Jennifer Surgenor

Jenny grew up in the woods of Western Pennsylvania on a 200 acres overnight religious camp that was run by her parents, which she lovingly later referred to as her own personal outdoor playground. She also spent time vacationing in Algonquin Provincial Park and in these two places is where she developed a love of nature as well as outdoor and leadership skills.

Her journey continued on from there including a year abroad as an exchange student in Germany, undergraduate school at St. Lawrence University and shortly thereafter graduate school at Antioch New England in Keene, NH. While at St. Lawrence,  she participated in the Adirondack and Kenya semesters which were highly impactful learning experiences and expanded her outdoor skills and global awareness. At Antioch New England, she took a place based education course and has over the years tried to incorporate place based teaching into her practice. She is thrilled to continue and deepen this practice here at Chewonki as a core component of her teaching. 

Jenny lives in Wiscasset and has been enjoying exploring Midcoast Maine, particularly all the opportunities for outdoor recreation. She has become an avid open water swimmer and enjoys hiking, walking, running, snowshoeing and more! When she isn’t in Maine, she can often be found spending time with her family in NY and PA.