Principals

Bill Frederick

Prior to founding Lodestone, Bill served as the Director of Safety at The School for Field Studies (SFS) for 8 years and as an instructor/program director at Outward Bound for 16 years. He was chair of the Forum on Education Abroad’s pilot incident database and co-chair for the Forum Standards Institute: "Beyond the Basics of Health, Safety and Security" for 3 years. As a faculty committee member for Wilderness Medical Associates International, Bill designed the Travel Med First Aid curriculum for Habitat for Humanity International and has taught extensively overseas. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado and an M.Ed from Harvard University. He is a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) and holds a CTH from the International Society of Travel Medicine.

 

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Lili Folsom

Lili joined Lodestone in September 2011 as Managing Partner. She brings 20 years of experience in international education and management. For 10 years Lili served as Director of Admissions and Institutional Relations at The School for Field Studies (SFS). As a senior administrator, she was integrally involved in health, safety and security management and served as the primary backup for emergencies in the field as well as public spokesperson. She has an extensive history of building and maintaining strong relationships with a variety of institutions and organizations, where effective communication and timeliness are crucial. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic developing and delivering health education trainings, Lili worked as a Recruitment Coordinator in their Boston offices. Lili holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Colorado and an M.A. in International and Intercultural Management from the School for International Training.

 

Trainers, Reviewers and Advisers

Jamie Steckart

Jamie has served as the Principal of Qatar Leadership Academy and Head of School for Think Global School (TGS). Jamie’s initially developed his risk management skills while working in adventure education as an Outward Bound instructor. His educational philosophy is well grounded in experiential education, project based learning and place based learning. Both his risk management and philosophy were further developed and honed by extensive travel and work in over 60 countries. Mostly recently, as Marshall’s Head of School, he conceived of the K-4 Forest School where 50% of students' daily schedules are dedicated to outdoor exploration. Jamie hold a Master's Degree from the University of Minnesota and licenses as a Teacher, Principal, and Superintendent in the State of Minnesota.

 

Robin Nesbeda

Robin has a deep background in environmental science and emergency management. She has over 10 years of experience working in remote environments, overseas and in emergency medicine and has served as a field health and safety specialist for geologic explorations. She worked as an international incident monitor and analyst for NC4, a company providing external situational awareness to industries and governments worldwide. Robin also served as a safety program specialist for the School for Field Studies (SFS). She is currently involved with disaster response at the state and federal level, including deployments with a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). She is a lead instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates, International (WMA). Robin is a Maine-licensed EMT-Basic and holds an M.S. in Disaster Science from the University of Richmond.

 

Laura Sessions

As the former owner and manager of American Universities International Programs (AUIP), Laura Sessions has over 12 years of experience in managing and operating international programs in countries as varied as Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Belize, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Antarctica. Based in New Zealand, she has worked with thousands of students, faculty and administrators and has managed a wide range of incidents from medical emergencies and misbehaviour to sexual assault and mental health conditions. She holds a BA in Biology from Oberlin College and an MSc in Ecology and PhD in Science Communication from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.