About · Trip leaders
They were the kid in the circle once. Now they run it.
Almost every Fish for Change trip leader is an alum. They grew up with the programs, know the lodges and the towns, and set the tone for the week.
Meet the trip leaders
Trip leaders work alongside the program directors, the lodge owners and community ambassadors, in each location. They are the link between the students, the fishery and the town.
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Heather HarkavyFounder and Executive Director · Guanaja program director
Camp has been the theme of Heather's life for as long as she can remember: sleepaway camp from 7 to 13, a counselor at the IGFA fishing camp from 14 to 18, and a youth program at Tropic Star Lodge in Panama through her college summers. When her parents told her it was time to grow up, she decided starting a camp was a legitimate way to do it.
She has committed her life to raising empathetic, curious, passionate and confident young adults through the F4C community.
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Jesse ColtenMexico program director · Owner, The Xflats
Jesse grew up in Colorado and has been fish-crazy for as long as he can remember. He bought a little bed-and-breakfast in Xcalak and turned it into a permit haven that pulls anglers from all over the world.
If there's one word for Jesse, it's electric. His energy is contagious, he's all about community, and people gravitate toward him. Students are never bored with Jesse leading. The world is his classroom and we're lucky to be his students. See the Mexico weeks.
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Tom EnderlinCosta Rica program director · Owner, Fly Fishing Costa Rica
Head guide of Fly Fishing Costa Rica, and a filmmaker, photographer, writer, nature nerd and protector of the resources he loves. With a lifelong connection to Costa Rica and a deep understanding of its environment, Tom is the educator on the Costa Rica road trip. See the trip.
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Kevin JacksonFly Fishing Costa Rica · Costa Rica
Kevin cut his teeth on the spring creeks of Pennsylvania. A lifelong love of the ocean took him to New England, where he studied biology and chemistry at Roger Williams University and picked up an unhealthy obsession with striped bass. He spent eleven years as a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service before a few twists of fate took him south to Costa Rica.
Now he fishes the tropics on the fly and teaches the next generation how to make ethical calls on the water. See the Costa Rica trip.
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Alec GriswoldBahamas program director · Co-owner, Soul Fly Lodge
Co-owner of Soul Fly Lodge on Great Harbour Cay and Executive Director of Elevate Youth Boston, which gets young people outdoors. The two roles combine his passion for the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts with his love of the Bahamas. Leader, mentor extraordinaire. See the Bahamas week.
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August BryanAlumni trip leader
August was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago, where fly fishing wasn't a thing, in a family that loved to travel west. Summers were spent wandering Colorado looking for new trout water. The saltwater spark came during the COVID year.
He found Fish for Change on TikTok, researched the nonprofit, came as a student and wanted to help any way he could. "Fish for Change has opened my eyes to what's possible and where fly fishing can take my life."
August has since used his connections through Fish for Change, and his tenacity, to become a guide in Puerto Rico and the Seychelles. A true testament to where this community can take your career!
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Ellen BoguckiIntern and trip leader
After experiencing Fish for Change first as a student, Ellen has returned each summer as an intern and trip leader, growing from the kid sitting in the boat to the person helping create that same experience for the next generation. She understands our students because she was one of them, she understands our programs because she has lived them, and she understands the culture of Fish for Change because she has grown up inside of it.
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Jackson KeenerTrip leader · From Colorado
"The week that I spent in Guanaja in 2022 was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It was the first time that I was able to fully immerse myself in a culture and community different from my own, and it completely shifted how I viewed myself and the world around me. The entire experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to appreciate the value of having an open mind towards others' perspectives and beliefs."
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Will MorrisTrip leader · From South Carolina
"Fish for Change has completely changed the way I interact with local communities when I travel. Often, during a destination trip, you end up being confined to the lodge and the immediate area around it. You have to make a conscious decision to break that mold and immerse yourself in the community. The experience of being invited into guides' homes and getting to visit with their families in Guanaja highlighted how special those differentiating experiences can be. Now every time I go on a fishing trip, I try my hardest to break out of the lodge and go see the area around town, usually trusting my guides' recommendations."
Become a trip leader
Fish for Change runs on its alumni. Students who grew up joining us in the summer have naturally moved into leadership in the organization.
From a first-year trip leader's reflection, Alumni and College Week, Guanaja
"I learned to lead in a way that was less structured, less controlling and clear cut than I had ever done before. Cutting up with the kids, coming to them as a friend and hopefully someone they can confide in, but being able to have enough voice to control a day's direction or activity as well. It was a tough balance, but I found it navigable with humility, patience, and laughter."