Field Team

Rebecca’s love for nature began early, with family trips to a YMCA family camp, the Boundary Waters, and various National Parks. Her beliefs in the healing powers of the wilderness and her passion for helping others is what led her here to New Vision Wilderness. She finds the ability to help our students and unlock their full potential extremely rewarding. Rebecca has been in the education field for 9 years, and since the beginning she has believed in the universal ability to learn. She passionately believes the world is not complete until everyone is meaningfully participating and appreciated.

Rebecca graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a double major in Biochemistry and Environmental Science and later went on to earn her teaching license, serving students in south Minneapolis for 8 years. When Rebecca is not spending time with our students, she can be found hanging out with friends and family, canoeing, crafting, camping, or learning something fun and new. 

Ryan is a born and raised Wisconsinite with a myriad of interests who loves engaging the kids in their own hobbies and learning alongside them. Before joining New Vision, Ryan fueled a strong interest in game development. Whether it was hosting ‘Humans vs Zombies’ tag in the park or composing music with friends for indie projects, Ryan enjoys finding ways to spur fun and exploration in the kids and people he is with. Ryan believes that play is not only fun but is essential for expression and growth. Strongly curious about the way we interact with each other and ourselves, Ryan shifted his career path from Information Technology to earning a degree in Psychology at UW-Milwaukee. It was there that his desire for people and the outdoors crossed paths, facilitating a diverse student population as a trip leader in the University Recreation Department on just about any outdoor recreation you can think of. Outside of work, Ryan continues to find connections to his passions and outdoors such as practicing orienteering, 3D Printing useful (and useless) gadgets, running, biking, air-softing, and making delicious food and drinks with friends and family. 

Cindy is a field instructor here at New Vision and brings a great passion for the outdoors and
working with youth. She graduated from Southern Illinois University with a major in Recreation
and a minor in Psychology, making New Vision a perfect space for her to bring her knowledge
and experiences. Cindy has worked with a wide range of demographics throughout her
professional career and has a working background in environmental education, special education,
and aquatics and community recreation which adds to New Visions excitement to have her with
us! Cindy is excited to bring her passion and knowledge to the students at New Vision helping to
engage them in meaningful activities and growth during their journey. When Cindy isn’t found
in the woods working with students, she can be found hanging out with friends and family, and
taking adventures to explore more of the natural world around us.

Ben is a Field Specialist here at New Vision and has personally experienced the change that
positive role models and outdoor adventures can have on an individual’s path in life. Ben has
made it his mission to model healthy living and personal growth to our students here. He is
continually inspired by the strides that his students take in their therapy and enjoys walking
alongside them in their therapeutic journeys. Ben started his professional journey by attending
Vermilion College where he studied Outdoor Leadership and then attended the University of
Minnesota Duluth for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Ben has also worked for a variety
of youth programs based in the outdoors including the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA, and
multiple Outward-Bound Schools. While in these previous roles Ben was responsible for student
safety and personal growth on expeditions numbering up to 14 days in wilderness areas. He
developed a curriculum specific to his students and their growth areas and development. Ben
spends his free time exploring wild places by hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and any other avenue
in which an adventure may present itself.

Mike is a field mentor here at New Vision, meaning not only is he here to support our students, but he is also here to be a support for his fellow field staff. Mike finds joy and appreciation in nature and loves to share that with our students here at New Vision. His love for the outdoors and working with youth started in Boy Scouts, where he has worked towards his achievement of becoming an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Philosophy. While at university, he worked for a High Adventure Base in New Mexico where he was able to teach and share his passions for mountain biking and the history of the land. When not in the field sharing appreciation for nature with our students, Mike can be found mountain biking, hiking, or making delicious jams. 

Kailey is a wilderness field Mentor who comes from Marquette, Michigan. Kailey is passionate about mental health and wholeheartedly believes in the model and the values that New Vision Wilderness is aiming to accomplish with the youth of today. She finds purpose and joy when connecting with those in the program and being able to watch their success and growth during their time spent here.

Kailey graduated from Central Michigan University with a major in Outdoor Recreation and an Environmental Studies minor. Her experiences come from working at a YMCA camp for 6 years, starting as a cabin counselor and rising up to spend her final year as the Adventure Director, ass well as working in Colorado State Parks for 2 years as a Program Interpreter and Visitor Center staff.

She has always enjoyed working with people in wilderness settings and being able to share her experiences, knowledge, and passions with those both young and old. When she isn’t found in the Northwoods, Kailey enjoys traveling and participating in different activities with friends and family such as fly fishing, backpacking, and sea kayaking along the cliffs of Pictured Rocks.

Josh is a field instructor and has come to join us here at New Vision because of his passion to help the students through their therapeutic journies while in wilderness settings. Something that Josh enjoys about working with our students is finding common interests and sharing them with our students, creating healthy bonds and relationships. Before finding his way to the Northwoods of WI, he worked as a junior staff member at the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Colorado and also held a position as co-lead staff at Discovery Place (YMCA) in Virginia. He was also awarded staff of the month while at the Boys and Girls Club, what an accomplishment! A fun fact about Josh is that he has a twin sister who is two minutes older than him, as well as a younger brother. When Josh isn’t out in the woods with our students, he enjoys watching college football, reading, playing card games, going on hikes, and spending time with family and friends.

Luke works for New Vision because of his love for guiding kids into a future full of success. He finds joy in developing healthy relationships with the students at this camp and being able to entertain them with all the goofiness of his personality. Luke’s love for helping kids didn’t start with New Vision, however. Before Luke came to work at this wonderful camp, he was a staff member at several Boy Scout camps as well as special ed camps too. He worked in different positions at these camps as well as evening helping run one of them several summers ago. This desire to help also lead Luke to pursue a degree in Psychology which he hopes to be able to use in the field as much as possible. Luke believes his passion for others came not only from his loving family but his devotion to the Boy Scouts of America where he learned the ideals of serving others which lead him to earn his Eagle Scout rank. While Luke isn’t living in the woods trying to help and guide the students he is with, Luke can be found spending time with his family or friends in numerous cities throughout Wisconsin. He loves to play Dungeons and Dragons in his free time or talk about all the Marvel movies he has seen. On top of being a huge nerd, Luke loves to be outside as much as possible and spends each day going on hikes or working out. He also tries to get on a couple of camping trips with friends and family every year.

Eric works at NVW because he is passionate about empathy and the outdoors. Nothing excites him more than
transparent, authentic, and compassionate communication—and all of that while living in the forest! Eric finds
purpose and meaning in supporting others in their healing journey and always sees the best in every person. He
revels in those moments when a student moves through difficult emotions to find greater clarity and acceptance of
themselves. Quick to be quirky and play, he acknowledges that hard work can also be done with a smile.
Eric graduated in 2013 from UW-Milwaukee with a BS in Conservation and Environmental Science. Since then, he
has worked with such groups as the Urban Ecology Center, 4-H, Freedom Project Washington, Center for
Nonviolent Communication, Facing Homelessness, Foundation for Intentional Communities, and public-school
districts. He has extensive training in Nonviolent Communication and Trauma-informed facilitation. Always one for
a walk in any weather, Eric has hiked and backpacked around the U.S.A. and Europe. With a vast knowledge of
plants and fungi, you can often find Eric poking around behind bushes and under logs, always on his quest to learn
and connect with the natural world. Eric has immense gratitude for everyone and everything that has supported
his life journey, and he is excited to leverage his experience and skills to contribute to your path of healing!