Staff
Meet the people behind JUMP! Foundation.
Justin Bedard
Executive Director
Born in Lilongwei, Malawi, Justin spent his childhood in Indonesia and his formative years in China. Justin has a strong passion for community development and educational innovation, and he is recognized for his commitment to youth programs around the world. Justin has filled his life with adventure guiding, organizational consulting, leadership facilitation, community development, and time playing in the wilderness. In addition to his work with JUMP!, Justin currently sits on the board of directors for two non-profits: Educo Canada and Sports Beijing.
Joshua Gortney
Director of JUMP! China
Born in northeast Ohio, Joshua can tell you every notable person who was born, raised, or spent any significant amount of time in the Buckeye state. Joshua went to undergrad on a track scholarship, but his plans to become an Olympic pole vaulter took a backseat to his plans to intersect his interests in politics, education, and travel. After a year spent in Hangzhou as part of a Masters in International Education, Joshua just couldn’t get enough of schooling so ventured forth to a second Masters in International Relations at Hong Kong University.
Stuart Clark
Director of JUMP! Global
Stuart has a passion for helping people, groups and organizations reach their highest potential and make a positive difference in their communities. He has a background in leadership training, team-building, experiential education, wilderness guiding, youth and child services, non-profit organizational consulting and community development. Among many years of professional and academic endeavors, Stuart’s real education occurred on a series of personal and professional traveling journeys which took him to over 300 cities in 30 countries.
Chris Lin
Director of Finance & Operations
Chris hails from Washington DC and joins JUMP! to head finance, operations and strategy across the organization. He comes to JUMP! with over a decade of experience in building financial sustainability and growth strategies in various organizations ranging from NGO’s to Fortune 500 corporations. He now dedicates his knowledge and experience in creating meaningful impact to global communities with JUMP.
Ali Meighan
International Program Director
Born in New York City, Ali’s passion for travel was sparked through a high school trip to China. This initial experience prompted her to return to China to study abroad during college, where she was able to blend her love of art, history, and Asian culture. After receiving her bachelor’s in Art History from Syracuse University, Ali returned to China once more, where she inadvertently fell into the world of education. She spent four years teaching English and Geography at an international school in Shanghai, an experience which ignited her love of working with youth.
Eric Dooley-Feldman
Southeast Asia Program Director
After graduating from Connecticut College with a Bachelors degree in Anthropology in 2009, Eric moved to Wyoming to pursue a passion for outdoor adventure and exploration. Since then, Eric has served as a Naturalist throughout the National Parks and Forests of California, an adventure guide for students in Costa Rica, a community service and cultural immersion trip leader in Ecuador, a master senior field guide for Open Sky Wilderness Therapy, a guidance counselor in residential group homes, and an alpine ski coach for 10-14 year old racers in the Tetons of Wyoming.
Isabela Coelho
Experiential Education Program Director at NIST International School
Born in Brazil, Isabela’s experience has been varied in the field of experiential education and performing arts. Her experience range from performing with companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Wise Fool and Teatro de Los Sentidos, contributing to community projects with youth through the Miami Performing Arts Center, Sister-City Project and the UNESCO Universal Cultural Forum, to leading the Brazil Program as Country Director for Where There Be Dragons and Global Citizen Year.
Duke Xu
China Partnership Manager
Duke obtained his Master’s degree in International Education Policy & Management at Vanderbilt University. Along the journey, Duke initiated two technology start-up projects that one of the top accelerators in China has invested in as co-founder. He also led a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting stronger relationships between college students from China and the U.S. Most recently, he supported a leadership academy to train school principals in the U.S as a program assistant. Currently, Duke in Beijing, surrounded by rich history and charming hutongs.
John Cousins
Partnership Manager
John is an educator. He spent his childhood exploring the forests near Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, where his curiosity grew into a fascination with the way the natural world works. As a science teacher, he supported students as they learn to use models to understand the world around them and he worked with other teachers to develop and implement curriculum and instructional practices. While not teaching, you will most likely find John if you catch him on a run, stumble upon him reading in a cafe, or meet up with him after a backpacking trip.
Xueyan Liu
Senior Operations Manager
Xueyan was born in Jiangsu Province. After obtaining her degree in Economics, she moved to Germany to pursue a Masters degree in Sustainable Resource Management at the Technology University of Munich in 2004. After worked in the business sector for over four years, she realized that the sustainable development and social responsibilities in enterprises are very important topics for emerging China. Before joining JUMP! she worked for Wildlife Conservation Society overseeing project implementation and office operation.
Carson Townsend
International Partnership Manager
Carson hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of the most beautiful sky in the world. Carson has lived in Chile, Morocco, Spain, and New England (which he considers to be a foreign country), and over the course of his escapades, he has developed a passion for coffee-snobbery, urban cycling, and youth empowerment, the lattermost passion leading him to JUMP!. With an eye to showing the world the benefits of experiential education as an effective avenue to youth empowerment, Carson is excited to be a part of the JUMP! community!
Aditi Agrawal
GLC Manager at Ivanhoe Grammar School and Australia Partnerships
Aditi got her first taste for entrepreneurship when she started and grew her first NGO at the age of 17. Since then, she has worked across the globe in the education sector, as a program manager, curriculum designer and facilitator, teacher, researcher, content developer, designer and impact evaluator. She has worked with several organisations in education globally, such as Centre for Civil Society, Educational Initiatives Pvt. Ltd., Aga Khan Foundation (Kenya) and Teach For India. Previously she led ngoFuel and College-100 (US).
Monica Davis
North America Partnership Manager
Monica is a life enthusiast who views the world as a continual opportunity for adventure and learning. Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, Monica has a myriad of experience event planning regionally and nationally. Some of her projects include: the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, two tours with The David Suzuki Foundation (ENGO), and TED Talks. She graduated from Capilano University with a B.A. in Tourism Management. Work has taken Monica to Asia, US, England, across Canada and through BC.
Rebecca Walker
Southeast Asia Partnership Manager
Rebecca grew up by the sea in England. She trained as a dancer in London, worked with a dance company of adults with learning difficulties whilst studying, and spent time with an NGO in Namibia that uses dance to educate young people about HIV/AIDS. These experiences saw her cultivate a passion for the arts and social change which she focused on in her dissertation. Since studying she has indulged in her geeky love for all things excel, working as a continuous improvements analyst in the banking sector.
Lauren Donnison
Thailand Partnership Manager
Lauren first visited Asia in 2005. She always had a passion to work with people and working in the field of community development. Her first working adventure in Asia took her to South Korea where she taught English. Then she completed her MA in International Development at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Following this, she worked with World Education on the Thai- Myanmar Border training young adults in community development. She then moved into Myanmar in 2014 to work in the field of access to justice and legal education with BABSEACLE.
Lindsay Bailey
Bangkok Partnership Manager
Lindsay grew up in Canada. After receiving her degree in Criminal Justice and Public Policy from the University of Guelph, Lindsay explored her passion for culture and traveling by moving to India. Living there, she discovered her interest in community development while working for a small NGO. After spending two years in India, Lindsay made her way to Korea where she taught English. Not yet ready to return home, she made her way to Bangkok, Thailand and is now pursuing an alternative style to classroom education through her work at JUMP!.
Irene Wu
JUMP! Development Partnership Manager
Born in Beijing and raised in Japan and Hong Kong, Irene took a leap of faith to the United States at the age of 15 in search for a better education. Her experience living and working in five countries across three continents convinced her that social cohesion is a prerequisite for sustainable development, and education is the gateway to achieving social cohesion. Irene is incredibly grateful and humbled that through her work with JUMP!, she gets to work alongside future generations as they discover their own self.
Lars Nielsen
HR Manager
Lars is Danish but has been living overseas for the last 15 years, either as a Peacekeeper in Bosnia & Kosovo, a summer camp Counselor & Director in New England, or an outdoor experiential education Instructor, Coordinator, Manager & Director in Hong Kong and Thailand. He is a teacher but soon switched the classroom with the great outdoors, feeling that youth needs to learn more than what’s taught in school to be successful. With a young son, Lars interests of flying and caving have recently been superseded by more paternal endeavors.
Nick Hathaway
Program Manager
Nick spent his youth between the cityscape of St. Louis and camping in the rural plains of Missouri. He studied journalism, although experiential education transcended his formal learning. Nick delivered individualized presentations to classrooms from 15 to nearly 400 students promoting his university’s multicultural certificate, which emphasizes an education on multicultural and global issues. On his academic breaks, Nick participated in trips on topics pertaining to environmental development, disaster relief, and working with at-risk youth.
Coco Chen
Program Manager
Born and raised in a countryside of Hunan province, in the Southern part of China, Coco Chen spent most of her childhood playing outside or playing ping-pong and badminton with her friends. She recently graduated from the China University of Geoscience in Beijing in June 2014, where she spent her days studying English a bit, but mostly doing volunteer jobs, making new friends in the community, and exploring different places in China. You can find Coco reading, climbing, and singing when she is free with her friends in a Chinese KTV.
Yufei Du
Program Manager
Yufei was born in Shandong Province, the hometown of both Confucius and Tsingtao Beer. He spent his first 17 years in China. Later he went at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Although Yufei had majors in both International Relations and Economics, his curiosity has led him seek knowledge far beyond academic disciplines. Yufei likes to observe things and explores why. To him, the question “why” is always about “how come” rather than “for what”, therefore knowing one’s opinion is far less interesting than figuring out why one has that opinion.
Mary Ulseth
Program Manager
Mary’s passion for travel has a long and varied history. It began in Latin America, where she discovered her love for foreign languages, community development, and salsa dancing. She further pursued these endeavors in college by majoring in Anthropology and Global Development Studies and since then has continued to explore issues surrounding women’s rights, social justice, and experiential education. For the past two years, she has led programs focused on elephant conservation, social justice and community development.
Hayley Hucks
Program Manager
Hayley hails from California, where she spent most of her childhood exploring the seas of Santa Cruz with her surf board. Upon graduating with a double major in English Literature and Children’s Theatre, she began leading multi-day backcountry trips through the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park and Sequoia National Park.Most recently, Hayley has been working in China and Switzerland as an outdoor educator. When she isn’t zipping around the world, Hayley enjoys a solid sleeve of Oreos, milk, and a good book.
Jasnam Sachathep
Program Manager
Jasnam is a Thai-Indian who has lived in Bangkok all her life. She is is passionate about bringing change to Thailand, and she has worked in the public sector with many different NGOs. Jasnam got her Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in M.A., USA in triple majors Economics, Sociology and International Global Studies. She is currently pursuing her Masters of International Teaching so that she can fulfill her dream of being a teacher. She believes that education is an essential key to success and everyone should have the right to be educated.
Esmeralda Herrera
Program Officer
Hailing from Bronx, NYC, Esmeralda holds a degree from Reed College where she studied Linguistics and Political Science. Since then, Esmeralda has worked in over 15 public/alternative schools in both New York City and Portland, Oregon. In Portland she has led her own alternative educational program with a strong social work lens. Esmeralda engaged in a diverse set of programming and event management for organizations like Harlem’s Children Zone, AmeriCorps, Reed College’s Office for Institutional Diversity, and Cascade Aids to name a few.
Mengya Wang
Program Officer
Mengya was born and raised in Beijing. Instead of signing a contract to play professional volleyball in China, Mengya chose to pursue higher education in the US and play NCAA Division 1 volleyball on a full scholarship. With over ten years of experience in playing and coaching at high-level volleyball teams, she has developed strong interests in learning and training teamwork and leadership. After receiving an MBA from Dominican University of California, Mengya is now back to her homeland and continue to pursue her passion for education.
Qin Dong
Program Officer
Qin was born in Shanxi province and majored in Philosophy at Jilin University. While she was in college, she had a life-changing experience: an study abroad trip to Finland. It was her first chance to immerse herself in a different culture and start to reflect on the educational system she grew up with in China. Driven by the desire to delve deeper into international education, she then chose to do her 6-month internship at GJIS, one of the leading international schools in Jakarta. She also joined a two-year Teach for China fellowship in a remote town in Yunnan Province.
Linda Zhang
Operations Officer
Linda was born in the northeast of China. During her early age, she moved a lot along with her parents and grew up in more than 6 provinces in China, which developed her insight and passion for experiencing various cultural environments. After graduating from college in China, majoring in English and Economics, she went to the UK and received her Master’s in marketing and management. Before JUMP!, she worked as the program manager in an animal protection NGO for 3 years, being true to her love and passion for animals.
Winn Anuworakarn
Finance Officer
Winn was born in Thailand, lived in the UK and Australia for 13 years where he completed his degrees in accounting and IT. He has moved back to Thailand since 2014. He has a passion for travel, culture and arts. He enjoys playing Sudoku and badminton.