Greg Gillett, Director
Greg has been running Outdoor Leadership programs for over 20 years. He is originally from South Africa and has worked for various Outward Bound schools around the world, including over 10 years at the North Carolina Outward Bound School. He is a graduate of the University of Cape Town and an adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership. Greg has a passion for developing leadership in young people and helping them reach their potential. He co-founded Asheville TAASC with Beth Hockman and Mike Fischesser, the founder of TAASC. When he is not out on trips with these kids he’s running leadership programs for other organizations and having fun with his 12 year old twin girls who are into outdoor adventures.
Beth Hockman, Director of Girls TAASC
Beth has been in the experiential education field for over 32 years. She has a B.S. in Social Psychology with a minor in Parks & Rec. And a M.S. in Experiential Education with additional course work in Women’s Studies from Minnesota State University. Beth has worked for various adventure education programs including 18 years with Outward Bound in both the U.S. and Africa. Her passion for the wilderness, youth leadership and experiential education all led to helping start Asheville TAASC in 2006. In 2016, inspired by her own twin girls, Beth she helped start Girls TAASC, which is one of her greatest passions. She relishes in creating opportunities for girls to release the bonds of “perfection” that the social narrative languishes on young girls. And to find within wilderness education the freedom to be their own unique, strong, adventurous and authentic self. Beth’s greatest passion and love is parenting her two amazing daughters. When not working you can find Beth with her family and two rescue Border Collies playing and exploring in the beautiful mountains around Asheville. (Click here to learn more about Beth’s parent coaching business)
Becky Kluge, Girls TAASC Instructor
Becky is an exceptionally experienced outdoor instructor and facilitator, having worked with Outward Bound and other corporate team development programs for over 20 years. Becky has taken her own children on amazing paddling trip in the Boundary waters and is committed to the development of our youth. She is especially excited to work with the Oaks girls in the program. Becky will be our skills specialist, sharing her deep experience of paddling, climbing and other outdoor skills
Ethan Rhodus
Ethan was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. After studying Natural Resources Management at The Ohio State University, he moved south to work for the North Carolina Outward Bound School. It is here where Ethan honed his skills in outdoor and experiential education working as a field instructor and climbing specialist. After 5 years of full time field work between the mountains of NC and the Florida Everglades, Ethan began working and living in Asheville. He currently is the Program Manager for the Asheville TAASC Program and the Adventure Coordinator at Evergreen Community Charter School. Ethan is an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, a Wilderness First Responder, and a Leave No Trace Master Educator.
Val Carney
Val participated in 2 Outward Bound courses in her late teens and has been hooked on outdoor adventure education since then. She graduated from Warren Wilson College with a degree in Outdoor Leadership and then worked for many years at Camp Woodson, a therapeutic wilderness program. Her outdoor skills have been put to use at Camp Grier since 2014, and leading group of friends on backpacking trips since 2000. Val has worked with Girls TAASC for the past 4 years and is a co-instructor for both the Oak and Redwood girl groups. When she is not at TAASC or one of her several other jobs working with children, she can be found tinkering around with her current art project or conjuring up the next one.
Lindsay Ward
Lindsay grew up in Northern Virginia where she was a Girl Scout for 12 years and involved in the Boy Scouts’ Venturing program for 5 years. Her time in these programs, along with the fellow scouts and troop leaders beside her, were the catalyst for her interest in outdoor education and empowerment of young people, young women in particular. This brought Lindsay to start working with the North Carolina Outward Bound School as an instructor, trainer, and eventually Program Director of their Cedar Rock Base Camp, which is how she was first introduced to TAASC several years ago. Nowadays Lindsay still works with NCOBS as the Staffing Manager where she loves talking with staff about their experiential education careers, hopes and dreams and trying to design schedules that help those dreams come true. Lindsay rejoined TAASC three years ago as an instructor for the Girls’ TAASC Redwoods group.
Hannah Cosner
Hannah comes to us with both international and national experience in programming and the outdoors. She has worked both in Rwanda and Nepal for various NGOs/Non Profits. And most recently was the director of a youth based wilderness program. She is energized by connecting with others through nature, Hannah is an outdoor educator passionate about fostering meaningful outdoor experiences. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she discovered her love for the outdoors while living and working in rural Nepal. This experience inspired her move to Western North Carolina, where she worked as direct care staff and later as the director of a youth-focused outdoor program. Hannah is excited to bring her experience and enthusiasm to the TAASC team.
Brooks Coker
Brooks grew up immersed in the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains in Northwest Arkansas. Inspired by his childhood experiences, Brooks has pursued many different roles as an outdoor educator. He has worked for various camps in Tennessee and Western North Carolina and was recently a hiking guide in Pisgah National Forest. He is currently the 8th-grade associate teacher at Evergreen Community Charter School. Brooks is passionate about helping youth learn from challenges and the wonders of learning in the outdoors. He is currently studying Environmental Science and hopes to inspire younger generations to understand their place in a global ecosystem. He also aims to create greater accessibility and inclusivity in Asheville’s outdoor spaces.
