This month we welcome four awesome, new folks to our year-round administrative team. There is palpable excitement in the office for the infusion of fresh perspectives and new personalities. You might recognize a couple of these faces while the other two are brand new to GRP. Please read more about each of them below and join with us in celebrating this next, new chapter that we will all write together.

Nathan Ahlgrim - Program Director

Nathan is a recent convert to a life outdoors, and he has embraced the change with the excitement that only the forest can incite. He grew up in the suburbs of Illinois and was always drawn to natural spaces. It wasn’t until he graduated from UNC-CH that he began to explore the mountains intently. All it took was his first backpacking trip to celebrate the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Hiking and camping grew to be a larger part of his life as he finished his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Emory University. The itch got too strong, and he left the career in research to teach in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the Sierra Outdoor School.

Returning to North Carolina to teach in a traditional school system didn’t stop him from keeping one eye open for new opportunities in the forest. GRP took a chance and brought him onto the team as an Environmental Mentor in the Summer of 2021. As he left that Summer, he dropped as many hints as possible that he would jump at the chance to join the team full-time if a position ever opened. The only thing better than a Summer at GRP is a life at GRP!

Jace Besold - Operations Director

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Jace came to love the outdoors at a young age thanks to hiking trips through the Sonoran desert with his grandfather. His time outside was largely spent rock climbing, backpacking, and mountain biking; though his favorite outdoor activity is spending time with friends around a campfire.

Wanting to share his passion for outdoor exploration with young minds, Jace first came to GRP in 2013 as a cabin counselor. Since then, he has filled many roles within our organization, including several years as a leader for Blue Ridge Expeditions. He found these connections to be profound and was itching to learn all that he could about the “behind the scenes” magic of the natural world. This led him back to school to obtain a B.S. in Biology from Appalachian State University with a focus on ecology, evolution, and environmental science. He is especially fond of plants, insects, and the intense interactions that occur between these two kingdoms of life.

His primary focus is managing and growing the Expedition Program, though it is likely you will see him involved with anything related to GRP. Jace is very excited for this new chapter with GRP and cannot wait to see you this summer!

Geoffrey Whitesides - Farm Manager

Geoffrey first came to Green River Preserve in 2017 for our annual Farm Feast event; and, he quickly became enamored with GRP’s mission and process.

He has been involved in regenerative agriculture for close to a decade now and professes a love for working with the land. His personal journey into sustainable agriculture began in 2007 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It was there that he saw how powerful small scale, diversified production of food could be. From the farmer, to the market, to the kitchen, it is a system that values food through local cultivation and — most importantly — the local community.

Geoffrey is incredibly happy to now call GRP home. He is humbled to have the opportunity to teach others about the responsibility and connection we have with the food and land, and how important it is that we encourage and strengthen that relationship. He believes that, as a community, we must nurture and encourage that spark of curiosity, and in doing so, we build a brighter future. He sees it as an enormous bonus that he gets to do all of that while getting to feed people delicious food as well!

Sean Cook - Kitchen & Dining Director

Born and raised in Richmond, Sean fell in love with summer camps at age eight, as a camper at a summer camp in Virginia. He loved every aspect of it and returned summer after summer. As an adult, Sean spent the school year working and managing various kitchens around Virginia. In the summers, he worked as a Counselor, Unit Director, Assistant Program Director, and, eventually, Activities Director. His favorite camp activity is boating. Sean’s other interests include playing the piano, and puppeteering.

Cooking and camping are two of Sean’s favorite activities, so he is ecstatic to use his knowledge of both subjects to provide delicious, healthy meals and snacks for all visitors of GRP.