Administration
Bruce Burkland
Executive Director
Bruce is the Executive Director of Teton Youth and Family Services (TYFS). A position he has held since 2003. He has worked for TYFS since 1979 when he was hired to be the Family Therapist at the Van Vleck House. In 1985 he became the Director of Red Top Meadows, a position he held until 2015. He worked for a youth and family service agency as a Family Therapist in the Boston area from 1976-79. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has served various Committees and on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Bruce received his B. A. from Macalester College and his M. A. in Family Therapy from the University of Connecticut. He is an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Favorite leisure activities include backcountry skiing, fly fishing, biking and cooking. He and his wife, Cathie Burkland, have been married since 1979 and have two grown children.
bburkland@tyfs.org
Sarah Cavallaro
Director of Operations
In 1999, Sarah graduated from Prescott College with a BA in Wilderness Therapy and received a Master’s of Business Administration from Colorado State University in 2005. She worked at Red Top Meadows as a Childcare Worker from 2001-2003 and then for the Van Vleck House creating after school programs for children in the community. Sarah left her work with TYFS in 2004 to work as a Grant Writer for Teton County. She returned to TYFS to serve on the Board of Directors from 2007-2011. Sarah assumed her current position of Director of Operations in the Fall of 2011 and has been in this role since then. As the Director of Operations Sarah attends to the fundraising, marketing, and general operational needs of the organization . Sarah is married with 2 children ages 2 and 5.
scavallaro@tyfs.org
Kilee Amborski
Assistant Director of Operations
Kilee was born and raised in Jackson. She went to college at Northwest Junior College in 2002 where she also played volleyball and then went on to Montana State University from 2003-2006 where she studied Elementary Education. Kilee returned to Jackson where she volunteered as a victim’s advocate for Community Safety Network while working at the hospital and Coaching Volleyball at Jackson Hole High School. She then decided to follow her passion of working with children and started working at Red Top Meadows as the program administrator. She has been with Teton Youth & Family Services since 2008. Kilee loves the outdoors, is married and has 3 beautiful children.
kamborski@tyfs.org
Hirschfield Center
Chris Moll
M.S.W, LCSW, Director
Chris has worked with Teton Youth & Family Services since 1991 serving youth in just about every capacity the agency offers. Prior to becoming the director of the Hirschfield Center, Chris worked as the Clinical Director of Red Top Meadows. He received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from San Jose State University in San Jose, California.
cmoll@tyfs.org
Cheyenne Syvertson-Hagestuen
PCSW, Family Advocate/ Therapist
Cheyenne grew up in rural Minnesota and completed her undergraduate and graduate schooling at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work specializing in Clinical Mental Health. Cheyenne serves as a family advocate and also provides therapy to children, adolescents, and families. She is committed to providing quality care rooted in respect, thoughtful consideration of families’ unique strengths and challenges, and the belief that families are experts in their own lives. Services emphasize empowerment, collaborative problem solving, the power of relationships, and sensitivity to trauma. Cheyenne has additional practice experience and knowledge in areas of domestic violence, sexual violence, and commercial sexual exploitation or trafficking of minors and adults. csyvertson@tyfs.org
Ben Brettell
Family Advocate Coordinator and Teen Power Coordinator
Ben has a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and is currently enrolled in the University of Wyoming’s MSW program. He has worked continuously for TYFS, in a wide variety of roles and settings, since 2005. He is an advocate for all children and supports them through individual mentoring, parenting education, and afterschool enrichment.
bbrettell@tyfs.org
Cassidy Creel
JH Leadership Program Coordinator
Cassidy grew up in a small town in Oregon on the Deschutes River. Being outdoors, rafting, hiking, fishing, skiing and team sports were activities she enjoyed growing up. Her Junior year of high school she lived in Portugal as an exchange student and got bit by the travel bug. After Portugal, traveling became part of her life style. She attended Central Wyoming College on an academic and basketball scholarship. She then transferred to University of Montana where she began volunteering for a number of non-profits that worked with a variety of children, including Big Brother Big Sister for 3 years. During her time in Missoula she realized working with kids was what she wanted to be doing after college. After she graduated from Missoula with a BS in athletic training she moved to Jackson. Living here now, She says she has been lucky enough to combine her passion for working with kids and love for the outdoors by running the Jackson Hole Leadership Program.
leadership@tyfs.org
Van Vleck House
Jeremy Silcox
LCSW, Director of Van Vleck House
Jeremy is from Shelburne, VT, he attended the University of Vermont and graduated with a BA in French in 1992. He then attended the University of Wyoming where he earned his MSW in 2001. He moved to Jackson in 1992 and has worked for TYFS since 1993.
jsilcox@tyfs.org
Arty Polo
Group Home Manager
Arty has a B.A. from the University of Southwestern LA. He previously worked in wilderness programs and in residential treatment. He has worked at the Van Vleck House since 2002. artypolo@tyfs.org
Dan Oas
Juvenile Diversion Program Coordinator, Circuit Court Liason
Daniel is from Manchester, NH, and attended St. Lawrence University and graduated with a B.A in English Writing and Fine Arts. He moved to Jackson in 2000 to pursue is love for fly fishing and has worked for Teton Youth Family Services since 2008.
doas@tyfs.org
Matia Wilson
Therapist
Matia is originally from Vermont where she received B.As in Psychology and Anthropology and began her work with youth in the field of Special Education. She moved to Jackson in 2012 to work as the Head Wrangler at a local dude ranch and explore the mountains. Moving to Laramie, WY she attended the University of Wyoming for her Master of Social Work. While at the UW she worked with student veterans and undergraduates through the University’s counseling center and focused her degree on clinical practice and community outreach. Matia moved back to Jackson to pursue her passion of working with young adults and teens, aiming to take a systemic approach to therapeutic interventions. mwilson@tyfs.org
Youth Counselors
Hailing from all corners of the country, Van Vleck Child Care Staff are tasked with the daily care and supervision of our residents. Each of these individuals excels at building relationships with our clients and creating a safe and predictable environment. Creating this environment requires establishing healthy boundaries, reinforcing choices and behaviors through the use of natural and logical consequences, helping residents develop internal self-control by highlighting new growth and change as well as engaging in enriching activities. Child Care Staff undergo 30 hours per year of in-service training on topics including:
- Professional ethics and conduct
- Strengths-Based, Solution Focused and Competency-Based treatment approaches
- Understanding the effects of trauma on child development
- Right Response system of crisis management
- Emergency procedures
- Medication management
- Suicide Prevention
- Adolescent development
Red Top Meadows
Tom Concannon
LMFT, Director of Red Top Meadows
Tom received a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 1988, and came to Red Top to work for the next ten years. Tom went to graduate school at Pacific Lutheran University, earning a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2002. After graduating he worked in community mental health in Seattle and Tacoma Washington for four years. Tom returned to Jackson to be the therapist at The Van Vleck House. After eight years in this position Tom became the Director at Red Top Meadows in January 2015.
tconcannon@tyfs.org
Erin Silcox
Principal Certificate, BS Middle Level Education, Director of Education
Erin’s background working with at-risk youth began at an inner city job training program for adjudicated youth in Boston. Following graduation from the University of Vermont with a BS in Middle Level Education, Erin moved to Wyoming and continued her work with at-risk youth at the Van Vleck House group home and then as a math/science teacher at Red Top Meadows. Bringing meaning and passion to educating disadvantaged students is her most prominent goal. To this end, she is currently working on her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction through the University of Wyoming with a focus on the intersections of trauma, literacy, residential treatment, and the growth mindset.
esilcox@tyfs.org
Ted Nichols
BA, St. Lawrence University, Wilderness/ Program Director
Ted has been working within the field of experiential education in various capacities since 2006. Joining the Red Top staff in 2012, he worked as child care and wilderness field staff before assuming his current position. Ted has experienced, lead and learned from every aspect of the Red Top wilderness experience. The positive effects and skills that can be gained by traveling in small groups through the mountains has been made evident through these trips. He is thrilled to provide excellent wilderness and residential programs for youth at Red Top Meadows.
tnichols@tyfs.org
Vanessa A. Fabian
MSW, MS, Therapist
Vanessa specializes in adventure therapy and often uses trauma informed experiential techniques to help facilitate healing and change. She is passionate about blending outdoor experiences with therapy. She has experience working with adolescents and their families in residential treatment, community mental health and wilderness therapy programming. Vanessa has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Kinesiology with an Outdoor Education focus, and a Master’s of Social Work from the University of New Hampshire.
Child Care Staff
Red Top child care staff are active in all components of the program. They supervise daily living as well as work in the school and on wilderness trips. They receive 80 hours of annual training and regular direct supervision. Topics covered annually include but are not limited to:
- Professional ethics and conduct
- Solution based treatment approaches
- Understanding effects of trauma on child development
- Right Response system of crisis management
- Emergency procedures
- Wilderness education curriculum
- Wilderness First aid and CPR refreshers
- Medication policies and procedures
- Crisis management and suicide prevention
- Parenting and childcare skills