Biographies of Road Scholar Teaching Staff
 Rodney B. Kemp
A crowd-pleaser and proven spellbinder of adults and children alike, Rodney Kemp is a local boy who
managed to remember all those tales he heard while growing up. His humor comes not only from his
folksy manner, but also from his knowledge of and affection for the people of Carteret County, his
boyhood home. Born in Knoxville, TN and raised in Morehead City, NC, Rodney attended High Point
College and then Texas Tech University where he received a degree in journalism with minors in
English and History. He returned home to become a teacher and coach for three years at Newport
Elementary School and for eleven years at West Carteret High School. His current career in
insurance began in 1983 here on the Crystal Coast. He is a member and chairman of the Carteret
County Board of Education. An avid sportsman, Rodney has completed the running of twelve marathons
(26.2 miles) since 1982.
 Jay Barnes
Jay Barnes is the author of North Carolina's Hurricane History and Florida's Hurricane History
(University of North Carolina Press), each of which chronicles the many hurricanes that have affected
those states for the past four centuries. His books are filled with riveting stories, weather facts,
and rare photographs that tell the story of great storms, from the days of the first European
explorers to recent hurricanes like Fran and Floyd. He is a graduate of the N.C. State University
School of Design, holds a master's degree from Syracuse University, and has been employed as director
of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores since 1989. He lives in Pine Knoll Shores.
John Cole
John Cole hails from Winter Haven, Florida, so it's not surprising that he has made weather his life's
work. Florida is often chosen for weather studies because of its high incidence of lightning. In fact,
the central portion of Florida is known as "Lightning Alley" and records more than 100 days of
thunderstorms and 2.5 million lightning strikes annually, the most in the United States. John began
his career with a B.S. in Meteorology from Florida State University, and 2 years of Graduate Work in
Atmospheric Science from Texas Tech University. He has worked with the National Weather Service
since 1987 in Texas, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. John and his wife Anita have three
children.
Matt Godfrey
 Matthew Godfrey of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has been the coordinator of the
North Carolina Sea Turtle Project since early 2002. His job includes coordinating monitoring and
research on sea turtles both on the nesting beaches and in state waters. Prior to arriving in NC,
Matthew was fortunate to collaborate with different sea turtle projects in different countries,
including French Guiana, Brazil, Turkey, and Suriname. He also serves on the board of several
advisory commissions and is an active member of the board of the Marine Turtle Newsletter and
SEATURTLE.ORG.
 Penn Perry
Penn Perry has been the Executive Director of Trinity Center since 2007. Penn is a long time staff member of Camp Trinity, the residential summer camping program of the Diocese of East Carolina and Trinity Center. He served on the Camp Trinity staff from 1988-2000, and he was the Director of Camp Trinity and Episcopal Youth Coordinator at Trinity Center from 2001-2006. Penn is a firm believer in the many benefits of residential community-based programming, and he advocates for all children to have access to the various programs of Trinity Center. His passions are movies, literature, and poetry; in fact, in his prior life he was an Instructor for the English Department of the University of Georgia. Penn anticipates the challenges of maintaining and eventually expanding the many ministries of Trinity Center, and he is dedicated to protecting this fragile environment of natural beauty and spiritual access for all who come to partake of it.
 Mindy Furrer
After graduating with a BS in Elementary Education from the University of WI Milwaukee Mindy wasn't sure she was quite ready to teach in the classroom. Instead, she joined the Peace Corps where for two years she lived on an island roughly the size of Bogue Banks, except that she was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, rather than 1 ˝ miles from the coast. As a Peace Corps Volunteer to the island nation of Kiribati, Mindy spent her time teaching Junior High School level ESL and Social Science classes. One afternoon while swinging in her hammock in her stick house Mindy came across an announcement for the Sound to Sea Environmental Education Program; she somehow knew this would be her next adventure. She didn't know at the time that it would also become her home. Mindy has worked at Trinity Center since 2002, first as an instructor and then as the Sound to Sea Program Coordinator. As an instructor with the Sound to Sea Program and Road Scholar, Mindy enjoyed the unique atmosphere of teaching hands-on in an outdoor setting. As program coordinator, she also found herself drawn to curriculum design and program development. She now enjoys doing both in her position as Trinity Center Program Director.
 Meghan Dinneen
Meghan grew up in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. She chose to travel south for college to the University of Maryland. After graduating with a degree in zoology, Meghan went on a study abroad near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, studying wildlife management and ecology. She discovered her love of learning in nature amongst the elephants, wildebeest, and hyenas. She came to Sound to Sea in 2005 and taught as an instructor for 2 years. Meghan then moved to Washington State to be closer to family. There she worked as a naturalist at a wildlife park, teaching people about native northwestern animals like moose, wolves, and banana slugs. The sun, sand, and waves lured Meghan back to North Carolina and Sound to Sea in 2011, when she returned as a Program Coordinator. Meghan loves sharing her love of the natural world, especially mollusks, with anyone who would like to know. In her free time, you can find her collecting shells, playing outside, or sleeping.
 Stephanie Rudolph
Stephanie was born and bred in the triad of North Carolina. She studied Education and Social work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she met her husband Greg "Rudi" Rudolph. Following college, they decided to head east so that Rudi could pursue his master's degree from East Carolina University. They finally landed on Emerald Isle where they had vacationed as newly weds. This is where they have lived and raised their son for the past 10 years. Stephanie joined our team in 2009 as the Trinity Center Registrar where she helps keep the booking process moving smoothly. In her free time she helps her husband run the local surf shop they own. She also enjoys time on the beach with her family, reading a good book or playing board games on the screened porch.
 Kelci Dennison
Kelci was raised in Fort Walton Beach, a small town in the Florida Panhandle. A true "Florida Girl", Kelci attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, graduating with a degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. During her time at UF, Kelci had the opportunity to study and research at a wildlife conservation center north of Nairobi, Kenya. Here, Kelci learned the importance of involving local communities in conservation efforts, and decided to make that the central focus of her career. Kelci had many opportunities to volunteer and teach about ecology and conservation at local Florida elementary schools. The more she talked about conservation, the more she enjoyed sharing what she knew! Now, Kelci is happy as a clam here at Sound to Sea doing what she loves. Kelci is always down to play sports, relax on the beach or create a new painting. However, her favorite thing to do is get together with her pals and enjoy a nice, home cooked meal.
 Ella Heckman
Ella grew up in Hoosier-town USA, also known as Bloomington, Indiana. She found that she did not enjoy the snowy winters of her youth so she looked for a change of scenery. She moved from the Midwest to attend Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she got a Bachelor of Science in Biology. During college she interned at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro, where she first dabbled in environmental education. She continued working there after graduation and befriended all sorts of animals including her favorite, Buttercup, the African hedgehog. Ella also worked as an environmental education instructor at Haw River State Park for a year, but the beach was calling her name. Ella is very excited to continue to share her passion for environmental education and teach about the wonders of barrier islands. At Sound to Sea she enjoys spending time with her dolphin, blue crab and mermaid friends.
 Jaime Harman
Jaime comes to us from the land of American Alligators and Mickey Mouse…Florida! She earned her degree in technical writing from the University of South Florida. Go Bulls! With roughly ten years of veterinary experience under her belt, the desire to care for ALL animals pushed her towards opportunities in the zoo world. She cared for bears and bison in Washington state and she monkeyed around with small primates in central Florida. In Jacksonville, FL she safaried with elephants, giraffes and bonobos. While working in zoos she was given a chance to educate kids about animals and their habitats, this became on of her favorite aspects of zoo keeping. To continue to teach in an outdoor setting she has found her way to Sound to Sea. She is excited to learn new things and meet new people. In her free time Jaime can be found exploring her new surroundings, taking pictures and dancing!
 Darren Johnson
Born in Raleigh, NC, Darren grew up outside of
Columbus, OH & went to high school in West Des Moines, IA. After approx. 4-1/2 yrs in the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, Darren changed career paths and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Technology from NC State University. Before joining the STS program, Darren worked for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Division of Waste Management as an Environmental Specialist in Raleigh, NC where he resided for the past 11 yrs. In his free time, Darren can be found anywhere from the sound to the sea, either kayaking, canoeing, hiking, fishing, or just relaxing. He has also recently developed a close relationship with Cleo, Trinity Center's resident feline, having spent the better part of 3 days braving Hurricane Irene with her.
 Jack Laskey
Jack originally hails from the "North Coast", also known as Cleveland, Ohio. He received his BA in Media Management with a minor in Business Administration from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Upon graduating, Jack's love for the outdoors brought him out to the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts to work as an Americorps volunteer. There he served as an environmental educator at a rural hill-town school and as a volunteer at Red Gate Farm Education Center. Jack's experience in Massachusetts also exposed him to the world of trail work and direct conservation work on public lands. His love for being out in the woods and getting dirty on the trail pushed him to stay outside and he traveled out to El Dorado National Forest in the Californian Sierra Nevada mountains to work on the trails of Desolation Wilderness. Jack is now thrilled to be given the opportunity to teach and learn more about North Carolina's barrier islands. Living at the beach isn't too shabby, either.
 Liz Millar
Liz Millar joins us from South Jersey (which is not the same as North Jersey). Liz studied English and Sociology at Boston College. She most recently comes to us following a Peace Corps stint in the South Pacific country of Vanuatu. While serving in Peace Corps Liz was a teacher and teacher trainer, working to help improve the primary school system. Living in a rural village on the beautiful Pacific, Liz also had the opportunity to work as camp leader for children's environmental education. She discovered a love in combining the natural world and teaching, and is now thrilled to be a part of the Sound to Sea program. Liz has spent her life living and breathing salt sea air, working summers as a lifeguard on the South Jersey beaches. She is ecstatic to explore the Carolina coastline while continuing toward her true calling – to become a professional mermaid.
 Alexia Pool
Alexia Pool is from Maryland and feels fortunate to have grown up knowing the outer banks as simply "the beach". Her love for the ocean stemmed from these family vacations. She spent her college years in the ocean state of Rhode Island, where she received her bachelors degree in marine biology. Her junior year she escaped the cold to study the tropical side of marine biology on the Great Barrier Reef at James Cook University in Australia. Most recently Alexia completed a three year Peace Corps service where she worked as a natural resource management volunteer in the island nation of Vanuatu. As a volunteer she focused on freshwater management and reef conservation as well as youth development. Alexia is thrilled to join the Sound to Sea community. She is excited to share her passion for these habitats with students and help spark their interest, as her youthful trips to the beach sparked her interest, for the marine science field.
 Resa Weber
Resa was raised in Southern California where she enjoyed camping at the beach with family and weekend trips to desert to dirt bike or sea doo. After attending Community College, Resa packed up and moved north to Chico, CA to study Child Development and Psychology at CSU Chico. While going to school, Resa discovered the impact of her personal choices and the importance of respecting the environment. Her love of teaching children and desire to protect the outdoors brought her to Sound To Sea. As an instructor, she enjoys not only sharing her experiences with students but also learning from them as well. In her free time, Resa likes to read, run and cook!
 Katie Zimmerman
Katie hails from the mystic land of Georgia in the city of Marietta near Atlanta. Before she journeyed to North Carolina's beauteous shore, she toiled at the Chttahoochee Nature Center, trained birds at the Oregon Zoo, and studied vigorously to first achieve a degree in biology from Georgia Tech then a Master's in Teaching Biology. She is mot excited to face off against the terrible beach weather, encounter beast of the deep and train young children in the art of exploring nature.
|
