Jesse grew up in Tryon, NC and spent 11 summers at Ton-A-Wandah! It was at TAW that she fell in love with outdoor adventure and backpacking. She completed Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership Courses before coming back as a counselor to lead the climbing wall and backpacking programs for two summers in college. Her early career continued in outdoor education, working ropes courses, climbing wall, and kids backpacking programs in many places in the US. Jesse graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a double major in English and Women's Studies, and later earned her MAT in English education from Western Carolina University. She was a classroom teacher, mainly in middle school, for 18 years. Now Jesse lives not far from camp in Saluda, NC, with her two boys Everett (11) and Alister (5). She is thrilled to come home to her TAW community. In her free time you can find her paddleboarding, practicing yoga, hiking, and dancing!
