation Association (SCA).

While competing as a student athlete in soccer at Penn State University, Kurt earned a B.S. in Recreation and Parks Management and later, an M.S. in Leisure Studies focusing his research in outdoor recreation behavior. Kurt has written over forty articles on risk management and safety and is the co-editor of the most recent volume of the Adventure Program Risk Management Report. Kurt has spoken at many professional conferences on risk management topics, served as an accident investigator, safety reviewer, and as an external risk management and program quality reviewer and consultant. He was a member of the Wilderness Risk Manager's Committee for nine years and served a three year term as the Chairman. Kurt currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Aerie School for Backcountry Medicine based in Missoula, MT and is the Owner/Lead Consultant of Merrill & Associates: Risk Management and Safety as well as the Owner/Chief Apiculturist of Merrill's Honeybees. Kurt and his family currently reside in Temecula, CA. Kurt may be reached at: kmerrill@boojum.org.

Robyn Young, Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Robyn has over seven years experience in management and brings IT skills to the facilities. She has been helping with the hives in our Boojum Beeyard for almost two years and has enjoyed bringing bees into classrooms for the last year through our Honeybee and World Health Traveling Education Program. She has also created and written our Boojum Bees blog.

Robyn is a photographer, videographer, and media editor. She is a lifelong enthusiast of the natural world, and studies native plants and ethnobotany.

With a B.A. in Media Arts and Performance, she has worked as a media consultant for The Hamilton Ranch and Museum Foundation and produced video under grant from the California Council for the Humanities. She has also produced media for the Boojum Institute.
Robyn may be reached at: ryoung@boojum.org.

Sarah Kitzman, Director of Program, Director of Program
A former classroom teacher, Sarah has worked in the field of outdoor adventure and education for over ten years. She earned a B.A. in Elementary and Special Education and a M.A. in Recreation Administration from Aurora University. She has previous experience working with outdoor education programs, therapeutic wilderness programs, residential and adventure summer camps, challenge courses, rock climbing, and teambuilding facilitation, and ecological tourism. Sarah, a native of Wisconsin, has served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Grenada and has traveled and worked across the globe. Sarah may be reached at: skitzman@boojum.org.

Mike Szymanowski, Logistics Manager
Originally from Syracuse, NY Mike comes to Boojum with a Bachelors Degree in Recreation Resources, concentrating in Adventure Based Resort Management from Lyndon State College. Mike has experience as a Program Facilitator with Lyndon State Adventure, and has worked as a rock climbing guide with Acadia Mountain Guides. Since graduation, Mike has been working as a student life counselor at a therapeutic boarding school in Vermont.

Julie Pendola, Staffing and Training Manager
Julie has been working in the outdoor education and recreation field since graduating from Northland College in 2004. Originally from Illinois, she stayed in the Midwest until she completed her M.S. in Recreation Administration from Aurora University in 2007. Since then, she has traveled and worked east of the Mississippi; in New England, the Midwest, Pennsylvania, and Florida at several outdoor and adventure programs. She has served as an outdoor educator, guided canoe trips in the wilderness of northern Maine, and been the Operations Manager for a large canoe base.

In the summer of 2009, she traveled west to join Boojum as the Logistics Manager and is currently serving as the Staff & Training Manager.
Julie may be reached at: jpendola@boojum.org.

Elena Mafla, Partnership and Program Development Manager
Elena comes to Boojum Institute with over 25 years of marketing experience working for both small and large organizations. Elena has been working as the Partnership & Program Development Manager for Boojum Institute for the past four years. Elena exemplifies customer service. She credits her ability to strengthen and deepen partnerships to active listening to our partner's goals and objectives, and translates that to the staff that delivers our high quality education programs in the field. Elena may be reached at: emafla@boojum.org.

Gayle Hickerson, Program Coordinator
Gayle started with Boojum in the fall of 2009 as an intern; during her internship she worked with the administration and field staff to facilitate successful programs throughout the fall season. Gayle has a B.A in Management and Organization from the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business; her focus was in non-profit management. Gayle has worked with Habitat for Humanity, Children's Miracle Network, Uptown Bill's Small Mall and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois. She has experience in non-profit development and special event planning: coordinating multiple fundraisers and programs. She has previous outdoor experience with a Venturing Crew in Florida and Leadership in the Outdoors at Iowa. In addition, Gayle is a Jazzercise franchisee and teaches classes weekly! Gayle may be reached at: ghickerson@boojum.org.