DEVIN WINTER, Director

Devin brings to the Center enthusiasm for teaching, outdoor adventure, and unapologetic enjoyment of ice cream. Originally from West Chester Pennsylvania, she attended the University of Delaware where she earned her B.S. in Elementary Education. Searching for an alternate way to use her skills other than in a traditional classroom, she stumbled upon an instructor position at Poko. Previously the Assistant Director, she has recently assumed the role of Director here at Poko.  She has many exciting plans for the Center, and is excited for a new Outdoor Ed year.  She is currently working on completing her Adirondack “46er.”

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Apple crisp (with vanilla ice cream, of course!)
…Hobbies: Hiking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, climbing, and traveling
…Quote: “The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what interests you and that you can do well and put your whole soul into it-- every bit of energy, ambition, and natural ability you have.” - John D. Rockefeller III

VIVIANE POIT, Assistant Director

Born in São Paulo and raised in Curitiba (both in Brazil), Viviane moved to the United States at age 15. She attended Appalachian State University, in North Carolina, where she discovered the Blue Ridge Parkway, her love for nature, and her passion for human development. Her favorite thing about Poko is the fact that it brings those things together. While earning her B.A. in Sociology, Viviane also studied Spanish and Applied Mathematics. She has worked with residential programs for 5 years and likes to share stories about her experiences with anyone who is up for hearing them.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: All of them!
…Books: It’s Not Easy Being Green, Animal Farm, and any biography
…Quote: “Be true to yourself and the world, and you’ll always find yourself exactly where you belong.” - Viv.Poit

FULL-TIME STAFF

MOLLY SMYRL, Naturalist

Molly has been a counselor for Journey’s End Farm Camp and Crow’s Nest Nature Camp. She has also worked as the Outreach Program Manager for Natural Lands Trust. She is originally from Pennsylvania and has an Environmental Studies degree from Brown University. Besides dressing up like a pirate or a super-hero, Molly enjoys quilting, reading, journaling, and playing in the mud.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Magic Bars
...Book: Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
...Quote: “He’s gone away, yesterday
            Now I find myself on the mountainside
            Where the rivers change direction
            Across the Great Divide”
           -Kate Wolf

CHAD MARTIN, Instructor

Chad has come to the center after traveling through Bolivia and Peru. Originally from Escondido, California, he attended Cascade College, in Oregon, where he earned a B.S. in Psychology. In 2007, Chad spent the summer in Alaska, working as a zipline guide for Alaska Canopy Adventures. He has also worked in a library and a coffee shop.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Staff Pizza Party!
...Books: A Once and Future King, Perelandra, Out of the Silent Planet, That Hideous Strength, My Side of the Mountain, Deep Economy, Into the Wild, The Alchemist, Narnia, Harry Potter, On the Road, Kite Runner, Lord of the Rings and more...
...Hobbies: Making sound with a guitar, bouldering, backpacking, reading, drinking coffee, bikes, and more...

STEFANI MITCHELL, Instructor

Stefani is originally from Tully, New York, and attended SUNY Cortland, where she earned a B.S. in Recreation Services. She has worked at Glacier National Park and loves several water sports. Some of her past adventures include a 2 week camping and canoeing trip at Raquette lake, and rafting the Salmon river. Stefani has also explored Australia and New Zeland.

Favorite ADK Mtn: Mount Marcy
...Book: The Call of the Wild, Charlotte’s Web
...Hobbies: Hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, rafting, reading, and skiing.

SARAH HARGROVE, Intern

Sarah has earned a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Kalamazoo College, Michigan. She speaks Chinese and has used this skill to volunteer at a cat and dog shelter in Beijing, China. Originally, Sarah is from Jackson, New Jersey. On a car-camping road trip with a friend, Sarah went to the Badlands, Pike’s Peak, Mt. Rushmore, and more! In the spring of 2009, Sarah plans to start a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Favorite Place: Garden of Gods, Colorado
...Book: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
...Hobbies: Horseback riding, biking with her dogs, gardening, snd softball.

JULIAN GARRETT, Maintenance and Challenge Courses Coordinator

A Mainer both by heritage and by disposition, Julian is a graduate of U. Maine’s B.S. in Parks and Recreational Tourism and the Outdoor Leadership Program at Greenfield Community College’s. Growing up in a solar house on an organic vegetable farm taught him all about living off the land and surviving cold winters. Other past adventures include Maine coast sea-kayaking, work/travel in Costa Rica, Mountaineering in Ecuador, and, most recently, the City Kids Wilderness Project in Jackson Wyoming.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Pizza
…Hobbies: Vertical climbing/hiking, biking, skiing, sleeping, gourmet cooking, cross-country road trips, chainsawing, woodworking, and fun in the snow.
…Books: Edward Abbey’s Monkey Wrench Gang, Bryce Courtenay’s The Power of One

AJA BRYANT, Chef

Aja came to the Center straight from her job as a baker in Philadelphia. Before that, she earned a B.A. in Sociology from Smith College, with a semester abroad in S.I.T.’s Multicultural and Social Change program in Cape Town, South Africa. Her professionalism and attention to detail have set a new standard in our already crowd-pleasing kitchen. She brings even more natural, fresh food to the table, producing a delicious, healthy meal each time. Aja also leads the Pok-O-MacCready Green Committee, which helps ensure that the center takes its impact on the environment into consideration when thinking about current procedures, as well as future developments.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Magic Bars
…Hobbies: Gardening, horseback riding, reading, dancing, and knitting.
…Mountain: Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa

SUPPORT STAFF

SHARP SWAN, Executive Director

In 1905, Sharpe’s great-grandfather Dr. Charles Robinson founded Camp Pok-O-Moonshine, the oldest private camp in the world under the direction of a single family. Sharp has distinguished himself by serving as Headmaster of Pok-O-Moonshine for seventeen years, and director of the Outdoor Education Center for three. An avid mountaineer, he has made two attempts at Denali, the highest peak in North America, and for many years he held the speed record for completing the Adirondack 46 (4 days, 18 hours, 18 minutes).
     A graduate of Westminster University, with a B.A. in History, Sharpe is a published author who will soon have a new title under his belt, a book about the history of logging in the Adirondacks. His carpentry company, Cloudsplitter, often works on the property, and has recently renovated the Farmhouse Dorm.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Beef stew
…Hobbies: Civil War and Lumber camp research
…Adirondack Mountain: Iroquois and the Dixes

SARAH DISNEY, Financial Director

Sarah is a New York native who enjoys cycling, skiing, knitting, and gardening. She has been a medical office manager and Poko co-director before. Currently, she oversees the business office year-round. She supervised the support personnel for the Nordic Sports 1980 Olympics, but says that raising 3 daughters has been her biggest adventure!

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Pesto pasta
…Place: Poko’s intermediate swim dock
…ADK Mountain: Rattlesnake

FIONA DUBUSS, Assistant to the Executive Director, Summer Camp Admissions

Fiona was born in New Jersey, but raised in Nova Scotia and boasts dual citizenship. A longtime camper at Camp MacCready, Fiona returned to Poko in 2003 as a camp counselor. She was promoted rapidly and today, after serving as assistant section head, section head, and financial director, she works with summer camp admissions. Fiona graduated summa cum laude from Lehigh University in 2005 with a B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience and minors in Philosophy and Japanese. She became an Adirondack 46er after climbing Mt. Marshall in the summer of 2006. Fiona plans to begin her graduate studies in the fall.

Favorite PMOEC Meal: Tacos
…Hobbies: Skiing, Hiking, Cooking, and Reading
…Adirondack Mountain: Iroquois