FLYY’s Team

Co-Founder - Jessie Kushner

Jessie Kushner has worked with teens, young adults, families, and professionals for almost 30 years through employment at Outward Bound and other wilderness programs within the juvenile corrections system. While at Outward Bound, Jessie developed curriculum and directed the Intercept Program for at-risk teens and families, pioneered programming for at-risk teen girls, instructed numerous semester courses for college-aged students, and introduced and implemented restorative justice principles and practices into the educational curriculum nationwide. Jessie has worked in numerous roles for both wilderness and urban centers within the Outward Bound system across the United States, and was honored to participate in a facilitator training with Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding. Jessie has also served as a national staff trainer for Outward Bound.

In 2011, Jessie co-founded the non-profit Forward Learning Youth & Young Adults (FLYY) to help youth and families that were marginalized, overlooked, and not effectively reached by or able to access existing community resources. This innovative program combined key components for healing that are rarely if ever offered together through a single organization: a lengthy wilderness expedition, parent skill development and support groups, as well as critical, post-expedition aftercare located at a drop-in center. The curriculum for programming centered around a restorative framework and practices. At FLYY, Jessie has held multiple roles: Co-Founder, Executive Director, Course Director, Field Instructor, Staff Trainer, Parent Group Facilitator, Circle Keeper, Mediator, and Mentor. Beginning in 2015, Jessie partnered with experienced Native American professionals whom helped FLYY elevate its required cultural competency to support Native American teens and families. Subsequently, Jessie and the FLYY team spearheaded “FLYY Tribal”, which was characterized as a multi-faceted wilderness program with added culturally responsive components for Native American youth and families. Running year-round for six-years, FLYY’s wilderness expedition program offered high-risk youth and families a way to discover and develop character and resiliency, and proved to be a life-changing catalyst for hundreds of individuals and their families throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Best known for her work in building rapport with diverse populations, Jessie uses restorative justice principles in a variety of applications to facilitate dialogues around difficult topics. She believes that all people need the opportunity to tell their story, and be seen, heard, valued, and understood. Jessie provides the positive support necessary to help people understand themselves, their relationships, and their surroundings with courage and integrity. Jessie works from an empathetic, trauma-informed, and holistic perspective offering people the opportunity to discover their own resiliency and worth. Jessie is experienced and skilled at developing effective and creative curriculum geared at impacting positive change and healing opportunities for youth, young adults, and families. Additionally, she works collaboratively to develop a clear vision for curriculum implementation, risk management, and program delivery for both large and small-scale projects.

Jessie has extensive training and expertise in the areas of: rapport; conflict management and transformation; restorative justice principles and practices; curriculum development, design, and implementation; communication; racial justice; group culture; family systems; assessment; violence prevention; and risk management. She has worked in the wilderness in all seasons in a variety of landscapes and regions of the United States, community service organizations, urban community centers, and with numerous companies and organizations. Jessie received her B.A. in Outdoor Education in 1993, is a Wilderness First Responder, and is CPR & SCAN-MRT certified. She also received her training as a mediator at from the UW-Wisconsin Continuing Studies, and as a Circle Keeper from the Minnesota Department of Education & Legal Rights Center.

Clinical Director - Jordan Rozeske

Jordan Rozeske, MSW, LCSW has worked as a 
social worker in many different capacities for 
the past ten years. After receiving her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois,
 she moved to Colorado where she became Clinical Director and lead therapist at San Juan Wilderness. Living and working in the mountains became a love and a passion, as did working with troubled teens in this naturally therapeutic setting. Jordan’s current position at FLYY is the Director of Operations, which includes managing all non-wilderness services, in addition to having a caseload of therapy clients. Jordan brings a skill set to FLYY that includes prior work with Children/Family Services, community mental health, family and individual therapy, and case management. She specializes in working with complex family systems, challenging teens, young adults, adoption and foster care issues, trauma. Her techniques include, but are not limited to: CBT, DBT, TFCBT imagery, mindfulness, and art therapy. Jordan is also a CCS mentor with the Flight program at FLYY.

Executive Director - Tarek Said

For the last eleven years, Tarek has managed operations at several large and small nonprofit organizations and in 2010 founded Giving Root, a business which helped NGOs enhance their potential through the use of Constituent Relationship Management tools. Tarek credits an early career stint of managing financial development projects at the Chicago-based YMCA national resource office as the catalyst to a future in institutional fundraising and nonprofit management. He has interests in developing anti-violence projects, helping Native American tribes, and studying the latest trends in philanthropy. Tarek has a passion and a lengthy track record for helping a variety of unique and innovative nonprofits reach their goals and fulfill their missions across the United States. Tarek has a B.A. in Communications from John Carroll University, and in 2011, completed the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at Northwestern University.

Tina Elliot

Tina is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Wisconsin and is excited to be a part of the FLYY team as both a therapist and individual skills coach. She grew up north of Chicago and recently relocated to Madison after living in Colorado for seven years. While in Colorado, Tina received her Master’s of Arts from Naropa University in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, which incorporates a holistic, mind-body approach to therapy. She also worked in various mental health settings including crisis, domestic violence, transitioning from inpatient treatment, wilderness therapy and more. Her approach is person-centered, empowering, and strength-based using techniques such as DBT, mindfulness, and relaxation coping skills. Tina looks forward to connecting with each person she works with and learning about their unique basic goodness.

Stevie Fownes

Stevie has an M.A. in Communications from Northwestern University and recently became a Board Certified Life Coach. Her lifelong passion for personal growth, spiritual development, and the healing arts fueled her decision to leave her business career in 2016 and devote herself full-time to helping others overcome obstacles and create positive change in their lives. As a parent, she knows first-hand the challenges kids and teens face in our social media driven society, and that anxiety and depression have become common experiences. She aims to empower clients to discover their strengths, embrace their wisdom and transform negative emotions in order to grow and thrive.

Cecilia Goldschmidt

Cecilia has worked in case management, received her Masters of Social Work from UW – Madison, and currently works as a therapist. She enjoys a wide variety of activities and enjoys working with people of all ages. As a Life Skills Coach, Cecilia’s main priority is to learn about her client’s interests and strengths in order to make progress towards goals. Cecilia brings creativity, fun, and connection with whomever she works with.

Dylan Heemstra

Dylan recently received his Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Edgewood College; where he also obtained his BS in Clinical Counseling Psychology and played college basketball. Over the past year Dylan has worked at two of Wisconsin’s correctional institutions working with men individually while also creating and facilitating DBT groups. Being an ISSA certified fitness trainer and a former horticulturalist, Dylan believes strongly in the balance between mind and body; personally identifying the natural world as essential to both. He enjoys hiking anywhere, but especially somewhere that has a waterfall within earshot. Dylan works with clients to feel empowered and confident in their own abilities by using therapeutic approaches such as DBT, Narrative therapy, Solution-Focused therapy, and mindfulness in combination with creating positive life experiences together.

Erica Lancaster

Erica Lancaster, MA, LPC has worked with young adults and adults in many capacities over the past nine years- leading backpacking and kayaking trips or through post-wilderness therapeutic work and her therapy private practice. Erica earned her Master’s degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. She uses mindfulness as her foundation and integrates modalities including DBT, acceptance and commitment therapy, and somatic trauma therapy. She is a 200 hour yoga teacher, reiki level I certified, and a wilderness first responder. Erica’s passion in life is empowering others to see their infinite wisdom through therapeutic healing.

Brook Landeo

Brook Landeo enjoys being outdoors and taking care of her amazing alpaca farm. Some of her hobbies include helping others through her social work degree, traveling to South America, and playing basketball. One thing she loves about working at FLYY is the opportunity get to teach life skills to individuals in a fun way.

Kate Lauth

Kate is originally from Minneapolis, MN and grew up spending summers in northern Minnesota and Michigan. Kate went to Oberlin College and studied Anthropology and Environmental Studies. She lived in Durango, Colorado for three years and worked at a wilderness therapy program with adolescents and young adults. Kate received her Masters in Social Work at UW-Madison and works as a family therapist with a passion for working with adolescents and their families. Kate enjoys yoga, canoeing, riding bikes, playing board games, swimming, cooking, and skiing.

Nate Olson

Nate’s background includes experiences in non-hierarchical business operations, outdoor education, indigenous traditions and ceremony, involvement with Men’s groups, work with the prison population, and hospice volunteering. Nate graduated from Edgewood College’s Marriage and Family Therapy program in 2017. As a therapist-intern at The Family Center in Madison during this time, he had the honor of working with men and women, youth, couples, and families.  Nate’s supportive style is positive, experiential, and solution-focused, and involves mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-leadership. As a mentor and coach, he aims to build autonomy, connection, and authentic sense of self. Nate considers it a privilege to work with his clients.

Mary Patterson

Mary Lynn Patterson, MA, R-DMT is pursuing board certification in Dance/Movement Therapy and professional counseling licensure (LPC). After graduating from Drexel University’s Creative Arts Therapy Department in Philadelphia she returns to her home state of Wisconsin. While at Drexel University, she received a master of arts degree in Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling. Mary is a University of Wisconsin-Madison alumna where she completed a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance. Throughout her graduate education, Mary worked in the field of dance/movement therapy serving populations from children to adult in behavioral health, mental health, substance use disorders, schools, and community-based settings. In Philadelphia Mary worked closely with the Drexel Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships as a lead teacher for community dance and movement classes. Mary is also pursuing creative ventures as a freelance dancer and collaborative choreographer. 

Nicole Stubbe

Nicole is a born and raised Wisconsin-ite who has lived and worked in different areas of the state. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Creative Writing at UW- Eau Claire and spent a several years working in the mental health field before going back and completing her Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Edgewood College. Nicole has always enjoyed working with the adolescent and young adult population, including those with strong behavioral challenges. Her work experience includes time in group homes, staffed foster homes, and Northwest Passage residential treatment center. She also completed her internship with Transitions Behavioral Health doing in-home therapy and mentorship and working on CCS teams. Nicole loves to use DBT, CBT, and narrative based approaches in her work and loves the systems-based approach that CCS and in-home therapy can provide. She is currently working as a skills coach and CCS service facilitator within FLYY.