Meet The Team

Peter founded Backyard Journeys in 1996 after graduating from the Outdoor Leadership Program at Greenfield Community College, Peter turned his passion for the outdoors into a career facilitating team building experiences and guiding adventure trips. In 2002, he shifted his focus to facilitating professional development experiences for colleges, corporations and non-profits. Peter excels at designing and delivering engagement experiences that emphasize collaboration, communication and critical planning. Peter has had the pleasure of working with Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of other companies and colleges throughout the United States and Canada, helping them clarify roles, collaborate more effectively and become more cohesive teams. In his free time he enjoys the woods, rivers, lakes and mountains of New England with his wife Stephanie and their four boys.  

Dee has been leading enthusiastic programs and workshops in the areas of team building, communication skills, conflict resolution, and leadership development for over 35 years. She has facilitated various workshops, retreats and orientation programs for companies, college, non-profit organizations, governmental associations and US military family members. She has a BS degree from Springfield College with a double major in Community Leadership & Development as well as Psychology. 

In 1999, Dee founded Innovative Teambuilding, LLC which is dedicated to developing groups for success.   These workshops are designed to help to promote learning and to discover creative strategies, tactics, and tools for leadership, while maintaining a fun environment. Dee and Peter have been collaborating for the last 10 years delivering impactful programs. 

Dee’s hobbies include traveling, kayaking, backpacking, wine tasting, reading, coaching, sprint triathlons, international and domestic community service projects, and photography. She lives on the Queens River in West Kingston, Rhode Island with her husband.

Court is a K-12 and university educator with a multi-faceted career in experiential education, community education, and non-profit management. He holds his M.Ed. and is doing doctoral work at Northeastern University where he currently teaches in the leadership program. He is active in many non-profit organizations, including service on the Concord/Concord-Carlisle (Mass.) School Committee. His career ranges from his work with the New Games Foundation during an earlier era of adventure-based education to his current work with Backyard Journeys.

Jeff's path into experiential education started in 2004 at East Stroudsburg University, where he studied exercise physiology and recreation leadership.  While at ESU he began working at the university ropes course and quickly found an interest in the experiential learning process. 

Nearly 20 years later, he has worked as a physical education teacher, ropes course manager, and adventure guide, as well as higher education and corporate leadership facilitator. His approach to teaching and learning has continued to be a less-is-more pedagogy and engages others through the teaching philosophy of “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." - derived from Chinese Confucian philosopher, Xun Kuang 

Bart has an impressive 40 years of diverse experience that includes individual and group development, creating and implementing training programs for working professionals and organizational development consulting.  Bart specializes in intentional collaboration, learning and engagement strategies; simple work-life balance techniques; uniquely developed reflective exercises; custom designed workshops; and, train-the-trainer programs.  Specializing in experiential learning and a coach-approach to unlocking human potential.  Bart encourages organizations to consider how best to utilize their strengths.  He believes that play promotes practices that foster innovation, learning and collaboration.  Bart is known for his ability to use experiential learning, in conjunction with proven human resource techniques, to create opportunities for individuals and groups to function more effectively and authentically.  Bart's career began in the field of experiential and adventure based education, working with high-risk youth to help them explore, learn, and practice new strategies for problem-solving and communicating.  Since then, Bart's work has expanded to working with and training adults.  For years, he has developed customized programs and collaborated with thousands of educators, counselors, executives, and consultants worldwide.  His work experience has expanded to include many diverse organizations, municipalities, large and small business, non-profits, schools and universities, and individuals.

Glenn has been a high school wellness teacher since 1987. He has been facilitating team building and challenge course programs at The Warren Center since 1992 for corporate, college, adult and youth clients. Glenn received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education & Wellness at Springfield College and his Masters Degree at Framingham State College. 
Glen worked at various summer camps over the years facilitating, rock climbing, challenge courses, team building, water activities and life guarding.  Today Glenn's passion is still in teaching many outdoor activities and leading several clubs that include  mountain biking, surfing, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, and peer leadership programs.

Melisa is a dynamic and seasoned consultant and executive coach with over 30 years of successful facilitation in the fields of team building, strategic planning, and organizational development powered by a healthy curiosity, a strong belief in possibilities and a desire to create a better world.

She has successfully led and partnered with key stakeholders implementing organizational health and change initiatives achieving significant results in manufacturing, finance, academia, military, health care, and pharmaceutical.

Melisa holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Education with multiple certifications including online simulations, coaching certifications, leadership, team and individual assessments. She is a member of the Experiential Training and Development Alliance and an affiliate of The Table Group.

Melisa enjoys spending time with family and friends, learning, exploring creative endeavors and embarking on adventures near and far. In addition, she invests her time and energy through service to others both locally and internationally.

Brian is comfortable with a wide range of people, settings, and types of programs. Since discovering experiential education in high school, he gained relevant training and three decades of adventure leadership experience- from backcountry trip-leading to campus ministry. He designs purposeful growth experiences and leads with grace, honesty and humor.

Whether helping individuals develop or guiding teams toward greater connection and effectiveness, he is flexible, relational, creative and compassionate. Brian cares for people through listening and leads custom spiritual retreat experiences. He enjoys creating & fixing things, and playing outdoors with his wife and two children.

B.S. in Wildlife Ecology; Wilderness First Responder; specialties include sensory awareness, environmental sustainability, spiritual metaphors, ADHD and cross-cultural skills.

Sully has worked in the Experiential Education/Adventure field over 45 years. His experience as a facilitator, trainer, instructor and guide spans all ages and populations. For the past two decades, as a program director and trainer he has focused on design/delivery of technical, facilitation, and group process skills, as well as increasing risk management awareness. Early on his personal and professional investment in adventure and risk management was through rock climbing and mountaineering. As one of the owners of a full service climbing operation Sully shared his knowledge and passion with thousands of clients, instructing, and developing curriculum for a variety of programs. He has climbed extensively throughout North America.