Aloha Foundation

Executive Director, Jim Zien is a graduate of Dartmouth College and spent many summers as a camper, camp counselor and horseback riding instructor at a camp in northern Wisconsin and, later in life, at a family camp on the coast of Maine. As a student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Jim became interested in non-formal, experiential approaches to learning, and subsequently served for more than a decade as the Director of Community Services & Educational Resource Development at the Boston Children’s Museum, developing innovative educational programs for children and their parents. Jim's enthusiasm for Aloha’s mission, his deep experience as a manager, and his hands-on expertise in starting complex new programs make him the ideal choice for The Aloha Foundation.

 

Aloha Camp Director, Marijean “MJ” Parry , follows a short line of Aloha directors: Mother Gulick, Mrs. Helen, Judy Downing and Nancy Pennell.  "MJ" brings to Aloha more than twenty years as a camp professional.  After working in a variety of counselor and program positions, "MJ" honed her directing skills at Girl Scout resident camps in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, and has spent the last 15 years at Boston University's Sargent Center for Outdoor Education, in Hancock, New Hampshire.  She has directed Adventure Camp for 10 to 17 year olds, the summer challenge and tripping program, and has managed the Sargent Center's year-round programs of outdoor and environmental education for school children in grades 5 through 8. Marijean spent the summer of 2007 working with Nancy Pennell and experiencing all of the special traditions and programs of Aloha.  Her dedication to the transformative nature of the camp experience makes her an exciting choice for leading Aloha into the next decades.

D. Barnes Boffey, Ed D, Lanakila Director, received his undergraduate degree from Middlebury College, and a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts. He was also the Director of the Elementary Education Teacher Training program at Dartmouth College for ten years. Barnes has written and published two books and numerous articles, and has a private counseling practice. He has been at Lanakila for 44 summers, as a camper, counselor, Assistant Director and Director.

Kathy Plunkett began her first summer as Director of Aloha Hive in 2005. For the nine years, Kathy served as Principal of several Vermont elementary schools, most recently in Westminster, VT. Kathy's Aloha connections include having spent six summers as a member of the Aloha Camp staff, serving as Aloha's Assistant Director, and having been the proud parent of two Lanakila campers.

The Director of Horizons Day Camp is Danny Kerr. Danny is a graduate of Hartwick College and the Upper Valley Teachers Institute. During the school year, he teaches, coaches and is a Dorm Head at the George School in Newtown, PA. Danny attended Lanakila as a camper and counselor before becoming Horizons' Director. His wife, Julia Kerr, is a long-time Hive staff member. Their three boys have all attended Lanakila.

Hulbert Outdoor Center Director, Andy Williams, has been with The Aloha Foundation since 1987 and has spent the last 32 years as a professional outdoor educator. He studied at the University of Massachusetts and Boston University. An avid lover of winter adventuring and back country travel, Andy is an expert in all things wilderness, including canoeing, skiing, mountain climbing, fishing, staying warm and dry in the out-of-doors, and cooking gourmet meals in the woods.