Trailhead Trailhead Leaders
At Trailhead, you'll get to know many of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»'s faculty, staff, students, and community partners. Below are just some of those people—the staff of the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts, which runs Trailhead, and the undergraduate mentors and residence life staff who live with Trailhead participants during their week on campus.
Meet Our Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Staff
Christen directs the Trailhead program and directs the sponsoring department, the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». Christen has been on the Trailhead leadership team since the program started in 2016. Christen is a 2001 alumna of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» with a BA in Communication Studies. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Seton Hall University.
Sarah is an alumna of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» with a BA in Sociology. She served as a Trailhead student mentor for two years, and is passionate about supporting the needs of high school students. Sarah also co-directs Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»'s Young Adult Leadership Lab.
Thomas Staffileno is Trailhead's resident director, and currently serves as Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»'s Assistant Director of Residence Life. Thomas arrived at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» in 2017 and has a MA in Student Development from Oregon State University.
Aaron serves on the Trailhead leadership team in addition to serving as director for the Gaede Insitute for the Liberal Arts at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». Aaron is a 2001 alumna of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» with a BA in English and Religious Studies. He earned a P.h.D. in church history and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Wesley is an alumnus of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» with a BA in English and Mathematics. Prior to joining the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts he worked in the non-profit humanitarian sector and in education as a librarian and elementary after-school teacher.
Meet Our Student Mentors (2026)
Hello! My name is Anthony Gose, I just graduated Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» studying Biochemistry. I'm a camera enthusiast, outdoors enthusiast, and I'm always up for an adventure! I'm so excited to meet you all!
Hey everyone! My name is Piper, and I am so excited for Trailhead this summer! I just finished my first year here at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», and I'm a History major. I absolutely love traveling and anything to do with being outside. I also work in the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Garden, and I'm looking forward to sharing more about Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Sustainability with you all.
Yo! My name is Isaac Mpemba, and I just finished my first year here at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». I come from Malawi (a small country in South East Africa). I am so excited to meet you and run up some spikeball on the beach!
Hi! My name is Jenna Leslie and I'm from Wichita Falls, Texas. I just finished my second year at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», and I'm studying Business and Theatre Arts! I recently helped produce the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» Fringe Festival. In my free time I love to read, sing, and paint! I’m so excited to meet all of you!
Hey, I’m Jackson Ballou. I just finished my sophomore year at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», studying Engineering and Applied Mathematics. I’m originally from San Diego, but I had the privilege of growing up overseas as a missionary in Central Asia and the Middle East. I love playing Spikeball, spending time outdoors, and growing in my faith as a disciple of Jesus. I’m really excited to get to know you all and pursue God’s heart over our lives!