Staff » Management Staff

Management Staff

Robert Cooley, PhD
Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Cooley grew up on the McKenzie River in Oregon, where he learned to row a whitewater boat at age four. He made his way through college and graduate school by spending his summers logging, doing Forest Service trail work, and working as a river guide. He earned his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon in 1979 and has specialized in family and adolescent therapy. He has lived abroad several times and speaks French, Spanish, and German. Dr. Cooley developed and directed a family therapy program at Oregon's child welfare department and had a private therapy practice, while taking summers off to run a whitewater rafting company. In 1988, he combined his outdoor and therapy interests in founding Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions. Dr. Cooley and his wife Ingrid, a family therapist, live in Albany, Oregon, and have four children.

Kirk Shimeall, BS, MBA
Program Director
Kirk began working as a wilderness guide for Catherine in 1992 and has worked as the wilderness program manager since 1996. Kirk's responsibilities include risk management, wilderness training for field staff and working with land managers on permit issues. Kirk and his wife Martha, whom he met when they worked together on a Freer trek in 1995, have two sons. In his free time he enjoys mountain biking and rafting with his family.

Amy Cirincione, LCSW, CADC-I, WFR
Clinical Director
Amy was raised in Washington D.C. and has over 12 years experience working with at-risk adolescents. She received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Wesleyan University and her Master's in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Amy's training in family systems, trauma-focused psychotherapy, and drug and alcohol counseling informs her work with adolescents and their families. Prior to becoming Clinical Director, Amy worked as a field therapist on Freer's 21-day therapeutic expeditions for over 2 years, and still misses her old "office" in the backcountry.

Rob Koning, WFR, CADC-I
Rob-Koning (12K) Wilderness Manager
Rob has been working with youth for more than 11 years and his first role at Freer was as a wilderness guide. He is now using his skills and expertise in the office. Rob states, "I am amazed by the lessons that the wilderness and expeditionary learning offer. Being able to connect youth to these lessons, their community, their family and themselves is an honor and inspiration." With a BA in Recreation with an emphasis on Outdoor Leadership he is the right person for the job. In his spare time, Rob snowboarding, mountain biking, traveling, and playing the guitar.

Tanya Sue Kramer, WFR, CADC-I
Extended Expeditions Program Manager
Tanya-Kramer (15K) Tanya has been working with youth for more than ten years. She comes to us from Wisconsin where she received a double major in Criminal Justice and Sociology with a concentration in Human Services. "Children inspire me to see new experiences as the best way to enjoy life," she states. She enjoys exploring new hiking trails with Max (her dog), mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, sea kayaking, traveling, and reading.

Liz Feldman, WFR
Assistant Wilderness Manager
Liz has worked with youth in every job she has had since she was 15. She has a love of the outdoors and has worked past jobs with the Peace Corps in Paraguay and with a reforestation project. Spending a semester in Spain helped put her minor in Spanish to good use (she also has a BS in Biology and a minor in math). Liz went on a series of expeditions as a teenage that influenced her life and were empowering, now she wants to help bring that setting for growth to other young individuals.

Natala Larson, BS
Director of Admission
Natala began working in the admissions team in 2001, and became the director of the department in 2005. Natala graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. Prior to joining the Catherine Freer team, Natala worked with at-risk adolescents and teenage mothers participating in self-improvement programs. Outside of work Natala enjoys being outdoors with her husband and their dog, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Sarah Mack, BA
Director of Referral Relations and Marketing
Director and Co-Founder of Oregon Transition Homes
Sarah began working with Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Programs in 1995 and co-founded the transition home program with Dr. Cooley that same year. Prior to coming to Catherine Freer, Sarah worked as a program manager for a community based mental health program that provided in-home mental health and case management services for high-risk families. She began working as the director of referral relations in 1999. Sarah is active on the public relations and conference planning committees for the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, spending time on the coast, and working in her garden.