About alex
Growing up, I spent years preoccupied with fitting in.
Without clear role models to show me how to be confident in who I truly was, I learned to view the world, and other boys (and myself), through a lens
of competition and needing to prove myself.
Working with young men as an adult forced me to confront the
inner tension that caused. It pushed me to unlearn the subtle
fear and defensiveness towards boys/men I had been
holding onto since adolescence.
This work with young people began as years on the trail and in community classrooms. I led multi-week teen boy's rites of passage backpacking trips through the backcountry of the Olympic Peninsula with Rite of Passage Journeys, taught outdoor ecology at the Web of Life Field School in Santa Cruz, and managed urban farming and food justice initiatives in Philadelphia. Later, I served as
the Associate Director for Wilderness Torah’s middle and high school rites of passage programs.
Recognizing a severe gap in relevant offerings for men in their 20s and 30s, I co-founded Kinhood, a relational development organization dedicated to building visionary
male culture without reproducing the harmful, outdated patterns of modern masculinity. Directing retreats and community infrastructure taught me that healthy male systems require an exact, deliberate balance of unwavering care and honest confrontation.
I felt that wilderness trips and immersive retreats were powerful, but began to wonder how to bring these transformational tools to places where many more people can access them. I entered the Harvard Graduate School of Education to study systemic leadership development and organizational change, building frameworks to bring these deep developmental tools out of isolated spaces and into institutions, schools, and communities.
Growing up, I spent years preoccupied with fitting in. Without clear role models to show me how to be confident in who I truly was, I learned to view the world, and other boys (and myself), through a lens of competition and needing to prove myself. Working with young men as an adult forced me to confront the inner tension that caused. It pushed me to unlearn the subtle fear and defensiveness towards boys/men I had been holding onto since adolescence.
Whether I'm leading on a mountain or working to change a system, the work ultimately always comes down to one person in front of me. When I sit down with a young man, my work is not about running through a checklist of techniques or trying to fix him. What I offer is presence. It is a presence built through years of field leadership and continuous encounter with my own inner world. I focus on remembering who I was as a teen, and who I am as an adult who's grown so much (and is still growing). I create a space where young men can drop their guard, find themselves, and step into their own life.
Education & Training
Ed.M. Educational LEadership
Harvard Graduate School of Education
2025-26
Advanced graduate training at Harvard University centered on systemic leadership, organizational strategy, and the psychological frameworks governing modern human development.
Coursework focused on leadership development, organizational strategy, and how modern technology shapes personal and cultural outcomes.
I Served as a Research Assistant at HGSE’s Project Zero, investigating resilience in the age of AI. Capstone research examined how delayed and stunted psychological development among tech leaders directly impacts digital culture and society, framing healthy adolescent maturity as a critical prerequisite for ethical leadership.
youth rites of passage
leadership training
Rite of Passage Journeys
2022
An intensive training in developmental learning and practical risk management for youth programming. Focused on actionable frameworks and structured tools that help teenagers navigate the critical threshold transitions of adolescence. Emphasized deep listening, relational safety, and clear boundaries to guide young people toward self-reliance and emotional maturity.
8 shields youth mentorship training
Wilderness Torah
2017
Comprehensive training grounded in the 8 Shields model of nature-based mentoring. While my core practice is distinct from immersive wilderness programming, this foundation infuses one-on-one mentorship with principles of natural pacing, cultural memory, and situational awareness, using simple, grounded tools to help young men build self-awareness and strong personal roots.