Luke Foley (‘22 CO)
Work
A professional educator, in many forms: wilderness instructor, adventure travel guide, outdoor educator, and classroom teacher.
Priority areas for mentorship
Business planning
Marketing
Legal advice
Hey all! I'm Luke Foley and I live, work, and play in the Green Mountains of Vermont. I have worked with young people as a wilderness instructor, adventure travel guide, outdoor educator, and classroom teacher. This summer, I'll be transitioning to work in the Mad River Valley as a Climate Engagement Manager with a non-profit dedicated to climate resiliency, environmental conservation, and watershed management.
On top of these other roles, I also started my own business, Frontiers Education, several years ago. I provide professional development and consulting for educators looking to take their teaching practice outside of the confines of the traditional classroom. I work with educators to develop the confidence and competence to undertake meaningful learning experiences in the natural world, and to develop deep connections with their local communities. Ranging from farm-to-school, to expeditionary learning, to community oriented service learning projects, I aim to inspire educators to reimagine the way that students engage in their academic experience.
In the past few years, I've been able to do really important work with my professional development company, providing teachers with meaningful and engaging continuing education. Most of my courses are weeklong immersive experiences, though I do my fair share of workshops, retreats, and consulting jobs. I love the opportunity to work with teams of educators to redefine their classroom and find ways to engage their students as agents of change in the communities in which they live. I feel like my work and exposure is magnified when I have the chance to work with educators, who then take these ideas back to their students. In the next few years, I'd really like to focus my attention on developing a series of climate change related expeditions that balance professional learning with awesome backcountry experiences. Not only will this develop educators' ability to lead similar expeditions with their students, but it will provide them with opportunities to step back from their teaching practice in order to reflect and re-energize for their continued work with young people.
