Jesse Pyles

NERN (2008)

Director, The Outdoor Academy

Eagle's Nest Foundation

Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Personal pronouns: He, him, his

Jesse is the director of The Outdoor Academy, a semester boarding school program for teenagers in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Previously, he was the executive director of Smokey House Center in Danby, Vermont, and worked on sustainability programs and community learning at Unity College and Green Mountain College. He studied environmental studies at Pace University in New York City, and environmental education with the Expedition Education Institute. Jesse thinks a lot about food and birds and other connections to place.