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Meet the Staff

Shaver's Creek Environmental Center

—Many staff also serve as faculty for Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management

Jennifer Brackbill, program director, helps to manage animal care, traveling road shows, interns, volunteers, work-study students, the Honorary Animal Caretaker Program, and previously, Northern Saw-Whet Owl banding. In 1996 she earned her bachelor's degree in Biology and Environmental Science from Westminster College and a master's degree in Environment and Community from Antioch University Seattle in 2001. Jennifer is originally from Port Allegany, in north central Pennsylvania. She and her son, Isaac, and their dog, Macky, now make their home in Pine Grove Mills. Her interests include exploring, crocheting, making jewelry, and spending time with friends and family.
Expertise: (1) Birds of Prey, (2) Reptiles of Pennsylvania, (3) Amphibians of Pennsylvania
E-mail: jab56@psu.edu

Paul Brigman is the assistant program director for Outdoor School and Summer Camps. He also helps to coordinate the internship program and the undergraduate Student Networking Outreach Team. Paul earned his bachelor's degree at Penn State in secondary education in 2004 and joined the Shaver's Creek team in the fall of 2005. Paul grew up in State College and had been volunteering at the Center since 2001. He is a passionate musician and songwriter, storyteller, backpacker, and birding enthusiast.
Expertise: (1) Outdoor Youth Programming, (2) Songwriting, (3) Campfire Programming, (4) Ultralight Backpacking
E-mail: pgb120@psu.edu

Eric Burkhart, Instructor and Program Director, provides training and outreach relating to botany and horticulture at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.  This includes teaching courses for the Penn State School of Forest Resources on agroforestry, woody and herbaceous plant identification, and nonnative invasive flora.  Working with partners such as the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Eric also conducts research on native plants of economic and conservation importance (e.g., American ginseng and goldenseal) and offers practical guidance through related workshops and publications.  Eric holds degrees in Economic Botany/Ethnobotany (B.A, Idaho State University) and Horticulture (M.S., Penn State University), and is completing a Ph.D. in Forest Resources (Penn State University).  A native of the Pittsburgh region, he and his wife, Lisa White, a local artisan, live in Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania.
Expertise: (1) Identification of Pennsylvania plants, shrubs, trees, and vines (2) Horticulture and plant husbandry (3) Economic and folk uses of plants in Pennsylvania and the region (4) Native plant conservation issues (5) Nonnative, invasive plant issues (6) Temperate agroforestry practices (riparian forest buffers, windbreaks, forest farming) (7) Non-timber forest products (edible/medicinal fungi and plants).
E-mail: epb6@psu.edu

Jeff Deitrich, marketing information coordinator, publicizes the center and pursues partnerships with members and business/service organizations. His hobbies include hunting and fishing. He is the author of the premier how-to spinner fishing book, Spinner Fishing for Trout, and Our Paradise, a collection of nostalgic short stories. He created a poster and photo series called The Trout Streams of Pennsylvania, and he owns and operates Trout Guides of Central Pennsylvania. He is currently participating in a study of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission's new Brook Trout Enhancement Areas in Potter County.
Expertise: (1) Trout Fishing, (2) Spinner Fishing for Trout, (3) Brook Trout Enhancement Areas in Pennsylvania
E-mail: jsd102@psu.edu

Susanne Dubrouillet, program director, administers Shaver's Creek's incoming Penn State student orientation programs: ORION—a six-day wilderness program, and Urban Service Experience—a six-day community service program. She is also an instructor for Outdoor Pursuits (RPTM 330) and Adventure Programming (RPTM 440). Susanne earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the College of Charleston in 1993 and a master's degree in outdoor education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1998. Susanne enjoys spending time with her husband, Duarte, son, Marcos, and dog, Chili. She also likes to run, canoe, mountain-bike, read, and travel.
E-mail: susanne1@psu.edu

Rod Lee, program director and instructor, directs the teambuilding program and the rock climbing and adventure camps. He teaches Introduction to Search and Rescue (RPTM 498A), Introduction to Top Rope Climbing (KINES 001), and Introduction to Outdoor Pursuits (KINES 089). Rod is a certified Top Rope Site Manager through the American Mountain Guides Association. Currently he is also acting as the faculty advisor to the Outing Club at Penn State. Rod came to Shaver's Creek with more than ten years experience in the outdoor education field. He earned a bachelor of science in geographical science from the University of Portsmouth, UK, in 1991 and is currently working on his master's in workforce education and development through Penn State. Rod enjoys spending his time off with his wife, Beth, and their two wonderful children, Griffin and Meredith. His interests include climbing, skiing, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, hiking, and travel.
Expertise: (1) Rock Climbing, (2) Teambuilding, (3) Search and Rescue
E-mail: rml10@psu.edu

Laurie McLaughlin, part-time faculty, co-instructs Teambuilding Facilitation (RPTM 297A) and Maple Harvest Festival (RPTM 297G), and assists with Elderhostel programs, The Birding Cup, and festivals. Laurie has been affiliated with Shaver's Creek since 1993, and served as a past director of the teambuilding program and the Maple Harvest Festival. She received a bachelor's degree in recreation and park management-environmental interpretation from Penn State in 1988 and a master's degree in experiential education from the University of Colorado in 1992. Her interests include bird watching, traveling, canoeing, cooking, reading, and, most of all, spending time with her husband, Mark, and their two sons, Brian and Sean.
Expertise: (1) Teambuilding and Adventure Programming, (2) Maple Sugaring, (3) Backyard Birding
E-mail: lfm1@psu.edu

Mark McLaughlin, director, teaches First Aid and Safety courses, The Discovery Trip class, and is a member of multiple Penn State Outreach committees. He is responsible for cultivating the resources necessary to make Shaver's Creek successful. Mark likes birding, baseball, fishing, reading and spending lots of time with his family—Laurie, Brian and Sean. Mark received a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology, with a minor in forestry, from the University of Vermont in 1985 and a master's degree in environmental education from Montclair State University in 1988.
Expertise: (1) Wilderness First Aid and Training, (2) Combating "Nature Deficit Disorder," (3) Environmental Education
E-mail: mxm51@psu.edu

Douglas Steigerwalt, program director of the Raptor Center at Shaver's Creek, is also a lecturer teaching Creating an Interpretive Exhibit (RPTM 425). Douglas earned his bachelor's degree in the recreation and park management-environmental interpretation option from Penn State in 1992.
E-mail: dxs135@psu.edu

George Vahoviak, program director, is responsible for school, scout, and public programs, as well as teacher education and festivals. He coordinates the Maple Harvest Festival and the Children's Halloween Trail. He instructs Environmental Education Methods and Materials (RPTM 430) and Science Ed 497—a three-part course addressing the PDE Environment & Ecology Standards. He is an affiliate assistant professor of recreation and park management, and is serving as graduate faculty. He is also project director of an on-going DEP Growing Greener Grant, Watershed Education project, and is assisting with other external funding grant writing. George received a bachelor's degree in forest science in 1978 and agricultural education in 1980, a master's degree in agricultural education in 1987, and a doctoral degree in agricultural education/science technology and society in 1993—all from Penn State. George also serves as an EMT, firefighter, and ambulance lieutenant, and enjoys fishing, camping, hiking, and woodworking.
Expertise: (1) Bass Fishing, (2) Woodworking, (3) Watershed, Lake, and Stream Studies, (4) Forestry Education, (5) Sustainability Education, (6) Agricultural and Environmental Education Interface
E-mail: grv1@outreach.psu.edu

Doug Wentzel, naturalist and program director of the internship and membership programs, as well as summer day camps and birding programs, also serves as instructor of Principles of Environmental Interpretation (RPTM 325) and Natural History Interpretation (RPTM 326). Doug received his bachelor's degree in wildlife ecology from Penn State in 1989, and has served four years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He is married to Susan and they have two sons, Dylan and Duncan. His ongoing interest is fostering the awareness of the diversity of life in our own backyards.
Expertise: (1) Birding and Leading Birding Outings, (2) Invasive Plant Species, (3) Backyard Natural History, (4) Children's Nature Programming and Staff Training
E-mail: djw105@psu.edu

Ellen Will, program director, manages the residential Outdoor School program, summer camps, and the internship program. Ellen earned her bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies-environmental education from Appalachian State University in 1995, and earned her master's degree in park and recreation management with a focus in environmental education at Slippery Rock University. Her thesis topic is an impact study of the Shaver's Creek internship program. She and her husband, Thad, enjoy watching deer and turkey in their woodland backyard. Ellen is always on the lookout for new campfire songs, so if you know any good ones, come sing them at an Outdoor School campfire sometime!
E-mail: eeb11@outreach.psu.edu

Will Wise is assistant program director for teambuilding and adventure programs. Will is also the facilitation trainer for The Race Relations Project at Penn State's University Park Campus. With more than a decade of experience facilitating teambuilding and group dynamics, Will has earned a reputation as a first-rate instructor. From corporate groups to adjudicated youth, school students to senior programs, Will has worked with thousands of people to foster positive communication and self-actualization. He especially loves empowering participants with social skills that can be applied both to within the group training and to everyday life. Will loves using the outdoors to encourage people to know themselves. He has a degree in forest management from Michigan Technological University and spent five years as the director of Nature's Classroom, a nontraditional school in New England.
Expertise: (1) Facilitating diverse groups, (2) Teambuilding, (3) Wilderness Survival and Primitive Technology, (4) Canoeing
E-mail: wsw11@psu.edu

Additional Shaver's Creek Staff
Full-time and Part-time

Tammi RichardOffice Manager
E-mail: tyr1@psu.edu

Brian Sedgwick, caretaker, is responsible for maintaining the facilities and grounds at Shaver's Creek and coordinating volunteer groups and work-study students. Brian also assists with a wide variety of programming, from school and youth programs to teambuilding and birds-of-prey shows. Brian graduated from Penn State in December 2001 with a bachelor's degree in recreation and park management. For twenty-five years, he has been involved in Scouting; becoming a Tiger Cub at age 5, working on staff at Camp Mountain Run, sitting on the Bucktail Council Camping Committee, and being Advisor of Venture Crew 509. His twelve years of summer camp experience includes archery range instructor, director of camp program, and director of the first-year-camper program, before being appointed Camp Director in 2005. Brian has an uncanny knack for pop culture and historical trivia and enjoys model rocketry, paintball, and hockey. Brian and his wife, Johanna, enjoy cooking, camping, and hiking whenever possible.
Expertise: (1) Wilderness Survival, (2) Outdoor Cooking, (3) Orienteering, (4) Campfire Songs and Skits, (5) Model Rocketry, (6) Pioneering
E-mail: bjs192@psu.edu

Joan Turns, school programs coordinator, is responsible for administering the School Day Programs and assists in teaching RPTM 430. Joan earned a bachelor of science in education with a major in biology and minor in chemistry from Shippensburg University in 1970 and master of arts in education from Wayne State University in 1975. Joan's relationship with Shaver's Creek started as a volunteer in 1987, later as an interim staff member, and now as a part-time staff member. She sews many of the costumes used during the Children's Halloween Trail, Maple Harvest Festival, and Outdoor School. Joan and her husband, Steve, enjoy spending time with family, especially in the outdoors.
E-mail: jet8@psu.edu

Joann VoigtOffice Assistant
E-mail: jsv3@outreach.psu.edu

Graduate Assistants
Rob Andrejewski, rga116@psu.edu
Robby Cooper, rjc318@psu.edu
Allison D'Ambrosia, aed175@psu.edu

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