FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Cole York is originally from Savannah, Georgia and has been living and working in Peru for the last decade. She founded Valley Camp in 2017 with the goal to provide new experiences for the children of the Sacred Valley. With over 15 years of experience working with camps in the U.S. and Peru, she sees the outdoors as a space where young people can connect more deeply - with themselves, with others, and with the world around them - and believes that this kind of learning shapes confident, compassionate leaders. In her free time, she enjoys watercolor painting, reading, drinking coffee, exploring the Andes mountains, and riding her bike. Cole graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a BA in Art in 2014 and completed her Master’s degree in Sustainable Development at SIT’s Global Graduate Institute in 2022.

PROGRAM DIRCTOR

Julian, from Caldas, Colombia, is a passionate educator with a deep love and appreciation for nature, science, and art. After graduating college with a degree in biology with a focus on insects and arachnids and working for “Teach for All” in the Darién Jungle and Cartagena de Indias, Julian moved to the Sacred Valley. Here he has worked in a variety of alternative education projects as a teacher and coordinator before joining the Valley Camp team. In his free time he likes to practice illustration, theatrical improvisation, and tattooing. Julian loves Valley Camp because it aligns with his life purpose of supporting young people develop socio-emotional skills, environmental awareness and respect for nature. He believes that education is the engine of change that Latin America needs.

COMMUNICACIONS COORDINATOR

Yessenia or “Yessi” is a communications professional with a specialization in communication for development. Originally from Lima, Yessi has lived in the Sacred Valley for over four years, where she has found a space to connect her social vocation with nature. She has experience in audiovisual production, institutional communication, and coordination of educational initiatives. She has been part of the Valley Camp team since 2022 and has contributed in areas such as communications, administration, fundraising, and institutional relations, in addition to actively participating in the planning and execution of our programs. She believes that learning through experience enriches individual growth, sparks curiosity, and motivates action for collective and environmental well-being. In her free time, she enjoys art, reading, baking desserts, playing video games, hiking in nature, and has recently taken up running again.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Originally from Quillabamba in the Cusco jungle, Daeyse is a professional accountant with several years of experience in accounting and administration across various sectors. She is passionate about nature, animals, and the wisdom they offer. Among her favorite pastimes are enjoying simple yet enriching activities such as walking outdoors, cooking healthy meals, sharing coffee, and climbing with friends. Daeyse is proud to be part of the Valley Camp Peru team and deeply admires the organization's work supporting children and adolescents in her region.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Jaseh joined the Valley Camp team in 2020. Originally from Mérida, Venezuela, he has been living in the Sacred Valley since 2018. A professional firefighter and experienced mountain and bike guide with over ten years in the field, Jaseh is currently training to become a certified UIAGM Mountain Guide at CEAM in Huaraz, Peru. He is also a dedicated paraclimbing athlete, having continued his work and passion for the outdoors after an amputation below the knee on his left leg. Jaseh is the founder of Peru Climbing Experiences, where he leads climbing and mountain adventures throughout the country. At Valley Camp, he shares his love for the mountains and his deep commitment to environmental stewardship with the next generation of adventurers.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPER

Ines is from Venezuela and moved to the Sacred Valley in 2019. She graduated from the Libertador Experimental Pedagogical University in Venezuela in 1990. Ines has worked at a teacher for over 30 years at the primary, secondary, and university levels. Beyond teaching, Ines has served as a coordinator for designing environmental projects, a coordinator for educational development in rural areas, and a facilitator of national environmental projects in Venezuela. She has also worked at camps in Venezuela focusing on environmental education. Additionally, Ines has a passion for holistic medicine and is trained in reiki, theta healing, therapeutic massage, and bio-manganic work.

LEADERSHIP CLUB FACILITATOR - PITUMARCA

Loren, originally from Cusco with a degree in Tourism, discovered her passion for education while volunteering at the Urquillos school with Valley Camp. Since then, she has led and supported various programs—from summer camps to projects in Pachar and Pitumarca—bringing energy, creativity, and care to each experience. Loren values the chance to grow personally and professionally while sharing her love for children, art, and nature. Through Valley Camp, she has found both purpose and belonging, and is grateful to be part of a team making a difference in young lives.

LEADERSHIP CLUB FACILITATOR - URUBAMBA

Originally from Lima, Javier is a performing artist and music producer with experience in theater and live concerts. He currently facilitates workshops and accompanies children and youth ages 3 to 18. He has led music and theater workshops in educational programs such as El Pez de Oro, Búho de Barro, and EcoEscuela Tikapata. He now works with the Asociación Niños Altoandinos as a teacher and facilitator in the Green Heroes environmental education program, the Eco Scouts Club, and as a music and theater teacher for the SweetChild Perú program. He has been a leader in Valley Camp’s summer camp and currently facilitates workshops for the organization’s Leadership Club in Urubamba with Mary Cielo.

LEADERSHIP CLUB FACILITATOR - URUBAMBA

Mary Cielo is a luthier, puppeteer, and educator from Chancay, Perú. A scholarship student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, she trained as a teacher and later moved to the Sacred Valley in 2023 in search of an education rooted in nature and respect for childhood. Her work with Valley Camp—first in Pitumarca and then at summer camp—rekindled her passion for teaching through play, art, and creativity. Mary loves painting, watching anime, and building things by hand, always exploring new forms of expression. For her, each workshop is a chance to awaken curiosity, joy, and meaningful connection. Valley Camp has allowed her to reconnect with her essence as both an educator and a child—learning and teaching in equal measure.

Better known as “Cole’s mom,” Missy earned her teaching degree from Peabody College in Nashville, TN. She married Ty York and moved to Coastal Georgia where together they raised four kids. A former camp counselor for many summer, she taught in elementary and middle schools for 18 years and also coached soccer, community drama, and Odyssey of the Mind. Since moving to Tennessee ten years ago, Missy has been active in her neighborhood association and local garden club. She has visited Peru almost every year since Cole moved there in 2014 and was present for the very first two weeks of Valley Camp, back in 2018.

Jose, also called “Perico,” is from Lima, Peru. He has worked in the travel industry for over 15 years, starting with PromPeru and the Tourism Board in 2005. In 2016 he joined the Explora team as the Country Manager for Peru, taking the great challenge of leading the opening of Explora’s first lodge outside of Chile. He is now in charge of the operations of Explora in the Andean Region, overseeing the lodges in Peru, San Pedro de Atacama, Easter Island and Uyuni. Working with Explora, Perico gained a greater understanding that deep exploration journeys have a transformative power in people by generating meaningful connections with ourselves, with the territories, and with the people who inhabit them.

Gerardo, also known as “Gera,” is from Lima, Peru and currently lives in Patagonia National Park in southern Chile, where he manages the Explora Lodge. He has worked in the hospitality and travel industry for seven years, always in remote areas. Gera began as a guide in the Sacred Valley (where he first learned about Valley Camp) and since 2019 has held roles in Santiago, Torres del Paine, and now the Aysén region. He supports Valley Camp because he believes deeply in the importance of connecting with nature for personal well-being and environmental responsibility. He’s especially proud that the program offers outdoor education to children in Peru, and in the Sacred Valley—a place close to his heart.

Shawn Wroughten is from Costa Rica, and currently lives in the Sacred Valley, Peru. The outdoors is his greatest passion. Whether it's surfing, climbing, hiking, or lying on the grass enjoying the sun, he enjoys spending time in nature and with Pachamama. Valley Camp's commitment to getting young people outdoors to experience nature is a wonderful calling!

Born and raised in California, Spencer was an adventure kid that grew up mountain biking, fly fishing, and rock climbing in the mountains. He moved to North Carolina for college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has lived there ever since. Living in Asheville, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Spencer works as an environmental attorney at a non-profit focusing on water and public-lands cases, as well as energy and constitutional law. In his free time, Spencer enjoys trad climbing, bouldering, fly fishing, biking, photography, and pottery.

Abigail was born and raised in Lubbock, TX and now live in Las Cruces, NM where she works as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. She is connected with Valley Camp through the founder, Cole York. They studied together at Sewanee: the University of the South and overlapped in Peru from 2015 though 2017 while Abigail served in the Peace Corps as a Water and Sanitation Volunteer in Leymebamba, Amazonas. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and herding sheep with my dog, Tallulah. She is so proud to support both Cole and Valley Camp.