You know that feeling when you email a company’s “info” inbox, or reach out through the “Contact Us” form and find yourself wondering: “Who the heck is even going to read this?” But, then you receive a response, and voila! You put something out into the internet abyss and it worked! You feel alive again. 

We want to remove the veil behind the ominous “staff@apogeeadventures.com email” and to highlight the hardworking hiring team you’ll meet through our application process. These are the people who are hitting the road, going to colleges and recruiting events, and interviewing all of our 2023 candidates. So – let’s say hi and meet them! 

First up, Jack Messerly (a.k.a. champ of all things computer hot-key/formatting and poker wizard) chairs our Hiring Committee. More likely than not, you’ll receive an email from him at some point in your application process whether that is acknowledging the submission of your hot new application, or putting you in touch with someone else on the hiring team to connect with while they are on campus. Jack led for three years with Apogee while completing his undergrad years at Hamilton College, and is now in his eighth year of working in the Apogee office — his depth of Apogee experience is simply remarkable and he has been in the trip leader hiring game for a long time now. Not to mention, Jack is married to former Apogee Assistant Director Izzy Janzen, and is also the newest dad in the office – we swear, that 10 month old of his gives all the other under-one-year-old babies out there a run (crawl) for their money. He loves chatting with our applicants, so feel free to reach out and say hello!

Jack and Tucker – I mean do they make babies any cuter? Laughing or crying –  you be the judge.

Next up: Andi Schweers (owner of office pooch, Tussock-the-Dog, and best joke-cracker Monday-Sunday). After five years in Alaska, Andi moved from the farthest-west state of the US to join us in the farthest-east state in November 2021. She has held various rad positions throughout her career, including working for professional hockey teams, managing coffee shops, and running the youth program for the Alaska Rock Gym in Anchorage! Outside of recruiting, Andi manages the logistics for about a third of our itineraries and is heavily involved in marketing and gear organization. Andi has one of those voices that you can hear from anywhere, and you immediately want to be involved in the conversation (partially because you can hear her laugh and know she’s brewing up some joke to crack). If you email Andi to talk about working for Apogee, be sure to ask for her most recent picture of Tussock-The-Dog — odds are that the photo isn’t older than a few hours (pssst! It might even give your application a leg up. Not actually, but she’ll sure like you for it!).

Andi and Tussock-the-Dog during their time in Alaska.

Miles Bent (owner of adorable dog Mia and in-house soccer & board game aficionado) is the newest addition to the Apogee office and every time he walks in the door, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on the team. Originally from Virginia and alumnus of Washington and Lee University, Miles has led numerous trips with Apogee over the years. Perhaps most notable of all the trips he led for us, he readily answered the call in 2021 when we needed someone to fill in with only a few days’ notice. Unable to resist Apogee’s magnetic pull, Miles headed north from his, at the time, Washington D.C. desk job to step in to our Vermont to Lake Champlain biking trip in the middle of the summer. Miles and his game-on attitude joined our yearround office team in January 2022. Since then, Miles has been working on biking trip logistics, gear organization, and of course, recruiting you, prospective trip leader. He also very recently became engaged to his wonderful partner, Emily. 

Also on the list is Director Chad Olcott — our in-house music critic and ping-pong runner-up (a title he begrudgingly accepts). With a background in law, he served as a JAG with the U.S. Navy in San Diego and Sardinia, Italy (rough, we know). However, his time of leading four summers’ worth of outdoor trips while in college ultimately drew him out of the legal world and back into the experiential education field where he joined the Apogee team in 2009. In addition to Apogee, Chad also sits on the board of directors at Paradox Sports, a non-profit dedicated to adaptive climbing opportunities. Chad lives here in Brunswick with his wife, Susan, and their hilarious and very outgoing twin daughters, Liliana and Phoebe. If you ever need to email him, you should ask him what he is currently listening to, because there is an 8.5/10 chance it’s a rock-solid recommendation. He would also probably like you to know his ping-pong career glory is creeping up, and rumor has it that in 2023 he might even overtake Kevin Cashman, Apogee’s founder, Chad’s co-Director, and of course, reigning ping-pong champion.

Lastly, I humbly present to you, myself, Claudia Bueermann (I’ve gone by Clouds for about the last 10 years, so you might hear folks in your interview refer to me as such). Fewer things are harder than writing about yourself, so I’ll just add a few tidbits and call it a day. In addition to leader hiring, I manage about a third of our itineraries, help coordinate our leader training, and work on Apogee’s DEI initiatives. Around the office, my primary role is as the hydration advocate — I always have my 1.5L bottle close by and am ready to remind others to keep drinking water! I went to high school in Portland, Oregon and then moved to Portland, Maine, so it makes for wonderfully confusing family conversations. I now live in Topsham, Maine, with my partner, Connor, a long-time Apogee leader. 

Andi Schweers’ Additional Facts About Clouds: Clouds was voted “Best Smile” the last two years in the Apogee office. She brings a delightfully warm energy to everything she does, be that sitting (or slouching) in her office chair, leading training sessions in June, or interviewing you! Clouds facilitated a fundraising campaign for our non-profit partner, To The Top, that raised over $20,000 last year! Last, but not least, Clouds is always game to try new things, whether that is a new role in our office or picking up a new sport (see, surfing). If you get to see Clouds in your interview, you know you’ll be smiling!

Well folks, that’s us! We can’t wait to meet you (either in-person or virtually). Feel free to email any of us, or our staff@apogeeadventures.com email now that you know exactly who you are emailing. Be sure to check out our Work For Us page for more information on how to apply. We can’t wait to get to know you!