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Our Team
CHRIS YAGER
For over thirty-five years, Chris has worked in Experiential Education, Leadership Training, Risk Management and Emergency Response. A pioneer in cross-cultural student programming, Chris founded and directed Where There Be Dragons from 1993-2017, where he built more than 650 unique programs in over 40 countries. While at Dragons, Chris visited 65+ courses in the field; hired, trained and managed more than 1,000 field instructors; and supervised more than 500,000+ student days. Chris has developed mastery of curriculum, leadership team communication and authentic leadership. Since leaving Dragons in 2017, Chris has worked on numerous projects that have expanded access and integrated DEI best-practices into experiential and higher education.
CALLA SNELLER
Calla is an educator, activist, and cross cultural exchange professional who specializes in relationship building, program design and implementation, people and team management and systems building. At Salt and Clay, she serves as the COO, working closely with Chris to manage the organization’s development. Before Salt and Clay, Calla worked at World Learning for five years, managing a portfolio of Department of State funded youth exchange programs, which sparked her fire for transformational experiences. Calla has extensive experience living and working abroad including in Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina. In her spare time, she loves to play soccer, read a book in her hammock and play in her drumming group, Batalá.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When opening the discussion to what are best practices in guidecraft, we connected with old friends whom we’ve come to know as the best-of-the-best. We’re super grateful for their feedback and support! Big thanks and shout-outs for their contributions and their own exceptional work in the field of guidecraft: Miki Fire for her sage wisdom and grounded understanding of curriculum; Doug Sandok for his years of guiding experience and his work on Risk Management; Josh Morris for being one of the most thoughtful facilitators we’ve ever known; Emily Braucher for her tireless work in the field of cross cultural communication and DEI; Tom Leahy for being the dean of experiential education; Michelle Cummings for work at the pinnacle of group facilitation; Shannon Clements, Ben Bogin, Susan Daily for being among the all-time best guides we’ve worked with, and for all that they shared on excellence in guide-work; Paul Dreyer for his wide-arcing vision of the field of guided experiences; Bob Lesser for his insights into leadership, program development and guide work with corporate clients; Daniela Papi for her work on institutional development in support of guide empowerment; Betsy Rogers for her years of accrued wisdom as a guide who so deftly bridges the West and East. Thank you all for the feedback and insights that have helped us to begin our engagement with the study of excellence in guide-work.
Chris and Calla, January ‘23