
Steve Rubinstein
Director of MSOEE
Steve Rubinstein is the Director of APU’s Graduate Program in Outdoor and Environmental Education. He received his M.S. in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University, a B.S. in Psychology from Guilford College and a Certificate of Outdoor Leadership from Seljord Fork College. Steve has extensive experience in the field teaching and directing programs since 1987, including his work as Faculty and Program Director in Outdoor Education at MT Hood Community College in Oregon, Program Director at Northwest Earth Institute and Education Coordinator & Asst. Director at Northwest Service Academy.

Lauren Singmaster Wieland
Field School Instructor
Lauren Singmaster Wieland is a born and raised Coloradoan. From camping, hiking, and fishing, to trail maintenance and fire mitigation, she has always loved being outside, and environmental stewardship. Lauren received a BA in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado. (Go Bears!) She taught for four years as a second-grade teacher in her hometown, Colorado Springs, until her husband was accepted into the Geology Master’s program at UAA. Lauren then taught second and then third grade in Anchorage for two years. She is so excited to be expanding her experiences and combining some of her favorite things (teaching, being outside, and environmental efficacy) at Kellogg FIELD School!

Katie Skinner
Field School Instructor
Katie Skinner earned a BA in Classical Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies from Connecticut College where she enjoyed playing rugby and taking advantage of the school’s arboretum. Katie spent her previous summers throughout school, working at a residential summer camp in the Adirondacks, NY where she started as a cabin counselor and worked her way up to Program Coordinator. During her time there she primarily worked with the teen leadership program and led them on overnight camping trips. When she wasn’t teaching sailing, she was leading rafting and canoeing trips. While there, she discovered her passion for not only the outdoors but also for working with young people and helping them to discover what they love too. After college, Katie worked for the YMCA of Greater Boston as the Aquatics Coordinator where she had the privilege of being a swim instructor to preschoolers for the year. When Katie got the chance to leave Boston, she spent her time exploring the outdoors as much as possible, hiking and kayaking with her dog all over New England. These passions have now brought Katie, and the dog, to APU for the next chapter of her life.

Priscilla Hunt
Field School Instructor
Priscilla Hunt holds a bachelor’s degree in Music from Asbury University in Kentucky and worked after college as a fiddle teacher, Suzuki violin teacher, and dance musician in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. Priscilla has a lifelong love for hiking and backpacking, and when she landed a summer job at Colvig Silver Camps in Colorado, she began to consider outdoor education as a possible career direction as well. Many applications later, Priscilla was offered an internship with the Colorado Outward Bound School. She has worked for Colorado Outward Bound since 2010, where she serves as a field instructor, course director, and staff trainer. Leading teenagers and young adults on wilderness trips is fascinating and rewarding, and Priscilla believes it is more and more needed in a time when walls and screens sometimes make genuine human connection more difficult. She is passionate about teaching communication skills and emotional awareness alongside more tangible outdoor skills such as knots and navigation. During the school year, between seasons at Outward Bound, Priscilla works for NOLS Wilderness Medicine teaching Wilderness First Responder courses. For the past four years, she has taught at Warren Wilson College and Montreat College in North Carolina, teaching courses including challenge course facilitation and management, backcountry skills, and introductory backpacking classes. n Priscilla’s free time, you’ll find her tromping through the woods searching for mushrooms and berries, trail running, cooking, and hanging out with her seven nieces and nephews.

Jimel Lopez-Montoya
Kellogg FIELD School Program Specialist
After graduating from university in Mexico, in 2015, Jimel López-Montoya started work as a field instructor for Ecology Project International in Mexico. She first learned about EPI by taking one of their field courses on whale research in the Gulf of California and she was hooked. She worked her way up from volunteer to field instructor, eventually leading multi-day trips for local and visiting teenagers, with a focus on conservation and sustainability. For her first year of graduate studies, Jimel attended Teton Science Schools Graduate Program. She completed her Master’s of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education at APU in the winter of 2020. Since then, Jimel has become a NOLS Instructors, leading both hiking and kayaking expeditions across the US and in Mexico. Jimel is excited to continue to share her love of the environment with others. When she is not teaching, you will find her exploring the area, hiking,birdwatching or doing art projects.

Melissa Ferguson
Kellogg FIELD School Program Specialist
Melissa Ferguson was born and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho. In 2010 she joined the United States Army and was later stationed in 2014 on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson where she quickly fell in love with AK. In 2017 she made the transition to the Alaska Army National Guard (AKARNG) where she is currently serving. Melissa earned her B.S. in Marine and Environmental Science at Alaska Pacific University in 2019. She worked as a biological technician for salmon monitoring, coastal erosion on Oahu, bald eagle productivity, and moose browse habitat enhancement. Melissa has spent the last three years as the wellness and fitness instructor for the AKARNG. She is an avid fisher-woman, snowmachine rider, and gardener. She is married to her husband Matt and has two stepchildren and a couple of fury and feathered friends.

Shannon O'Laughlin
Program Coordinator
Shannon O’Laughlin earned a BA in Liberal Studies, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and Preliminary Administrative Services Credential all from California State University, Chico. She got her Master’s of Arts in Educational Leadership from Alaska Pacific University, with a successful thesis project, Camp Kellogg. Shannon also holds a Waldorf Teacher Certificate from Rudolf Steiner College. Shannon began her work in education as an English Language Development Specialist for two years before she became a class teacher at a Waldorf charter school. Shannon carried a class of students from second grade through eighth-grade graduation. Shannon developed a wide range of subject matter skills while developing her craft as an educator in the interdisciplinary Waldorf pedagogy. In 2013, Shannon had the opportunity to travel to Navi Mumbai and Hyderabad India as a Waldorf Education specialist in the Humanizing Education Conference, where she led workshops for classroom teachers and presented as a keynote speaker. Similarly, she served as an adjunct faculty member for the “Art of Teaching” summer intensives at Rudolf Steiner College. In the years prior to her relocation to Alaska, Shannon worked in the capacity of Education Director at Blue Oak School, a Waldorf charter school of about 400, supporting teachers to instill the excellence and wonder of Waldorf Education in their students. Shannon’s educational practice has grown to include place-based, outdoor, and experiential education while working at Kellogg FIELD School. She is ever grateful for the KFS school community and the beautiful lands that host us. Shannon has a special love for animals (especially her dogs), growing flowers, fiber arts, and swimming.

Colleen McGeath Walker
Field School Instructor
Colleen McGeath Walker earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education at Indiana University. While at school, she enjoyed working as a barista at a local coffee shop and hiking in nearby state parks and national forests. During school breaks (and, really, whenever she could), Colleen worked at a residential summer camp in St. Paul, IN, where she discovered her love for teaching and outdoor recreation.
Following undergrad, Colleen taught 6th grade English Language Arts for three years in Indianapolis, IN, her hometown. In fact, she taught at the middle school that she attended as a student! Teaching middle school was hilarious and incredibly rewarding, but Colleen’s passion for teaching waned under the fluorescent lights of her classroom. So, she decided to pivot back to what she knew she loved: outdoor education. Thus, Colleen and her family (Avery, the husband, and Strawberry, the cat) stuffed everything that they could into their Prius and set off on the adventure of a lifetime.
When Colleen is not in class or on the road, you might find her reading, baking, practicing yoga, hiking, or kayaking.

Anna Petersen
Field School Instructor
Anna Petersen is a born and raised Alaskan who has always had a passion for being in the outdoors. She completed her BS in Environment and Society with a concentration in social science from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2018. While in school she completed internships with Alaska Department of Fish and Game Subsistence Division and U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Program. At ADF&G she helped interpret data collected by social scientists to determine future subsistence uses. For the Forest Service she did fieldwork in Prince William Sound collecting data on degraded areas impacted by human use. She also had the chance to lead a group of SCA students to collect data on invasive species. In 2022 she went back to Alaska Department of Fish and Game to work for the Hunter Education and Training program. While working there she has taught hunter education classes in the Becoming an Outdoor Women program, Outdoor Youth Days and assisted with Youth Shotgun League. Anna has loved the idea of getting people outside to learn a new skill while also teaching them about the land and how they can protect and advocate for their passions. She was excited to find APU’s graduate outdoor education program and hopes that working at the Kellogg FIELD will give her the skills and experience she’s been waiting for. When not working or in school you can find her with her dogs fly fishing, camping, backpacking, mountain biking, cross country skiing and/or hiking.

Julia Steffens
Field School Instructor
Julia Steffens earned her BS in Wildlife and Conservation Zoology from Murray State University in Kentucky, where she spent most of her days in the forest, flipping logs in search of frogs, salamanders, and snakes. During her time there, she was also able to help establish the university’s first Amphibian and Reptile Collection, a live herpetarium set up with the purpose of teaching schools in the community about the importance of snakes and frogs in our ecosystems. From there, Julia traveled to Costa Rica, where she studied Spanish and marine biology. Following her studies, she was hired as a research intern for a locally-run ocean conservation group called Equipo Tora Carey. She fell in love with the community-based conservation and education programs they proudly operated there. She decided to continue her education at Alaska Pacific University as a graduate student and hopes to use what she learns to pursue a career in community field science and outdoor education. When she’s not birding in the forests, she enjoys snorkeling, horseback riding, and reading in the sun.