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Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has assembled an excellent, experienced and enthusiastic team to carry out the mission of connecting people and nature. Here are some of the people you may come in contact with as you prepare for your visit to Tremont and as you enjoy your stay here.

Program Staff

Brian Ballenger - Teacher/Naturalist
Brian was born and raised in Lancaster (Amish country), Pennsylvania. Brian earned his B.A. in Environmental Planning at Bloomsburg University in 2007. While at Bloomsburg, Brian spent time studying in England, patrolling the backcountry of Mount Katahdin, Maine, and developing a youth leadership camp that emphasized white-tail deer management. In his free time, Brian enjoys traveling, live music, reading and the great outdoors.Brian joined Tremont in the winter of 2008, and is very excited to be in Appalachia.

Nathan Daniel - Teacher/Naturalist
Nathan is from an area that used to be known as the Great Black Swamp. The swamp was drained in the late 19th century and nowadays people just call it northwest Ohio. Nate attended Ohio University and graduated with a degree in Spanish and Latin-American Studies. After college he joined the Peace Corps and served two years in Russia (figures!) teaching 5th through 11th grade students English. After that he was assigned to East Timor and helped to open a new Peace Corps post on the tiny southeast Asian island (which happened to be a brand new country).  Throughout his travels Nate slowly realized that his favorite part of being in the Russian taiga or on an island jungle was learning the natural history of the area. So when he returned to the United States, Nate put down his language books, picked up a bunch of natural history texts and began his current career as a teacher/naturalist. Nate has over three years of experience interpreting the natural world.

Josh Davis – Senior Teacher/Naturalist for Citizen Science
Though born in Ohio, Josh was raised in Michigan and claims it as home.  Before moving to Tennessee, he taught at nature centers in both Michigan and Minnesota.  A 2002 graduate of the University of Michigan, he holds a B.S. in Natural Resources and the Environment.  Though interested in all areas of natural history, his favorites are botany and ornithology.  His favorite outdoor activities are hiking, biking, canoeing, and snowshoeing, and his hobbies include birding and photography.

Jeremy Lloyd – Special Programs Coordinator
Jeremy began working at Tremont in 1996. Originally from Western Pennsylvania, he received a B.A. from Calvin College in 1994, and, an M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 2001. He’s written for a number of national publications including Gray’s Sporting Journal, Sojourners, The Sun, and North Carolina Literary Review. He directs Tremont’s summer camps, Elderhostel programs, college consortiums, and family camps. He also coordinates the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program. He is the author of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Pocket Guide & Journal as well as A Home In Walker Valley, a history of the Tremont area forthcoming from Great Smoky Mountains Association in 2009. Additionally, he has released several albums of original music in the folk/Americana vein. Books, wilderness, fly-fishing, hunting, good food and good conversation number among his many loves. And of course his wife, Elan, who he married in 2006.

Jen Martin – School Programs Coordinator
Jen holds Bachelor's Degrees in Biological Sciences and Environmental Geography, as well as an Environmental Studies Certificate, all from Ohio University. She has worked as an environmental educator in Maine and at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. Jen is no stranger to the Smokies. She served as an intern here with the National Park Service, leading Parks as Classrooms programs. Jen says she is thrilled to be back in the Smokies working with Tremont.

Lindsay Menard - Teacher/Naturalist
Lindsay Menard is from Ohio, where she attended Hocking College and received a degree in Ecotourism and Adventure Travel. She has come to the Smoky Mountains from South Carolina where she worked as an environmental educator. Along with hiking she also likes reading (always accepting recommendations), sewing and identifying plants and trees.

Mary Silver – Teacher/Naturalist
Mary was born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee. Mary graduated from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin with a degree in Outdoor Education with an emphasis on Natural History, and a minor in Biology and Writing. She volunteered for a number of years at Warriors’ Path State Park, and has also worked as a counselor at Bays Mountain Day Camp. Mary is a Wilderness First Responder. Mary has spent three summers as a summer teacher naturalist at Tremont before coming on as full time staff.

Kim Wagner – Teacher/Naturalist
Kim always thought she would be working in some sort of research after college. After receiving a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Minnesota, she pursued that goal in California. A short time spent catching juvenile salmon in the San Francisco area and Kim realized that she might have a different passion after all. After a month working as an Environmental Educator at the Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center in northeastern Georgia and Kim knew she had found a new career. A three-month position became two years, with Kim becoming the Assistant Director. A need to travel pushed her to Rhode Island. She was the Assistant Coordinator for the W. Alton Jones Campus of the University of Rhode Island during the school year and spent the summer as the Day Camp Coordinator.  Kim missed the south more than she expected and couldn’t wait to get back. Working in the heart of the Southern Appalachians at Tremont is the perfect opportunity to teach what she loves and spend her free time hiking and backpacking in her own back yard, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Part/Time and Volunteer Teacher/Naturalists:

Robin Goddard
Jamie Matzko
Michael Matzko
Carrie Pusey
Gar Secrist

Office and Support Staff

Julie Brown - Registrar/Assistant Office Manager
Julie has been in love with the Smoky Mountains from the time she began visiting the National Park on camping trips. She’s lived in Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Asheville, North Carolina. Julie says, "There is something about these mountains that I can’t explain to people who don’t feel it. I feel at home in these mountains. And at peace." Julie says when it comes to learning about the flowers, trees, birds, and history of the Park, she can never get enough. She has a growing collection of old postcards, brochures, maps and books about the Smokies.

John DiDiego - Education Director
John grew up catching snakes and turtles in the creeks of upstate South Carolina, and he has never lost his love of wild things and wild places.  He holds a BA degree in English Literature from the University of Notre Dame and an MS in Natural Resources/Environmental Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He has always enjoyed international travel and served two stints in the Peace Corps in Morocco and Russia.  In over 12 years experience in environmental education, he has worked in places as far-flung as New England, Yosemite NP, far eastern Russia, and Georgia; but there is no place he’d rather be than the southern Appalachians.  He is looking forward to experiencing the changing seasons and the magic of changing students’ lives at Tremont. He and his wife Michele are settling into Maryville and enjoying spending time on the trails with their two young boys, Thomas and Mario.  He enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, turning over logs, and playing/singing folk tunes.

Meredith P. Goins – Public Relations/Development Director
Meredith earned her bachelor’s degree in communication, with a concentration in public relations from East Carolina University. Her love of writing and of education led her to work in public relations and development at the University of Tennessee. She soon realized that the research needed for stories was more of a challenge and interest to her. To meet this challenge, Meredith earned her Master’s of Information Science in 2000 from the University of Tennessee.
While in graduate school, Meredith focused on fund-raising because no library is ever fully funded. She has served as a public library director and as a medical librarian at a national non-profit and also served in marketing and development capacities and has raised funds through federal, state and local grants, direct mail, special events and through the Internet.
Originally from Charlotte, NC, Meredith now resides in Maryville with her husband Mike and two children Seth and Samantha. In her spare time, Meredith enjoys taking long walks with her kids, reading and volunteering with her church and local library.

Mike Gross - Finance Manager
Although Mike has lived the last nineteen years in Charleston, SC, he is a long- time resident of Tennessee. Mike holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His main career has been the chief finance officer for two technical community colleges in higher education. Mike and his family have camped, hiked, and biked the Cades Cove area for over thirty years. He refers to the Smokies as a "little heaven on earth". After retirement from higher education, Mike and his wife, Helen, reside in Townsend, Tennessee.

Michelle Key - Public Relations/Development Assistant
An East Tennessee resident since early childhood, Michelle holds a deep respect for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She grew up in Maryville and graduated from Maryville College, where she studied both writing and music. She began her career writing corporate training materials and has worked as a freelance Web designer/developer and graphic artist. When not finding an excuse to wade in the Little River, Michelle can be found quilting or tending her blueberries. She cares deeply about both wild and domestic animals, and she and her husband Jonathan share their Maryville home with a number of rescued dogs and cats.

Charlene Stewart -- Human Resources/Office Manager
Born and raised in the state of Florida, Charlene’s parents taught her to love the outdoors and appreciate animals in their natural environment. She has passed that love on to her own children as the family traded vacations between the ocean and Great Smoky Mountains for many years. Around 2001, Charlene and husband Doug made the decision to retire close to these beloved mountains and bought property in Walland, Tennessee to make that dream come true.
Her passion for people and nature have brought her to the Tremont team where she brings 30 years of extensive team building experience; hiring, developing, and motivating individuals to exceed expectations. She attended the University of Florida, with plans to work in elementary education before Sales and Service organizations took her career down a different path. Charlene’s interests are varied and include scuba diving, hiking, camping,  photographing wildflowers and wildlife, as well as building birdhouses, quilting by hand, and growing herbs.

Ken Voorhis - Executive Director
Ken has served as executive director of Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont since 1984. He holds a B.S. from West Virginia University in Parks & Recreation with an emphasis in Nature Interpretation and a M.S. in Experiential Education, from Mankato State University in Minnesota. He has been involved in environmental education for over 25 years working in programs in Ohio, North Carolina, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. He lives at Tremont with his wife Jennifer and three children Bonnie Jo, Woody, and Robin, whom they have home schooled. His interests include, family, hiking, canoeing, birding, trees, storytelling music, Christianity, and exploring out of the way places in the Smokies.

Greeting you in our store and welcome center:
Gary Carpenter - Store Manager
Linda Vananda - Assistant Sales Manager

Food Service and Grounds/Facilities Staff

Steve Foster – Food Service Director
As a tenth generation member of the Walker family, Steve is right at home in the Smoky Mountains. He grew up in Blount County and spent countless hours at the river and on the trails. His career in cooking began in 1990 and his love for food shows not only in his food but in his physique. He has a wonderful wife, Rachel, and two handsome young boys, Miles and Eson. When not spending time with his family Steve can be found at the local disc golf courses, which he helps promote and maintain. He is also a self taught musician and enjoys playing blues and old time country on the guitar, mandolin and dobro. He also really likes hot sauce.

Toni Adams – Assistant Kitchen Manager
Toni is a native of east Tennessee, having been born and raised in nearby Maryville. She loves to camp and loves her neighboring national park, so coming to work at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont was natural. Since 1995 Toni has been on the GSMIT staff assisting in meal planning and preparation.

In the kitchen keeping participants well-fed and happy:
Mechelle Crowe
Linda Hatcher
Lisa Russell
Emma Willison

Sam Crowe – Gounds and Facilities Manager
You may see Sam in any one of a number of places throughout the GSMIT campus. When he’s not working on the facilities to help keep the institute running like a well-oiled machine, he may be in the dining hall, helping the kitchen staff prepare and serve meals. Before hiring on with GSMIT, Sam spent 22 years as a professional musician, much of that time with very prominent Nashville based country bands. In 1998, he decided to get off the road and settle close to the mountains of east Tennessee. Sam enjoys hiking and camping and appropriately refers to the national park as "our blessed place."

Ron Hood - Maintenance Assistant