Admissions Staff

Leah Halverson, Admissions Director

Phone: 866-205-2500
Fax: 801-906-6631
Cell: 801-550-8971
Email: leah@snwp.com

Leah is a graduate of Sterling College, where her passion for outdoor education and wilderness therapy truly began. She has spent the last fourteen years working in outdoor programming, and started her career at Aspen Achievement Academy in Southern Utah. Leah worked at AAA for five years in varying capacities including Senior Field Instructor and Admissions Counselor prior to being promoted to the position of Admissions Director. In the fall of 2002, Leah accepted the position of Admissions Director at SUWS of the Carolinas, in Western North Carolina where she worked until joining the Second Nature Admissions team in the spring of 2004.

At Second Nature, Leah has truly found her home in the industry. She is passionate about working for a company that is exhaustively committed to helping students and families achieve success and well-being. Leah believes strongly in the individualized clinical model at Second Nature, and is thrilled to be surrounded and supported by a team that shares her enthusiasm for serving families with a strong focus on customer service and professionalism. In the spring of 2008, she was promoted to the role of Admissions Director. This progression has allowed her to continue her work with families while also providing support and development opportunities to her team and each of our program locations at an even higher level.

While she has lived in many beautiful regions of the country, Leah grew up in Western Massachusetts and still remains a New Englander at heart both in sporting arenas and driving practices. During her free time, Leah enjoys spending time with her friends and dog Fremont. In addition, she loves watching most sports, eating most foods, playing mediocre golf, wakeboarding, snowboarding and racing triathlons.

Shahara Davis, Admissions

Phone: 866-205-2500
Fax: 801-401-7146
Cell: 801-274-2192
Email: shaharad@snwp.com

Shahara has been with Second Nature since February, 2000. Initially she worked in the Transport department. Her responsibilities included picking up new students, transporting them to the office, accompanying them through the initial intake process, and helping create an environment to ease the transition for students struggling with the concept of wilderness.

In May of 2003, Shahara joined the Admissions department. As an Admissions consultant she has the opportunity of working closely with families and referring consultants. As a parent, she understands the complexity of the emotional and financial issues involved in making the decision to place a child in wilderness. She also recognizes that by the time a family contacts an Admissions Representative, parents have already experienced great sadness, worry and frustration about their child and the impact of what is happening in their family. Shahara feels fortunate to be a part of the Second Nature team and participate in the process of assisting families in taking the first steps to a renewal of hope, insight, and growth, for the child or young adult, and their family.

Shahara attended the University of Utah where she studied Child Development and Social Work. Her commitment to children and adolescents has always been a paramount focus of her life. She has volunteered in local schools, and held positions of leadership while serving on committees which promote education and families. She worked diligently to encourage cooperation and partnership between local business and communities for the benefit of children and families.

Shahara is the mother of 4 grown children - two daughters and two sons (plus a great son-in-law). She enjoys traveling with her family, exercising and going to movies!

Her greatest joy is being the Grandmother of two wonderful little boys!

Steve Kirk, Admissions

Phone: 866-205-2500
Fax: 801-406-8008
Cell: 801-785-7933
Email: stevek@snwp.com

Steve joined the admissions department at Second Nature in April of 2006. His primary desire in joining Second Nature was to be part of a process that has such a positive and powerful impact on those struggling to find their way emotionally and behaviorally, which this opportunity indeed provides. Steve's own struggles as an adolescent, and now the constant endeavor of raising three kids of his own, have provided a well rounded perspective on the parent/child dynamic and its challenges.

Steve attended Brigham Young University where he earned a degree in Communications and a minor in Business. Prior to joining Second Nature, Steve worked in many customer service capacities in the software industry. He now provides support to the admissions team and works closely with families in crisis and with educational consultants during the initial admissions process.

Steve loves to spend time hanging out with his wife and kids, going to movies, sporting events, listening to music, and enjoying good food! He also loves to golf and wakeboard, and is fanatical about watching any sport with a ball, especially football, baseball, and basketball!

Tere Snodgrass, Admissions

Phone: 866-205-2500
Fax: 770-454-0130
Cell: 770-313-8487
Email: tere@snwp.com

Tere has 18 years experience working in admissions and consultant relations. She brings with her well rounded expertise regarding short term programs, therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment facilities.  Tere is committed to assisting families in crisis.  She strives to establish relationships based upon trust and integrity.

She grew up in Tucson and attended the University of Arizona where she studied Criminal Justice. Tere has lived in the Southeast for 16 years and currently resides in a suburb outside of Atlanta.
Tere and her husband David are the proud parents of  two beautiful daughters. Family is very important to Tere.  She is adamant her girls know grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, so there are many family trips to Arizona and Tennessee.   She enjoys college sports, especially the PAC 10 and SEC conferences. She also loves watching her girls ride Tennessee Walking horses, reading, traveling and gardening.

Lori Armbruster

Family Services and Development, Admissions

Phone: 866-205-2500, ext 6
Cell: 208-771-0830
Fax: 208-439-5082
Email: loria@snwp.com

Lori has over 19 years of experience in Admissions, Family Services and Marketing. Lori has served as Executive Director of Consultant Relations, Admissions Director and Executive Director of Customer Service in a variety of therapeutic settings from wilderness to residential. Prior to joining the team at Second Nature, Lori served as Director of Admissions for a private emotional growth boarding school for adolescents in Montana. Lori's goal as an admissions counselor has always been to provide clarity, support and guidance to each family with whom she works. From a young age, Lori knew she wanted to work with families largely due to many of her own personal experiences as a teen who attended boarding school. It is her sincere passion for people and attention to detail that drives Lori's desire to be a calming resource for families in crisis.

Lori attended college in northern California where she studied Psychology. She has lived in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho for the past 25 years. She and her husband Jim have two wonderful children, a 16 year-old daughter who is a sophomore in high school and a 21 year-old son, who attends Boise State University in Idaho. The Armbruster family truly loves sports and as a result, Lori is an enthusiastic "soccer mom". On any given weekend, she is likely on a field, or on a court cheering on the kids and loving every minute of it. Lori loves volunteering in her community, taking trips to sunny places, and simply enjoying quality time on the lake with her family.

Libby Griffin

Admissions Assistant

Phone: 541-410-0909
Fax: 541-706-9402
Email: libby@snwp.com

Libby grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a student athlete she went on to earn a scholarship to play soccer at Eastern Michigan University. At EMU Libby studied Secondary Education with a major in Social Studies and History. After earning her Bachelors Degree and teaching license, Libby left the traditional classroom and used her training to work with adolescents at Second Nature Cascades in 2006. As a field instructor she discovered her admiration for the healing power of nature. After working her way to become a Senior Field Instructor she transitioned into the role of Clinical Assistant working for Dr. Willow Huffine. As a clinical assistant Libby was able to use her field experience to work directly with parents while their children were in the wilderness at Second Nature Cascades.

Upon the arrival of her son Elliott, Libby made the transition to working with the admissions team. As the admissions assistant Libby uses her knowledge of the field and of our program to help families at the beginning of the wilderness experience. Libby is able to use her experience as a field staff and clinical assistant to help describe the many aspects to the wilderness intervention. Libby finds a great deal of satisfaction in being able to work with families at the beginning of the process as she is able to draw upon her experience in the field and the office to offer hope to an often difficult situation.

Libby currently resides in beautiful Bend, OR with her husband, Griff and son, Elliott and blue heeler mix, Maggie Mae. Since she no longer works in the field with the students, Libby looks for every opportunity she can find to get out and explore the vast wilderness that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Jennifer Graham, MS

Professional and Community Development

Fax: (818) 475-5494
Cell: (310) 633-3153
Email: jgraham@snwp.com

Jennifer earned her Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and went on to earn her Masters in Counseling Psychology from Dominican University. She worked for 10 years with young adults and adolescents in residential treatment facilities, focusing on addiction, adoption, and legal issues. Jennifer also served as Program Director at a treatment facility in northern California and as a Family Therapist in an inpatient program. She developed and instituted anger management courses in juvenile hall facilities in northern California.  Prior to joining the Second Nature team,  Jennifer had been an Educational Consultant for 10 years, traveling extensively, visiting programs and working with families in need.

Jennifer was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Southern California.  Her Nephews are her joy and she enjoys spoiling them whenever possible.  Spending time in the garden, watching football (49ers) and traveling are some of Jennifer''s favorite hobbies.

Kevin J. Kindlin, M.A., CSAC

Professional and Community Development

Fax: (646) 390-6745
Cell: (646) 842-2843
Email: kevink@snwp.com

Kevin received his Master's degree in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Psychotherapy from Phillips Graduate Institute, Encino Ca.  He began his education by completing the BFA program at The University of Pittsburgh and went on to become a certified substance abuse counselor and a Gorski-certified relapse prevention specialist.

Kevin began his career working in non-profit treatment at Cri-Help in Los Angeles, working closely with indigent clients helping them achieve change in their lives.  Kevin felt blessed to have great colleagues. He sat on the Los Angeles Mayor’s select commission on HIV and HEP C prevention. Kevin then began working with adolescents serving as a Clinical Outreach Coordinator for the Insight Treatment program In North Hollywood California. He also worked with Visions Malibu where he helped to open their second residential facility and worked in both a residential and outpatient capacities with families there. For years, Kevin also worked with families with wide-ranging treatment needs in a California-based Educational consulting firm. Additionally, he served as Adolescent Chair for the Los Angeles chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Kevin also served as Executive Director for New Roads, a young adult treatment facility in Provo, Utah.

Kevin is based out of New York City, working to enhance Second Nature's Family Services, facilitating community outreach, and helping to further develop client-based programming at all Second Nature locations. Kevin works closely with Program Directors and Second Nature clinicians to develop specialized group niches. He also assists with Family Support Groups and Workshops in the New York City area, and helps with facilitating upcoming Second Nature consultant and family retreats.

As one of eight children, Kevin has lived most of his life “In group”! He grew up understanding the need for all voices to be heard. He enjoys being a “team player”. Kevin has a strong and loving family, most of who still reside near his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. Kevin is an avid Pittsburgh Steeler fan, and has a passion for theater, music, film and art and loves living in one of the greatest cities in the world where he can feed his soul and have the unique opportunity to help others!