Our Team

We hire only energetic, innovative, and CREDENTIALED teachers to ensure that campers learn from the best.

We hire credentialed teachers from local schools to provide project-based, common core-aligned curriculum. These teachers are supported by college-student “Adventure Guides” (counselors) that assist campers and teachers while contributing their creative, zany personalities to the camp experience. The day-to-day operations are overseen by a Site Administrator, who is typically a current or retired teacher or school administrator. Think you’ve got what it takes to join the team? Click here to learn more and apply! The profiles below cover our “home office” team.

Meet Our Home Office Team!

Jennifer Hartvickson

Jennifer travels the country speaking to schools, art associations and after school programs about the importance of setting goals and making plans.

She has presented assemblies to over 200,000 students at over 300 elementary schools across the United States, using her experiences as an author and illustrator to delight, educate and inspire young readers and writers. Jennifer has extensive background in forward-thinking educational ventures. She served as Director of Marketing and Operations at A.S.K. Learning and was Campus Director of InsideTrack Learning, a student recruitment and retention services organization. Jennifer is a graduate of Stanford University, from which she holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Sociology.

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Hans Hartvickson

Hans is the author of books including the award-winning “Mister Lemur’s Train of Thought” and “It Will Take a Lot of Us to Lift a Hippopotamus,” and the founder of the educational band “The Scheming Lemurs.”

Hans and Jen are the creators of the GATE class “My Child The Author” and have taught eBook making workshops to teachers and librarians. He has also been an instructor at the Stanford Alumni Association’s “Alumni Creative Camp.” Hans earned an M.B.A from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. While attending Wharton, he served as the president of Wharton Toastmasters. Hans holds a B.A. from Stanford University, where he majored in economics and earned a secondary major in public policy. In addition to his work as an author, Hans spent 10 years in financial services, as a Vice President at an investment bank and a Senior Research Analyst at a San Francisco hedge fund.

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Zee Smith

Zee organizes and manages the recruiting process that brings together AIW Camp’s awesomely amazing team of instructors! As Senior VP, People and Innovation, she is also highly involved in identifying new opportunities to help students progress in their journies as writers.

Zee grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania (home to boxer Larry Holmes… and Crayola Crayons). She went on to study Drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and worked as an actress in film, tv, and theatre. Alongside these creative pursuits, she worked privately with families coaching their children in theatre to build stronger self-esteem. When the number of families she worked with grew larger than she was able to cover, she started finding other people to work for them. She then officially started her own company recruiting other performers to work with children as babysitters, tutors, and full charge nannies. Zee’s love of working with children also led to taking on a Founder and Director role in Esteem Preschool in Los Angeles. In her free time, Zee chases after her 4th grader on the Soccer field as a Rec Coach, and takes long walks or runs with her husband or dog.

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Erica Zatarain

“Electric” Erica has been delighting and and inspiring AIW Campers for years. Having started as an Adventure Guide, Erica has worked in almost every camp position and now shares her enthusiasm for and knowledge of AIW Camp with parents through phone and email correspondence. Erica is an operations ninja, and her super-power is bringing a smile to your face on even the most challenging of days!

Zoe Bader

“Zany” Zoe leads curriculum and staff development for AIW’s online camps and after-school programs.

A caring and inspiring leader, Zoe is located in Indianapolis and is also an education consultant who loves to help teachers become their best. Pre-COVID, she spent her summers in San Jose with her family and working for Adventures in Writing Camp. She enjoys how the camp teaches writing in a fun and interactive way! Zoe has been teaching for 7 years and has been involved in Adventures in Writing Camp for the past 5 years. Zoe received her undergrad degree in arts education at UCLA, and went on to receive her Masters in Education at Loyola Marymount University.

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Blake Foss

Blake manages the web presences, handles IT needs, and generally oversees all things technical in the organization.

Blake’s background includes extensive experience in web application development and commercial art and design, which enables him to provide a fusion between creative and technical. He has been involved in web development since 1996 and has worked with several education focused companies, including ASK Learning. Blake is an accomplished photographer and videographer, currently working on a stop motion short about a young boy’s vivid imagination as an Astronaut. He is originally from Sydney, Australia.

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Jonny D. Williams

Jonny is the musical director for Adventures in Writing Camp.

In this role, Jonny blends his classroom experience as a 3rd grade teacher at San Ramon Valley’s Quail Run Elementary School with his passion for writing and playing music. In his early 20’s, he established his own record label and traveled the country performing music. Jonny currently performs regularly with two Bay Area musical groups. His musical teaching experiences include private instruction in guitar, song writing, and “full band” classes with Garage Band Academy. Jonny also developed a course called “Musicianship,” which he taught in the public school sector at West Sacramento Early College Prep charter school in West Sacramento, California. In addition, he has created and recorded entertaining educational songs with “KLABLAB.” Jonny has collaborated with Dr. Nordyke to create music-based writing curriculum for AIW camp.

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Sam Korobkin

Sam otherwise known as Soo Sam, is a New York based actor, collaborator, and educator. Over the past two years he has helped bring the “technoverse” to life through his engaging lessons and zany videos. Sam is the lead Entertain Ranger for Adventures in Writing Camp Online and After-School Adventures and our head content creator, bringing writing to life through fun and engaging stories. “A Day without laughter is a day wasted”-Charlie Chaplin