Joe Waksmundski

Program Director

Joe Waksmundski has been with the Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) since early 2002 and is currently the Program Director of Youth Corps. Previously, he was YouthCorps Program Manager. Before joining NYC, Joe worked for the Canyon Country Youth Corps in Utah and the San Jose Conservation Corps in California as well as teaching Environmental Science in Minnesota. Joe has B.S. in Environmental Science from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and when not working he enjoys skiing, rafting, and hiking.

Tom Helmer

Program Coordinator

Originally from upstate New York, Tom has been with NYC on and off since the summer of 2002. He started building trail in the Adirondack Mountains in 1998 while in college, and has subsequently worked for a number of trail building organizations from Vermont to California. Tom has a B.S. in Natural Resources from Paul Smiths College, and enjoys hiking, moving rocks, and reading when not at work.

Adam Taylor

Program Coordinator

Adam came to us from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, eating apples and joining in Civil War reenactments. After hiking the Appalachian Trail and finally finishing his Graphic Design degree, he wandered around the country with his snowboard and unrelenting desire to see as many national parks and monuments as he can (current total 84). He has been a hiking/backpacking guide in the Tetons, a lead-lifty on many ski-mountains, lived in Hood River, Tucson and Colorado. The “Captain” has led crews for NYC and also Southwest Conservation Corps, and lives for long-distance hiking. In his spare time, when not glued to the snow-cams of various ski resorts while drooling, he jams his guitar with anyone that he can, and gripes about why he has to spend twice as much for half the amount of lactose-free milk.

Cole Southworth

Program Coordinator

Cole began his epic NYC adventure in '04 as an Assistant Crewleader on Washington SCC, and now has found himself as the Program Coordinator for South Summer and Fall Conservation Corps. Cole hails from the great town of Eugene. Receiving a B.S. in Biology from the University of Oregon, with a brief medical internship in South Africa, Cole aspires to find his way to medical school. Currently, Cole is a wilderness EMT. His time away from NYC is often spent reading, hiking, camping and rearranging his spice rack.

Jenna Ebel

Program Coordinator

Jenna was born and raised in Naples, Florida, land of alligators and golf courses. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Miami but now finds herself much more at home in the mountains. She took a break during college to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail, which she finished hiking entirely in 2005. Following college, Jenna worked as a member of a residential conservation corps in western Massachusetts and discovered the joy of digging beautiful trail. After a season of leading groups of 6th graders at an outdoor science school in Southern California, she headed up to Oregon and to NYC in 2006. When not in the field, Jenna enjoys knitting, yoga, backpacking, and coloring pictures of Care Bears.

Julie Romig

Program Coordinator

After roaming the world, Julie is re-establishing her roots in the Pacific Northwest. Julie has a Bachelor of Architecture and a B.A in Art History from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. After living it up in the Ozarks, Julie spent time in Greece, Denmark and Seattle in various architectural settings. But the call of the wild was too much to ignore, and she ended up as field staff over the last two years at NYC, and will now be spending much quality time working throughout Oregon and Washington. Julie enjoys skiing, hiking, backpacking, climbing, and occasionally revisiting her artsy side and making a pretty picture.