Kelli King is the better half of our husband and wife hiking duo. When she’s not out guiding guests in the wilderness, she finds herself tracking other “wild” life—their 9 year old daughter, Maddie! Like her husband, Kelli also grew up in Ohio and earned her degree in exercise physiology at Kent State University. After a year as a corporate wellness instructor, she came out West with her new husband and never left. With her experience wrangling Maddie (not to mention her husband Steve), she’s perfect to oversee our kids’ program.
Casie Barker has just finished her third year at Ball State University with a major in social work. We’re counting on her social work skills as she wrangles kids in her third summer at the ranch. In addition to enjoying the Colorado mountains, Casie was a triathlete in high school, playing soccer, basketball and softball. She’s up for any kind of game at any time, so we’re sure she’ll keep the kids running.
Kim Bassett is our “token Brit.” She first came to Vista Verde as a guest and just couldn’t stay away! After three visits as a guest, Kim joined us last summer riding herd on our kids’ program and is back for her second season. Kim originated from Buckingshire, England. She graduated from Hallam University and has been putting her degree to work as a middle school teacher.
Lisa Carcelli comes to us from the great state of Utah. Lisa is a junior psychology and international relations major at the University of Utah. While all of our staff have unique work experiences, Lisa is probably the only one who has delivered mail for the United States Postal Service. One of her main duties this summer may be turning our barn into a first class Pony Express dispatch center…for the kids.
Javin Stoltzfus is no stranger to ranch work and is a “Jack of all trades.” He comes to us from the rural town of Narvon, Pennsylvania. A diesel mechanic and owner of a ’67 Ford Mustang, Javin knows his way around a shop. He’s also accustomed to splitting wood, working machinery and driving tow-trucks. However, Javin’s favorite job of all-time has been working, with kids at a summer camp in Pennsylvania. He’ll be helping Kelli and the crew in our zany kids’ program this year. Hopefully he’ll be able to learn how to drive our double-clutch 1948 fire engine so the kids can go to Clark for ice cream!
Rachel Cuthbert is one of our growing Indiana contingent and will be one of our kid wranglers this summer. Having traveled to 20 states and six countries, Rachel is quite the globetrotter. And, believe it or not, she plays a mean game of laser tag. When Rachel heads back to Indiana University in beautiful Bloomington next fall, she will continue her degree in Business Management and Marketing.
Erik Byers is a senior sports management major at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Originally from Indiana, Erik has lived in and visited numerous countries around the world including Russia, Jamaica, Senegal and others! Erik has experience working with kids in a variety of environments, making him the perfect addition to our kids’ program this summer.
Anita Olson grew up in a small farming community known as Ericson, Nebraska, where she helped her dad deliver calves on their ranch. Anita graduated magna cum laude last May from Hastings College with a degree in biology. She spent last summer as a forest ranger educating children on the environment in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park. Anita loves traveling, learning about the environment and being around lots of animals. After spending the winter as a housekeeper, Anita is excited to be with kids again.
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