Derek grew up on the West Coast, from Southern California to the beautiful beaches of Oregon. After marrying his high school sweetheart… and soulmate, Derek and Chelsea moved to Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene University, followed by budding careers in teaching and nursing. Derek taught middle school for nine years which provided an opportunity to coach boys and girls basketball as well as teach a variety of courses. He found his heart invested in the growth and success of his students and players. He strives to help others find their higher self. Following his time in Idaho, Derek and family moved to Portland for a big shift. Derek began working for Nike, first in the Photo Studio as a Producer, then in Sports Licensing as an Approvals Coordinator. Portland was a stopping point full of memories, friends and growth. Derek and Chelsea have three children they adore to pieces. Not long ago, the Inman’s finished a year of family travel in their 5th wheel as they expanded their views and perspective throughout the western states. Family is an essential part of Derek’s life, and he strives to bring a spirit of unity and compassion to the Dragonfly house. Derek has fostered a love for nature and adventure. He’s a huge fan of basketball and most sports in general. He appreciates yoga, mountain biking, traveling, music of all sorts, and chillin’ with his feet in the river. Derek is an educator with the drive of a coach, the organizational and collaborative skills of a leader, and a deep desire to build a compassionate community. Whether as a parent, musician, husband, teacher, coach, travel-buddy, confidant, producer, or friend – Derek brings with him a love for people and a deep desire to enrich and influence.

Sarah grew up in North Georgia on a small farm and brings years of experience caring for animals and gardening to the Homestead. Sarah’s partnership with Dragonfly Transitions began in 2010 when she joined A Leap of Taste and engaged in on the job training with Dragonfly students. When a mentor position opened at the Homestead, she transitioned to working full time with students teaching animal husbandry and horticulture. 

In 2017 Sarah moved back to her home town in Georgia with her family to explore Management in the Wood Working Industry and cultivate her leadership and management skills. Sarah developed an internship program with the local high school to connect students with their areas of interest such as marketing research, web development, product photography, accounting and IT. In addition Sarah engaged with local parolees to support skills to enable them to reenter the workforce. In 2020 Sarah was recognized by Woodworking Network as a part of the 2020 class of 40 under 40 for her innovative leadership, organizational management, continuous improvement mindset and contributions to her community. 

In 2020, Sarah was invited to rejoin the Dragonfly team as the Homestead Program Coordinator and moved back to Oregon. 

Sarah has a lifelong passion for working with young adults who are struggling. Her background in Applied Psychology and practical experience working one on one with students pairs with her experience with farm management. 

In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family in the outdoors camping, hiking, swimming and exploring.

Max was born and raised in Wisconsin, where he began to find his passion for health and wellness.  This passion led to him earning a degree in health promotion and wellness. Within this coursework was experience in developing, implementing and evaluating programs from a holistic lense. These skills along with a workplace internship abroad provided a deeper understanding of the wellness industry and insight from a global perspective.

An emphasis of his work has been with clients of varied physical and mental abilities as well as leading group exercise classes, personal training, health coaching, and yoga. He has carried personal training, certified medical exercise specialist, 200 hour registered yoga teacher, and Yoga for 12 step recovery certifications. After working in the fitness Industry for years Max decided to use the interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills he learned into the wilderness therapy field.  He sought out this work to have a deeper connection with nature, adventure,  community, and self.  He worked for a prominent company in Utah for several years followed by a company in Hawaii.  Within these companies he became interested in what the next step of treatment was all about.  This curiosity and thirst for deeper understanding of transitional living led Max to Dragonfly.

 Being involved in many different working environments has given Max strength to be adaptable and flexible within life. A strong passion to serve others and help people achieve personal well-being drives him to be a lifelong learner, student, and teacher.

Lauren was born and raised in a small Indiana town where she spent much of her childhood enjoying the outdoors with her family. Throughout high school and college Lauren worked at a state park doing trail work, environmental restoration projects, and leading nature hikes and programs with her role as a Naturalist. It was through interpreting and sharing her passions and knowledge of the natural world that led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science.

Since graduating, Lauren has worked for two unique wilderness therapy companies, which has proved to be a milestone in her career path. Each company offered a different model of therapy in which Lauren gained valuable experiences and skillsets. The Utah based company offered a backpacking model focusing on primitive skills, hiking, and natural challenges the wilderness brings. After living and working in Utah for a few years Lauren was drawn to another company based out of Hawaii that offered a holistic therapeutic model and horticultural therapy.

While at these companies Lauren worked her way up to being a lead guide and resident supervisor role. Working wilderness taught Lauren that patience, empathy, love, and understanding for self and others are essential components of the growth process. Lauren brings passion to her work by bringing creative facilitation, role-modeling authenticity, and approaching students with an empathic, non-judgmental mindset. Role-modeling to students the importance of healthy coping skills, sustainable life skills, exercise, healthy eating habits, and the understanding the mind-body connection has proved to be the most powerful and rewarding career path that Lauren has been apart of.

In her free time, you can find Lauren spending time with her partner Max and two fur children-Miko the kitty and Koa the pup. Lauren believes wholeheartedly in the mind-body connection and loves any form of movement and meditation practice. A few of her favorites are: Yoga, Qi gong, ecstatic dance, primal flow, aerial arts, etc. You can also find Lauren spending time outdoors hiking, camping, paddle boarding, swimming, and biking. Connection and community are high values of Lauren’s so potlucks, face timing, and catching up with friends and family are always an important piece to her personal life.

Lauren started Dragonfly in June of 2020 and is excited to be apart of the Dragonfly Community. She is looking forward to learning and growing alongside both the students and staff!

Stacey Rowlett is originally from California and moved to Klamath Falls in 1993. She is a wife and mother of three children. Stacey volunteered as youth director at Harvest Outreach C.C., and C.F.W.C. from 1993-2015. Stacey and her husband currently work as associate pastors, and worship directors for Community Family Worship Center. 

In 2015, after caring for a terminally ill relative, Stacey decided to pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse. She put her fears aside, took the first step, and enrolled in college. Stacey has completed all the prerequisites required to apply for the nursing program and has remained on the President’s List throughout her college experience. Stacey also worked as a TRIO tutor, and helped students achieve better grades and more confidence in Anatomy & Physiology. Stacey will be applying for the nursing program in May of 2019 and hopes to complete her bachelor’s degree in nursing by June 2022.  

In her free time, Stacey enjoys singing the national anthem with her family at various high school and college graduations, OIT basketball games, and other community events. Family is very important to Stacey. She enjoys camping and visiting the coast and spending time with her husband and children.  

Originally from the east coast, Annie has spent most of her life exploring the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. Annie earned her B.A. in Studio Art, with a minor in International Affairs from East Tennessee State University. She has co-lead youth development and outreach events, worked at summer camps for children with special needs, volunteered for AmeriCorps, taught English abroad, and worked as a graphic designer at her alma mater.

Annie feels that there is a strong connection between therapeutic healing and the natural world. She is passionate about facilitating activities that get folks outside and connected with nature – whether that’s through hiking, climbing, kayaking or taking a stroll through the park. Annie has also studied holistic plant medicine and believes that overall well being stems from balancing emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental health. 

In her free time, Annie enjoys traveling and exploring new places, spending time in local coffee shops with a good book or conversation, experimenting with new film photography techniques, and practicing yoga. 

Sean has over twenty years of experience in the teaching, mentoring, and guiding of staff, students, business operations, and government departments, both internationally and in the US. He has twelve years of experience instructing and facilitating wilderness therapy programs.

Sean has led mountaineering, backpacking and river expeditions in Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and South America. He brings to Dragonfly an extensive knowledge of natural history, years of instructor training experience, and some very top-notch teaching skills. Sean is a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) with 900 days in the field.

His emphasis has been on helping create self-awareness and confidence through education and support systems, while developing foundations through field manuals and hands-on staff and community development. His college course was centered on education, biology and general science.

When Sean is not in the wilderness, he enjoys spending time exploring Klamath Falls with his wife, Rachel, and their dog Buckeye.