Educational
Opportunities Fund
PROMOTING LEADERSHIP THROUGH SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
Meet The Team
Richard Herman
Richard Herman began his career as a public school teacher and a guidance counselor but his passion for camping, scouting and international understanding guided his life further. A true visionary, Richard was the founder and former co-director of Windsor Mountain International (current name) and Crossroads educational travel in Windsor NH. He is also a member of the US Presidential Scholars Commission and works as an educational consultant. International educational programs dedicated to peace and social justice have always been his passion and we are honored that he will serve on the Board of the Educational Opportunities Fund.
Sarah Herman
Sarah Herman grew up at Windsor Mountain as part of the “brat pack,” starting in Playschool, passing through the “dorms,” the “tents”, and the first season of the LIT program- Sarah didn’t miss a moment. After being on kitchen staff, working as a counselor, leading and developing travel programs and ultimately serving as organizational director, it is no surprise that she sits on the board of the Educational Opportunities Fund. After receiving an undergraduate degree in Spanish, Sarah joined Teach for America and taught in New York City’s bi-lingual public school system while simultaneously pursuing her masters in Elementary Education at Bank Street College. An eight-year stint of year round work at Windsor Mountain led Sarah to enroll in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education for School Leadership. Sarah’s passion is to continue making enriching educational experiences available to kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate. When not thinking about education, Sarah can be found trying to “Hang 10” on a wave in the Mexican Riviera.
Jessi Hempel
Jessi Hempel is a senior editor at large for LinkedIn and hosts the award-winning podcast Hello Monday. She has written extensively about digital media, online advertising and social networking. Before joining LinkedIn, Jessi wrote about technology during stings at Wired, Fortune and BusinessWeek. A graduate of Teach for America, Jessi believes summer camp programs can be mind-expanding opportunities for learning about ourselves and each other and understanding how communities work. She is a graduate of Brown University and received a Masters in Journalism from The University of California at Berkeley. She makes her home in Brooklyn, NY with her wife, and her young son and daughter, who will one day go to camp!
Adam Tepper
Adam Tepper is a Managing Director with Castle Hook Partners, where he focuses on investments in agriculture and energy. Adam is a former Windsor Mountain camper and Staff member. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Michelle and his two children Caspian and Mariah.
John Fitzsimmons
John Fitzsimmons is a teacher, poet, songwriter and folksinger who, along with his wife Denise and seven children, has been a part of the Windsor Mountain community for the past sixteen years. All of “The Fitz Kids” attended camp, and all of them have worked (and five still do) at camp in a variety of jobs. Denise helps run the HMO and Fitz still fills in singing at campfires, teaching whittling, fishing and music, and often helping Dylan and crew keep the fields mowed and trails cleared.
Fitz joins the EOF as a board member who is passionate in his belief that summer camp can be a transformative experience for any child, and he has been committed for many years to helping children realize their dreams to attend camp.
Danny English
Danny English is an Outdoor Educator, Forest School Leader and Trainer, Storyteller and Children’s author. He lives very happily on the side of a beautiful valley in the north of England with his partner Annie and daughter Iona. Together they run a not for profit organization called We Be Kids, where they provide opportunities for vulnerable families to connect with nature and boost their wellbeing. Danny has personally felt the transformative power of the summer camp experience having spent ten years in total at Windsor Mountain in the sports department, cabins and later as co-director with Sarah Herman. Danny hopes that by being a part of EOF he can contribute to others having a similarly life changing summer camp experience.
Megan Schorle
Before Megan Schorle’s recent career shift to a Patient Experience Analyst for Lifespan, she worked as a Humanities Educator in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for six years. It was during her time at Our Sisters’ School in New Bedford, MA that she stood witness to the impact even a single camp experience has on students’ mind and heart. To be a member on the EOF board means that although Megan is no longer teaching (well…we’re always teaching in some capacity, aren’t we?), she is enthusiastic to share her skills to help the organization continue to provide kids the opportunity to experience an excellent summer camp. Her passion for building healthy relationships, being active in mind and body, and inspiring positivity among others has made it possible for her to do the things she loves: To teach, to write, to tell stories, to play, and to learn. Megan enjoys cheese and crackers, poetry, playing soccer, and taking naps outside.
Andy Taylor
Andy Taylor currently teaches history, human geography, and coaches squash and tennis at his alma mater, the Taft School. After graduating from Wesleyan University, Andy was offered his first job in education as a “supernumerary” at the Michaelhouse School in South Africa. Having no idea what the responsibilities of this important-sounding job might be, he was dismayed to learn that a supernumerary was “a person with no apparent function.” Andy then spent four years as assistant principal at the Zonnebloem School in Cape Town where he pioneered a “democracy training” curriculum engaging students in service projects with local NGOs. Andy also spent eight years as head of history for the Horace Mann Middle School in New York City. For sixteen years (2004-2020), Andy served as principal of Maru-a-Pula in Botswana, one of Africa’s premier secondary schools, where he launched a scholarship program for orphans and vulnerable children.
Deidre Tobey
Deidre arrived to Windsor Mountain as a recent college graduate and quickly witnessed the powerful impact experiential education had on campers and staff alike. One summer turned into a five year journey which laid the foundation for Deidre's next professional adventure - juggling operations for an international high school exchange program. Though she has shifted to a career in software product development, Deidre continues to be influenced by her time at camp. She is thrilled to be a board member of the Educational Opportunities Fund and to support students pursuing transformative summer experiences. Deidre lives in Maine with her partner and young son. She looks forward to the day her son takes a risk and ventures into the unknown of summer camp; she can only hope his weeks at camp are as memorable for him as they were for so many campers at Windsor Mountain.
Advisory Board Members
Melissa Herman
​Melissa Herman is a member of our Advisory Board. Any camper knows that singing is at the heart of a true summer camp experience and through her time as waterfront director, program director, LIT coordinator and travel program leader, Melissa’s voice and love for song was cultivated at camp. Whether leading camp fire or morning meeting songs with her ukelele and her children in tow, you could count on Melissa to bring the music. When not singing or swimming distance triangles, Melissa teaches psychology and public policy at Dartmouth College. Her support of the Educational Opportunities Fund comes in many forms, not the least of which was helping create our rubric for determining financial awards.
Josh Hahn
Advisory Board member Joshua Hahn is Assistant Head of School and Director of Environmental Initiatives at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. He has a B.A. from the University of Vermont and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s School Leadership Program. Prior to joining The Hotchkiss School in 2009, he worked at The Lawrenceville School until 2006, where he was the Aldo Leopold Fellow. He then started a company called Stone Bridge Sustainability & Education, which provides consulting services for schools related to sustainability education and strategic planning. In this capacity, he has worked with hundreds of schools throughout the country. Josh is a founding Board member of The Independent School Experiential Education Network (ISEEN), and has worked with The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as a Consultant for several years.