The Zoar Outdoor Management Team

Zoar Outdoor was established in 1989 to offer outdoor adventures in the Deerfield River Valley and beyond. Our staff of over 100 consists of friendly professionals from all walks of life ranging in age from 18 - 65 years. Many of our staff are cross-trained in several areas, enabling them to work as a raft guide, kayak instructor or climbing teacher. It is not uncommon to find a high school math teacher, a nurse or a lawyer guiding one of our rafts or teaching in a kayak. The versatility of our team members allows our staff to provide excellent service to our guests and to make each Zoar Outdoor adventure truly memorable.

Bruce Lessels, President and Karen Blom, Vice President

Bruce and Karen opened Zoar Outdoor in 1989 to introduce people with an adventurous spirit to the incredible rivers and mountains of southern New England.  In the years since, they have expanded Zoar Outdoor’s offerings and facilities, but kept their focus on serving guests in a friendly atmosphere that allows the Zoar team to accommodate a variety of people in the many programs Zoar offers. 

Before starting Zoar Outdoor, Bruce was a member of the U.S. Whitewater Team and won the bronze medal in C-1 at the 1987 World Whitewater Championships in France and Karen worked as a public health nutritionist. They have both served as board members of the Deerfield River Watershed Association, the US Canoe [&] Kayak Team and New England FLOW. Bruce is past chair of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce board of directors and Karen is past President of the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association. Both Bruce and Karen are ACA certified canoe and kayak instructors. Bruce has written several whitewater books for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) including The Whitewater Handbook, an excellent source of whitewater technique information for all levels of canoe and kayak paddlers and Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide, a comprehensive guide to the best whitewater runs in the northeast region for novices to experts. Bruce and Karen co-authored a book in 2002 for the AMC entitled Paddling With Kids.

At Zoar Outdoor, Bruce is in charge of overall operations, marketing, finance, and business development and Karen is responsible for human resources, special events and public relations.

Janet Burnett Cowie: Director of Instruction Programs

Janet Burnett Cowie had her first whitewater experience in 1983 and things have never been the same since.  Looking for something to do over spring break that year, she found the UMASS Outing club going on a trip to North Carolina for some tandem whitewater canoeing. The club taught her the basic skills of paddling and rescue but no one could image that this was to become her life’s passion until she came up laughing after her first whitewater swim.  “That was awesome” was all she could say as the other experienced paddlers just shook their head.  

After graduation Janet spent her work life wearing a suit during the week and weekends traveling to any river that was flowing until she finally decided to turn her passion into her life’s work.  Since 1996, Janet's people skills and infectious enthusiasm have helped the program grow to become one of the premier kayak schools in the country. She is also the logistics guru for food services, vehicles and first aid.   Janet is an ACA Level 4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer Educator, Advanced swiftwater rescue and Tandem/solo canoe instructor.  Janet helped to organize the first Whitewater Symposium at Zoar Outdoor in 2003 and again in 2009.  She continues to be involved with the Whitewater Symposium movement working with the committee for the 2010 event at NOC.    She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts and currently she lives in Rowe, MA with her husband and son.

Kevin McMillan: Director of Guided Programs

Kevin has been guiding and trip leading for Zoar Outdoor since 1992 and manages all of our rafting and livery programs. Before coming to Zoar, he worked for several years as an experiential educator with regional schools and as a technical specialist with corporate programs. Kevin was the 1996 recipient of the Massachusetts Office of Travel [&] Tourism Hospitality Award. His quick wit and excellent people skills combined with his extensive knowledge of the rivers we raft and river rescue techniques ensure that our guests are in good hands when rafting with Zoar Outdoor. Kevin is an ACA river rescue instructor and is a Wilderness First Responder.

Greg Poehlein: Retail Manager

Greg has been our Retail Manager since 2001. He runs our newly expanded Outfitters Shop and oversees the demo and rental fleet. Greg introduced ecommerce in 2005 and keeps our inventory up to date through his constant research into the latest boats and gear. 

Greg has a wealth of paddling experience and taught kayaking for years at the Northwest Outdoor Center in Seattle before moving east. He has worked in the skiing industry as a ski patrol director and risk manager. He is an ACA-certified kayak instructor, national ski patroller and an emergency care technician.

Philip May: Lodging Manager

Philip has been a raft guide since 1997 and became our lodging manager in 2004. His British sense of humor and accent work well for him in his role as innkeeper and campground host. When he is not greeting overnight guests, he may be kayaking for pleasure, steering a raft down the advanced section of the river or putting his carpentry skills to use on maintenance projects around the property.

Nicole Yezierksi: Office Manager

Nicole joined the team at Zoar Outdoor as our Office manager in 2005. She’s in charge of the reservation system, group sales and daily logistics. In addition to keeping our office running smoothly, she keeps our customer service at the highest possible level.  Nicole's great energy and attention to detail ensure that your reservation logistics run smoothly. Previously, she spent 13 years as a production planner for the Yankee Candle company.

Nina Nunes: Canopy Tour Manager

Nina brings eight years of experience as a whitewater raft guide at Zoar Outdoor to her new position as Canopy Tour Manager. Since 2001, she's spent her summers guiding trips down the Deerfield River, while simultaneously working in human services and hospitality; her commitment to Zoar's core values, dedication to excellent customer service, and her love of the outdoors led her to join Zoar's full time staff. She is certified as a Wilderness First Responder,  she received her BA in Psychology from University of Central Florida, and MS in Human Service Administration from Springfield College.

Brian Pytko: Rafting Manager

A former high school social studies teacher and baseball coach, Brian started rafting with Zoar Outdoor back in 2000, and took over the Rafting Manager responsibilities in 2009. Forever a teacher at heart, Brian oversees new guide training and development, is an ACA river rescue instructor, and even does a little snowboard instructing during the off-season.

Brian’s Wilderness First Responder Certification, intuitive river sense, dedication to customer service, and uncanny attention to detail ensures that Zoar’s rafting trips run smoothly and safely. And if you see Brian on the river, base, or running our Geocaching program, be sure to ask him how his wedding plans are going.