Meet The Staff

Don Dollar : Joel R. Holtzman : Dan Rodenberger : Britt Williams : Andy Lyke : Gilbert Treadwell : Matt Zavadil

: "Hawkeye Jay" Zipperman - Director

I was born in 1954 in Atlanta, Georgia. I was fortunate to have a very close family (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles) that taught me about honor, respect and basic values. At six years old I loved being out doors. By the time I was a young teenager I was spending time in the woods as much as possible, hiking and camping... enjoying nature. I knew I was at home there.

A lifetime dream became a reality in 1996 when my wife Terry and I moved to the North Georgia Mountains to a piece of heaven on Earth.. In self discovery and how I could best serve humankind I did my Vision Quest. This was an extremely profound experience. I knew that I wanted to teach our youth about interdependence, community, responsibility and leadership. I began sharing my vision teaching wildlife and environmental conservation.

I have extensive experience with youth leadership training through my work as a counselor with Georgia Highlands working with multi-problem children, as the Assistant Director of Camp Wildlife at the Ellijay Wildlife Rehab Sanctuary and as the first Youth Council Coordinator for the local Family Connection. I also have assisted Dr. Busch with his unique Outpatient Wilderness Therapy Program.

My goal is to teach and inspire people to discover their inner peace and harmony through nature. Volunteerism and stewardship of our earth is the path of service that feeds the soul.

Joel R. Holtzman - Assistant Camp Director

I grew up in a rural farming community in Steuben County, Indiana. Chickens, horses, milk cows, hogs, dogs, cats and a wide variety of farm animal were an everyday experience. Four brothers, one sister, and I were raised in a community that looked out after themselves and each other. I was raised with the spirit of what can I do for my neighbor. Cub Scout and Boy Scout experience taught me the importance of being responsible, keeping your word, and looking out for the other guy.

I graduated from the Indiana University in 1979. In 1980 I moved to Chicago and worked for a construction company until 1983 when I moved to Atlanta. I started a remodeling company in 1986, which I am still operating today. In 1990 I married the love of my life a peach from Jefferson Georgia. Serving my community has been a life long ambition and goal. Locally I have participated in and led a group of family men in aiding our community at ACCOR Center (a homeless women with children home), The Delaney House (a State of Georgia children's home). Organized and led a team of men and women to build home for Habitat for Humanity.

Don Dollar

I was Born and raised in the Atlanta area. As the father of two boys ages 8 and 9, I am acutely aware of the need for young men to receive their masculine inheritance from elders in the community. As the owner of a small business, I am able to set my own priorities and can spend time with the most important part of my life - my wife and children. Deeply committed - coaching, managing, and serving on board - to a baseball program for youth for the past four years. I hold a B.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia. In 1977, my family took an across country trip back that made a tremendous impact on my life. Since then I have a passion for exploring and being on the go with my wife and two boys.

Dan Rodenberger

The youngest of three boys from Texas, I grew up in a stable family. Mom and Dad are still happily married today. 10 years were spent w/ friends growing up in a suburban neighborhood in GA playing in the woods, building huts, forts and riding our bikes around town.

I was in the Cub Scouts for a time and played soccer for three years in high school; earned a BA in Studio Arts. After schooling I've gone on to be involved in Men's Division International whose purpose is to learn, teach and practice the disciplines of masculine relationships so that we are successful in our lives, relationships and in our communities.

We use legacy, ritual and ceremony which create lasting bonds between us. This group of men continues to be a source of power and inspiration to me and has taken me from a timid 36 year old (when I first joined a few years ago) to a strong, open and honorable 40 year old man now. I've been happily single all my life and live a rewarding life with many friends and my immediate family.

Britt Williams

I was born in Atlanta, GA in 1955. As a child I spent my free time exploring the Chattahoochee River. By my teenage years I spent all my free time hiking and camping in the North GA mountains. My love for the outdoors is my passion. I am married to a wonderful woman and have 2 (twin) grown daughters. I've spent 30 years canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing and mountaineering. I am a graduate of National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

I was certified as a Wilderness First Responder (handling outdoor medical emergencies). I've spent the past 16 years studying and being mentored by Native American elders. I learned their traditional beliefs, ceremonies and teachings. My goal is to inspire and teach my knowledge of nature and Native American ways and empower boys to become men.

Andy Lyke

A rich childhood in Long Island, New York, with frequent visits to relatives in “upstate” New York, gave me the gift of appreciating the varied blessings of healthy environments as well as the destructive forces of unhealthy surroundings. I spent a lot of time in the woods and on the ocean as a youth, and have carried my love and reverence of nature into my adulthood. Having grown children aged from 33 to 39, and two grandsons (one of whom benefitted richly from attending the first Boys' Rites of Passage), I am passionately interested in developing “real men”, who can feel reverence and awe and love for their fellows and nature.

I've been married for forty one years. My life experience includes a rigorous engineering education at Cornell University, service in the US Army from 1967 to 1970, and 30+ years of professional experience in engineering and corporate management. I am currently professor of electrical engineering technology at Georgia's Southern Polytechnic State University.

My community service has included raising guide dogs for the blind, adult leadership positions with Boy Scouts of America, work with Habitat for Humanity and various degrees of governance and participation in religious communities. I've lived in Germany and 6 of the United States. I am honored to be able to contribute to the Boys' Rites of Passage program.

Gilbert Treadwell

Even though I was born in Southern California and spent 2 years in St. Paul, Minnesota, I moved to Atlanta at the age of 8, in 1963, so I grew up in the South. My father Perry introduced me to camping and backpacking at a young age. I continued to enjoy the outdoors as a Cub, Boy and Explorer Scout.

I went to Emory University, graduating in 1975 with a BS in Geology. Working as a Geologist was superseded by home-building and remodeling after I built my own house. I began Gilcraft Construction Co. in 1982, the year my daughter, Amanda, was born. Today my passions are most outdoor activities, including backpacking, rock climbing and river paddling. I also volunteer for a community service organization, Men’s Divisions International. I believe that instilling in young men an appreciation for nature and outdoor activities ensures them and their families healthy and successful futures.

Matthew Zavadil

I was born in Whittier, CA in 1959 and have since lived all over this beautiful country. Raised in a family of 6 kids by two loving and committed parents, I learned early on what it means to live together and get along with others. Father and mother both modeled responsibility and a good work ethic, so much so that at 13 I was delivering newspapers and at 18 paid cash for my first car. I was fortunate to have had a father who shared his passion and love for the outdoors.

I have backpacked all over Northwestern Wyoming and Montana, and bicycled most of the paved and dirt roads of mountainous North Georgia. Through the process of these adventures, I’ve learned a love and respect for this planet I call home. I bring to this Boys Rites of Passage not only these attributes, but also nine years of commitment to my personal growth. Six years ago I completed ManKind Project’s New Warrior Training Adventure (a rite of passage for men) and have since staffed it 14 times.

I now am taking leadership roles in my life and have discovered the power of living in integrity. I also have come to understand the need for safe space for boys and men to gather to explore and have fun together. I am the father of Curtis (13) and am blessed with a conscious, committed relationship to my wife Charlotte.