Jon Carter Owner - Operations Director/ admissions Jon Carter was raised on his family farm located near Heart Mountain, Powell Wyoming, and the current home of Heart Mountain New Beginnings. He had many responsibilities as a young boy from irrigating crops to caring for livestock. Jon has always been an outgoing individual and was involved in many extracurricular activities. He was the president of his 4-H Club, Wyoming State Sheep Showman, wrestling team captain, and a four-year letterman. Jon has worked with youth his whole life, from 4-H junior leaders in High School; to coaching five to eighteen year olds in USA wrestling for nineteen years. Jon is a Bronze Certified Coach with the National Coaches Education Program. He has been a substitute teacher in the local Junior High School, and has been actively involved in the education of his own three children. After receiving his JC degree from Northwest College in 1978, he married his wife Gael and took over the family farm in 1980. During his fifteen year farming career, Jon hosted and mentored several young men through the Work Exchange Abroad Program. He taught young men from Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Poland and Ireland. Jon has raised and worked with horses for most of his life. He has extensive experience riding and packing horses in the surrounding mountains. Jon is always looking for an opportunity to educate and can identify an abundance of flora and fauna in the surrounding areas. He is an avid learner and a jack of all trades. He has knowledge of mechanics, welding, carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, concrete, and is a talented horse trainer. Jon found his calling when he was employed by an area youth program. He lived with the boys on a daily basis and soon discovered he could make a difference in the lives of the young men in his care. Although the job was very demanding, Jon found it to be incredibly gratifying. Although very satisfied with the rewards of the work, Jon felt there was more he could do for the boys and their families. With this in mind, he started Heart Mountain New Beginnings where he can focus on building men of integrity through education, teaching trade skills, work ethic, Christian values. He can support parents through extensive parent education, and help insure success with a unique aftercare program. jon@wyoboys.com Gael Carter Owner - Administrator Gael was born in Cooperstown, NY and grew up in the rural community of Oneonta, NY. Gael had an early love of horses and began English riding lessons at the age of six. Her parents gave her a horse when she was twelve years old. Jubilee had to be stabled a mile from her home, so Gael quickly learned the value of a bicycle. Gael was entirely responsible for the care of Jubilee and made the trip daily. This experience instilled within Gael the values of responsibly, dedication and hard work. During high school Gael was a four year member of her schools soccer team. As a senior she was named Most Valuable Player of the team which had a record of 14-1. After graduation Gael headed west to Northwest College in Powell, WY to study pre-veterinary medicine. In 1980 she made plans to transfer to Montana State University, but her plans changed when her soon to be husband asked her to marry. Together they took over the family farm on Heart Mountain. They farmed together for fifteen years and were blessed with three wonderful children. The two oldest children both graduated with Baccalaureate degrees in 2006. Their youngest is nineteen and attends college in Montana. Gael believes that the family farm environment provides the ideal setting for raising responsible, hard working, well rounded young adults. In 1980 Gael started J Bar G Quarter Horses with the purchase of her first bred registered mare. It wasn't long before she had a full breeding operation with the purchase of a stallion and several additional mares. At her peak of her operation she managed three stallions and serviced over fifty mares in one season. Gael became a licensed race horse trainer in the late eighties and raced horses in Montana. In 1992 she owned and raised the Champion two-year old filly for the state of Wyoming. Phil Fulton Executive Director Phil was born and raised on a family farm not far from the current home of Heart Mountain New Beginnings. It is here that the value of a hard days work was instilled in him from an early age. He took this same work ethic with him to the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he earned his first degree in secondary education. While in Laramie, God graced him with not only a beautiful wife but a new born son as well. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force. In 1971 he was commissioned to second lieutenant. A new baby girl arrived in 1972 while they were living in Oklahoma. Phil received his Navigator wings in 1973, which started a 22 year long career flying in B-52 bombers. The dedication and work ethic learned on the family farm, back in Wyoming served him well. He was promoted from a basic B-52 crewmember to a command level evaluator. It was at this time that Phil was asked to teach. He taught in the classroom, in flight simulators and in the aircraft. He spent four years teaching our nations' newly minted navigators to fly challenging B-52 missions. These missions included night terrain avoidance navigation and bombing. Phil then took to the air, flying with and evaluating flight crews all over the globe. When he returned to the States, he became an Air Force Recruiting Squadron Commander. He was responsible for all Air Force recruiting programs in the State of Michigan. In 1985, Phil received his Masters Degree in Human Resource Management from Gonzaga University in Spokane WA. The B-52 kept calling his name, he returned to them when he moved to North Dakota and was made Director of Training for an entire wing. Here he was responsible for all ground and air training for three hundred aircrew members. In 1993, after 22 years of service and with over 5000 hours of flying time; Phil retired from the Minot Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After retirement, he returned to Powell, Wyoming where he and his wife built there own house and then they started a small farming operation. His passion for teaching and his kind, gentle nature make him an asset to Heart Mountain New Beginnings and the boys in our care. Steve Alexander Teacher Steve Alexander After receiving his BA in Social Science, Steve acquired his California Teaching Credential. This propelled him into a twenty-five year career of teaching and coaching that would bring more joy and fulfillment then he ever imagined. In 1992, twelve of his former students and athletes submitted his name to be placed in the Whos Who Among American Teachers. This was an enormous reward from so many kids who bonded with the one concept Steve taught and lived by: Excellence in every facet of life is worth the effort. Finding a new arena for his love of teaching, he acquired a Wyoming Teaching Credential and began working at a ranch designed to help at-risk youth. For the past few years, he has been head bunkhouse parent, project manager, head educator, cowboy of sorts, counselor and cook. He still receives e-mails from past students who have turned their lives around after graduating from the programs he was fortunate to be part of. Wanting to be in on the building of a program from its inception, he found Heart Mountain New Beginnings to be an exciting and worthwhile project. Imprinting newly born foals, breaking a sweat by tamping gateposts and regaining an enthusiasm for education is his new march to excellence. Playing the fiddle, writing cowboy poetry, fighting twenty to thirty inch trout in the river and having the support of his wife of thirty nine years adds richness to his life. John Silva Equine Director John Silva was born in Billings Montana in 1973. He moved with his parents to Casper Wyoming when he was seven years old. He graduated from Kelly Walsh High School in 1991. While in High School he distinguished himself as a wrestler obtaining four freestyle wrestling titles and two Greco Roman wrestling titles. Following high school, he accepted a rodeo scholarship at Northwest Community College in Powell Wyoming. In 1994 he received a degree in History and Political Theory. Following college, John began his professional rodeo career as a steer wrestler. He has been a five time qualifier to the Mountain States Professional Rodeo Circuit Finals. He has been a two time runner up for the Mountain States Professional Rodeo Finals. In 2000, he was the Mountain States Professional Rodeo Circuit Finals Champion in Steer Wrestling. That same year he was a Dodge Finals Qualifier. He currently lives in Powell with is son Braden Silva. Besides rodeo John has been a small business owner owning various construction companies and even owning a retail store. He has a love for the outdoors frequently engaging in hunting and fishing. In fact, during the hunting season for the last ten years he has been a professional hunting guide. His most current endeavor is as Vice President of Medikids. John has experienced life from many professions, beginning with his professional rodeo career to becoming a highly respected horse trainer, athletic coach, and small business owner. With all these professional hats, John still believes his greatest professional roll is as a father, friend and student of life. Justin Jarrett Staff, Mentor, Tutor A Wyoming native, has made lifelong learning and the great outdoors his personal passions. Owner and operator of a successful big game outfitting business right here in the Yellowstone area for the past decade has afforded him many skills he is eager to pass on to our next generation. Being nationally recognized as America's premier Bighorn Sheep outfitter and guide, takes second place to his desire to better himself and those around him with a healthy Christian attitude. A successful profesional rodeo athlete, horsetrainer, business man and most importantly, loving father to two young men of integrity has given Mr. J.J. a playbook of knowledge, but above all ... his ability to learn, adapt and accept the challenges of mentoring and teaching respectable young men in today's atmosphere has landed him home at Heart Mountain New Beginnings. Jessica Rapp Therapist Jessica graduated with her B.A. in Biology from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, in 2006, Cum Laude. During her time in college, she also studied abroad in Cork, Ireland, the Galapagos Islands, and Ecuador. She was an outdoor recreation guide, barista, waitress, and ultimate frisbee player during college, where she met her husband. While there she also continued to pursue her passion of photography and yoga. Growing up on a farm is where she discovered her affection and connection to animals through raising and caring for various species. This is also why she seeks to help others grow from what one can learn about his or herself through the connection and understanding of God’s creatures. During high school she was an all-star cheerleader, pole vaulter, hurdler and a member of choir and jazz choir. She received her M. A. in Professional Counseling from Liberty University in 2011. She is very interested in the connection between the mind, body, and spirit and the potential for problems to arise in each realm. She understands that one’s nutrition, exercise, and mental health all interplay. These components manifest problems in connection with one another or serve to enhance one another. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques and a humanistic approach are at the foundation of her approach. Through counseling she seeks to empower individuals to call upon their internal and external coping mechanisms, strengths, and talents to achieve a healthy and fulfilling existence. The counselor integrates the ideas of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, mindfulness training, relaxation techniques, animal assisted therapy (including equine therapy), and psycho education, to help people find or create new and successful coping mechanisms. Using cognitive restructuring the counselor helps individuals challenge faulty thinking patterns and replace them with positive true statements. Through this technique one can rewire one’s neural pathways in correspondence with the new outlook on life. Through this lens, one can control their own fate and choose to respond instead of react and choose life deliberately. The counselor recognizes that one’s religion is often a great source of strength, comfort, and constancy in one’s life and can help one cope more effectively with stress, disappointments, and suffering in life. She believes in collaborating with the client to set obtainable goals and help them learn to take care of themselves despite obstacles. Michelle Croft Therapist Michelle Croft Michelle and her family, consisting of her husband of twenty years, a nineteen year old teenage son, an eighteen year old son, and a sixteen year old daughter are excited to have returned to their Wyoming roots. They returned to Wyoming from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the fall of 2009. They enjoy a variety of outdoor activities with ultra light backpacking and fly fishing being at the top of the list. Michelle is an avid exercise and health enthusiast , she incorporates physical and mental health into her therapy practice. Michelle embraces a Christian counseling perspective. Michelle Croft, LCSW, graduated from the University of Wyoming, Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Social Work. She graduated from New Mexico State University, number one in her graduating class, with her Master’s in Social Work. She has enjoyed opportunities to work with a diversity of clients and peoples utilizing a variety of therapeutic modalities. Michelle has experience working with clients with severe, persistent mental illness, and substance abuse issues. She worked as a child welfare provider with specialized skills in treatment and permanency planning. She became certified as a National Indian Child Welfare Association affiliate. Michelle provided individual and family therapy to at risk, middle school and high school youth and their families. She became recognized as an authority for efficacy in working with difficult populations such as gang involved and affiliated youth. She has worked with the nationally recognized Girl’s Circle and Boy’s Counsel Curriculum for at risk youth. She has been a co-facilitator for Equine Group Therapy. She is specialized in a variety of areas including suicide prevention, attachment disorders, and working with those who are victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Michelle has specialized training in managing and treating those convicted as sex offenders in their community. Michelle provides continuing education and training to other providers in managing relational aggression, and bullying among youth in schools. She has had the opportunity to work with an array of professionals and develop cooperative relationships with families, educators, law enforcement, juvenile justice, and service providers. Her expertise includes assessment, crisis intervention, case management, information and referral, treatment planning, individual and family counseling, supervision and consultation, education, research, advocacy, community organization and development, implementation and administration of policies, programs, and activities. Travis Rapp Educational Consultant Travis grew up in Palmer, Alaska where he graduated from Palmer High School in the top ten percent of his class. He also played varsity soccer and basketball all four years of high school. In high school he started working with teenagers as a club soccer coach; first assisting for three years, starting the summer after his freshman year and then becoming a head coach the summer after his senior year for three more seasons, extending into his first two years of college. Travis attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington starting the fall of 2001. He graduated with a B.A. in English and minors in Psychology and Studio Art. While in college he participated in varsity soccer as well as club basketball and Ultimate Frisbee. He is published a couple times over as a poet and worked as an assistant chef to help pay his way through school. He started working at HMNB in August of 2007 shortly after moving to Powell, Wyoming to marry Jon and Gael’s daughter Jessica. Travis started as a temporary tutor and in the first year moved up to a full time staff member, tutoring and mentoring daily. Travis then moved up into the position of Educational Director in the fall of 2008. He assess all of our incoming student’s transcripts and maps out an educational plan for each individual student, as well as continuing to mentor. Besides working for HMNB Travis also works with At-Risk Youth at the local middle and high schools as the ISS Para-educator. He also substitute taught all subjects at both the middle and high school prior to his current positions. He is now the head coach for the boys’ varsity soccer team, after coaching the girls’ Junior Varsity team in 2009 and 2010. He is currently enrolled at Regis University where he is receiving a M.ed in Education with Licensure to teach 7-12 grade Language Arts with a Reading Endorsement. The distance-learning program allows Travis to further his education as well as continuing to experience working with At-Risk as well as other students. Although Travis emphasized English in his education, he is just as apt at teaching Algebra, or Culinary Arts, Environmental Science or American History. Gibson Condie (Professional services available as needed) Ph.D in school psychology Dr. Condie obtained his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked as a psychologist in Powell for 18 years. Provides psychology services to the middle school and high school students; also provides consultation and supervision for a number of area mental health professionals. He also consults with area group homes, court systems, and other elements of law enforcement. In 1977 he was appointed by the governor to serve on the Wyoming Psychology Board and has been reappointed to that board for two additional terms. He is married and has four children Matthew Hopkins, M.D. (Professional services available as needed) Psychiatry Matthew V. Hopkins, M.D. Special Areas of Practice Addiction Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Adult Psychiatry Medical School Texas A & M University College of Medicine Residency Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Completed Fellowships in Child/Adolescent Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry Chief Resident, Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Board Certification/Affiliations American Medical Association American Psychiatric Association American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists Julie C. Kipp (Professional services available as needed) Educational Consultant Certifications: Wyoming Teaching Certificate, Exceptional Generalist K-12 Education: 1999 Masters Degree in Education, Lesley College. 1994 Special Education Endorsement K-12, MSU-Billings, MT. 1987 Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, MSU-Billings, MT. Professional Experience: District Special Education Case Manager/Parent Coordinator. Computer Lab Teacher, 10 years as a Special Education Teacher, 5 years as an Elementary Teacher. Professional Teaching Standards Board Portfolio Reader, Council of Exceptional Children member.