The effectiveness of OA and its high academic standards are a testament to our faculty. Our teachers are some of the most passionate and well-versed educators you will find anywhere. They are experts in fields ranging from ethnomusicology to political economics and mass media. Our leaders have received degrees from Wesleyan University, the University of Virginia, New York University, North Carolina School of the Arts and other highly respected colleges and universities.
They are all dedicated professionals who enjoy the outdoors, and love working closely with students in a small classroom setting, where students are actively engaged in discussions and the learning process as a whole.
Academic Advisers
OA teachers oversee three or four advisees, allowing them to be fully aware of the progress and needs of each student. Advisers schedule weekly meetings and engage in informal discussions with students to help with academic and social development, as well as monitor progress on the student’s Independent Appalachian Study Project.
Meet the staff at The Outdoor Academy:
Susan Tinsley Daily
Dean of Students
Education
Tufts University, Masters in Teaching
Swarthmore College B.A. in English & Environmental Studies
Experience
Education Director and Instructor, NC Outward Bound School
Adjunct Professor, Warren Wilson College and the Prison University Project
Middle and High School Teacher: English, History, Environmental Seminar and OutdoorLeadership
Trip Leader, Where There Be Dragons
Tinsley is thrilled to be back at OA as the Dean of Students, after teaching for many years around the country and leading trips for teenagers in Tibet and Thailand. She has worked extensively with teachers and students to bring experiential education into the traditional classroom, and has facilitated diversity workshops in schools and conferences around the area. When not at work, Tinsley can often be found walking the trails on campus with her husband Michael and baby Noah.
Laura Belanger Admissions Director
Education
Boston University, MA, Energy and Environmental Analysis
Appalachian State University, BS, Recreation Management
The Evergreen State College, Environmental Studies
Laura was thrilled to join Eagle’s Nest Foundation last year after working in private consulting for nearly a decade. Prior to that time, Laura worked closely with students, parents, and schools in a variety of experiential education settings, including leading international backpacking trips. Her free time now is devoted to being outside as much as possible with her son Levi and husband Matt and continuing to work on the creek house she and Matt built together.
Ashton Powell Kitchen Manager
Education
Le Cordon Bleu of Atlanta, Nutrition and Culinary Arts
The Outdoor Academy, Semester 1
Experience
Leon’s Full Service Restaurant, Decatur, GA
Rathbuns Restaurant, Atlanta, GA
Teaspace, Atlanta, GA
Whole Kitchen Staff, Eagle’s Nest Camp
Ashton’s love for food started at home in his mother’s kitchen. Food and farming played a big role in his families history and gatherings as he was growing up, fostering a strong desire to be involved with sustainable food practices. He is also deeply connected to Eagle’s Nest Foundation, having been a student during the first semester of The Outdoor Academy, a participant on several Hante adventures, and staff in the Whole Kitchen. He is looking forward to building on the garden program and providing a fresh and sustainable food program. Ashton and his partner Jessica, along with their son's Ijah and Kai are excited to be a part of the ENF community.
Austin Proctor Math Teacher / Wilderness Leader
Education
Appalachian State University, BS, Math Secondary Education
Experience
Math and Physics Tutor, Appalachian State University
Assistant Instructor, NC Outward Bound School
Land Based Trip Leader, Appalachian State University
Austin has just finished his degree in teaching high school math at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. During his years at Appalachian State, Austin quickly became involved with the Outdoor Programs and soon found himself leading backpacking trips for rising freshmen coming to the University, taking excited students caving and canoeing, and he went through training to become a certified climbing guide. Now Austin is biting at the bit, thrilled to be at a school where he will get to teach two loves of his life: Math and Rock Climbing.
Hannah Levin Art Teacher/Wilderness Leader
Education
Western Carolina University, M.A.T. in Art
Kenyon College, B.A. in Studio Art
Penland School of Crafts
Experience
Visual Arts, Language Arts, and Outdoor Leader, Arthur Morgan School (Burnsville,NC)
Ceramics Instr., Southwest Comm. Coll. (Bryson City, NC)
Art Teacher, Mountain Discovery Charter (Bryson City, NC)
Teaching Assistant and Art Teacher, Duke TIP (Abiquiu, NM)
Director of Junior Appalachian Musicians (Bryson City, NC)
Hannah is excited to be back as part of the OA faculty this fall. The daughter of Yancey County artists, she grew up exploring the Blue Ridge and Black mountains, singing songs, and creating artwork. Hannah has taught art in a variety of settings and led wilderness trips throughout Southern Appalachia. An avid photographer and potter, Hannah is also a singer/songwriter. Additionally, she loves to travel, cook, and do yoga. Hannah enjoys helping all her students discover the artist inside them and she embraces the creative process of working with teenagers.
Marlin Sill Head ResidentEducation:
Florida State University, Outdoor Recreation and Communication
Experience:
Camp Counselor and Assistant Program Director, Eagle's Nest Camp (Pisgah Forest, NC)
Head Trip Leader, Outdoor Pursuits FSU Campus Recreation (Tallahassee, FL)
Camp Counselor, Camp Arrowhead for Boys (Tuxedo, NC)
Camp Counselor, 4-H Camp Cherry Lake (Madison, FL)
Marlin hails from Miami; he graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation. While there he served as head trip leader for the Outdoor Pursuits Department of Campus Recreation. He is an avid climber and is developing his whitewater paddling skills. He also enjoys caving. Boy Scouting also introduced him to the outdoors; he earned his Eagle Scout Badge. Two years ago Marlin joined Eagle’s Nest Foundation to work with the summer camp as counselor and Assistant Program Director, bringing with him six years of summer camp work experience. Ever since graduating high school he dreamt of moving to Western North Carolina to lead and play on the rivers and rocks; now he is living that dream.
Meredith Lobsinger Admissions Officer
Education
Southern Illinois University, B.S. Health Education and Recreation
National Outdoor Leadership School, Australia Semester
Experience
National Promotions Member, Roadtrip Nation Productions (Costa Mesa, CA)
Field Instructor, SOAR, Success Oriented Achievement Realized (Balsam, NC)
New to the nest in her first year as Admissions Officer, Meredith is excited to spread the good word and inspire students to join the Outdoor Academy community. Hailing from the great metropolis of Chicago, Meredith loves her new home in the lush mountains of Western North Carolina, spending time paddling, climbing, and understanding the great importance of sweet tea. She is looking forward to connecting with the amazing people that are part of the Eagle’s Nest mission.
Michael Brown, PhD
English
Education
Indiana University, PhD, English
Southern Methodist University, BA, English and Spanish
Experience
U.S. History Teacher, The Outdoor Academy
Associate Instructor, Indiana University
Trip Leader, Where There Be Dragons, Guatemala
Consultant, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
After wandering through the concrete sprawl of cities, the jungles of Central America and the rolling cornfields of the Midwest, Michael is happy to make his home in the old mountains of Western North Carolina. Over the past fifteen years as a teacher, Michael has worked with a variety of students on topics as diverse as Guatemalan textiles, World History and Appalachian cooking. He has experience with students with a wide range of academic skills, and he has worked extensively with students with dyslexia and other learning challenges. His doctoral dissertation explored the emergence of the idea of wilderness and its relationship to early photography.
Nate Sutton OA Wilderness Program Coordinator
& Interim Hante Coordinator
Nate is looking forward to coming full circle within the Eagle’s Nest Foundation in his new role as a Wilderness Educator Intern at The Outdoor Academy. He grew up attending camp, and he was the first in his family of three to attend OA. He has since moved on to work as a Counselor, Hante instructor, and Assistant Program Director at Eagle’s Nest Camp. However, he is most excited to give back to the OA community by sharing his enthusiasm for the outdoors, Appalachian crafts, and cooking with the students!
Rodrigo Vargas Spanish Teacher
Education
University of Costa Rica, B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Costa Rican Bureau of Tourism, Natural History Guide Certification
Highlander Research and Education Center – Civil Rights
Experience
Assistant Program Director, Eagle’s Nest Camp
Naturalist Guide, Costa Rican Sun Tours
International Hante Leader, Eagle’s Nest Foundation
Executive Director, El Centro Comunitario Hispano-Americano of Brevard
Rodrigo has served as a strong and enthusiastic leader at Eagle’s Nest Camp since 1996. At the OutdoorAcademy, Rodrigo has served as Spanish Teacher and in various leadership capacities for many years. In his teaching, Rodrigo actively shares with us the diversity of Latin American culture, his personal love for working with stained glass, and as a Latin-American leader in our local community.
Susan Gies Conley Director of Development
Education
UNC-Greensboro, M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration
WellesleyCollege, B.A. in Political Science
The University of the South, Certificate in Education for Ministry
Experience
Director of Development, Eagle’s Nest Foundation 2000-2003
Database Manager and Development Associate, Eagle’s Nest Foundation, 2003-2009
Director of Annual Giving, Salem Academy and College
Susan has been with Eagle’s Nest since 2000, as our Director of Development during the Roots and Wings Campaign, and then as our Database Manager while her children were small. She is excited by the energy she encounters when meeting OA and Camp alumni and families. She has a special love of the craft of writing, and looks forward to being involved in English and Environmental Seminar classes at OA.
Susan was a longtime Girl Scout and volunteer outdoor trainer. She identifies with the world of the trek through her experiences on bicycling travel adventures during high school, and a continuing love of finding her way in new places. A choral singer for most of her life, Susan also enjoys the practice of yoga. She grew up in Michigan. Susan and her husband have lived in Winston-Salem since 1994 and enjoy the Southern way of life.
Susan Gies Conley 
