Staff & Employment
Meet KEEN's current Staff!
KEEN hires dedicated, energetic, and talented individuals passionate about teaching and leading youth. Our trip leaders and camp counselors have backgrounds in wilderness medicine, backcountry survival skills, and a wide variety of educational fields such as biology, anthropology, chemistry, geology, geography, art, and music. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences and are committed to providing youth with fun and educational excursions outdoors while maximizing the safety of all campers. Let's meet this year's motley crew!
Anna Baldwin
environmental education director
time with keen: newly hired 2026!
Anna Baldwin (she/they) was born and raised in Ellensburg, and grew up spending time outdoors in the beautiful shrub steppe. She has fond memories exploring Central Washington as a child, and took this love of the outdoors with her on many adventures after leaving the valley. She graduated from CWU in 2023 and spent several months solo backpacking Europe before moving to Colorado, eventually making her way back to
Washington state to be closer to family. She has been working with kids for many years, and her focus is now in outdoor education. Nonprofits are where she feels happiest and she is excited to join the KEEN team serving her hometown community as the new Environmental Education Director! In her free time, Anna loves to watch live music and play silly songs at open mic nights. She also enjoys reading, playing outdoors, watching movies, and hosting dinner parties!
Jen Smith
environmental educator
time with keen: 5 years
Growing up in the Methow Valley, Jennifer was immersed in a vast, rural landscape that provided many opportunities to witness mother nature in action. As a child she experienced ice dams, flooding, fires, violent thunderstorms, impressively long winters, and massive amounts of snow. These experiences led to a constant questioning and wonder of the natural world around us. A love of nature and natural curiosity are qualities that Jennifer hopes to instill and foster in KEEN’s nature school.
Before CWU, Kids, and KEEN she spent her days behind the counter at William’s Florist where she was a floral designer. Mom to four and longtime Lincoln Elementary volunteer, she is happy to get back to her first love: children. When not at KEEN, Jennifer can be found in her garden, cooking, working on various art projects or making plans for a future sustainable off grid mountain cabin.
