LIBERATION STATION
& AGILE LEARNING COMMUNITY
Facilitators
Keli Bryan co-founded ZigZag in 2015. Her dream and mission has been to create a space for children to thrive, to be themselves, to discover and pursue what inspires them and gives them fulfillment. She loves playing with kids and learning more about everything they are into. She loves being a resource for kids and teens as they pursue their own goals.
Keli's professional background includes work as an elementary Art teacher, and later as a high school Biology, Art, and English teacher. She has been a consultant to school districts in NJ to implement service-learning and social-emotional learning programs. She has worked as a school psychology researcher, and taught intro level statistics and psychology classes at Rutgers University. She has also been a parenting coach and workshop facilitator for topics such as compassionate communication with children, play-based learning, peaceful parenting, self-directed education, and power-with relationships.
Keli has a Masters in Education and a Masters in Clinical/Community Psychology. Since moving to Asheville 9 years ago, she co-founded Asheville Adventure Play, a group that offers free child-led play events to the community, and then ZigZag ALC. More recently, she completed a coding bootcamp and has been teaching kids and teens to code online and at ZigZag.
Hany Nagib co-founded ZigZag in 2015. He's big on power-with liberation, a practice centered around the simple idea that everyone's needs truly matter. He's in the business of creating a New Culture wherever he goes, to replace the current dominance/power-over culture we live in. He is a facilitator of all things that help people connect more deeply to this work, and to each other - from working with kids, to coaching parents, to mediating conflicts, and leading workshops.
Hany has a passion for kids of all ages, and loves spending time playing, sharing curiosities, and facilitating experiences. Inspired by his own kids, he co-started ZigZag based on principles of kindness, respect for children's autonomy, and the joy of gentle non-coercive guidance.
Hany is trained in Agile Learning, Non-Violent Communication, facilitation, and community mediation. He previously taught high school classes in Racial Justice, Compassionate Communication, and Debate. He holds a Masters in Computer Science, and had a prior life as a Director and IT Executive at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Merck.
Chelsey Jones has a passion for seeing children live and grow freely. It’s important for her that every child sees their value and importance in the world. She loves meeting kids where they are, and helping them get where they want to be.
She likes nature, family adventures, yoga, tea, coffee, eating to nourish, cyclical living, making simple things into sacred ritual, finding the magic, the sun, the ocean, house plants, baths, meditation, hiking, painting, and seeing people find their joy.
Chelsey has worked with kids for over 15 years in various capacities, including babysitting, nannying, and teaching. She co-founded an Agile Learning Community in Georgia, and found this model to be the perfect fit for her and her family in liberating children. She found ZigZag when she moved to Asheville, and feels totally at home facilitating there.
Sara Munro is passionate about unschooling and dismantling adult supremacy. She loves children and has dedicated the past 18 years of her life to working with them in preschools, elementary schools, as a nanny, and unschooling her own children. Her favorite activities to do with children include making art, exploring nature, reading books, and playing games.
Originally from Indiana, Sara moved to Asheville 11 years ago and loves living in western North Carolina. She enjoys hiking, gardening, crafting, reading, and raising chickens.
Anna Pleskow is an artist, facilitator, and mediator, originally from the DC area. Through work and solo travel, she has lived all over the US as well as in India. Working at Dat School (an
ALC in New Orleans) for the past few years was life changing for her. As a young kid, Anna had trouble focusing in school, but could spend hours and hours designing houses, cities, clothing
lines, etc. Entering into the ALC environment was the first time she realized that there was a space where young people were free to spend the day in ways that uniquely nourished them.
Anna is in graduate school and plans to one day use ALC ideas in her one-on-one art therapy practice.
Ken Vallario comes to ZigZag by way of many years at a summer camp where he runs an arts and crafts program. There, he discovered the profound power of childhood freedom in a beautiful natural environment. Alongside the arts and crafts, he organizes large events, and runs a popular philosophy program where kids explore mysteries together.
Ken has also been a professional artist for many years. He enjoy writing, jiu jitsu, and making circular Peace gardens. He's interested in technology, games, and culture.
Scott Voloshin is very excited to begin his adventures as a facilitator with ZigZag. While he has always been an advocate for the autonomy of children and their boundless imagination, he has yet to work together with children in an agile learning environment. He is eager to learn more.
Last year, he served as a substitute teacher for Lucy S. Herring Elementary school and Hanger Hall middle school for girls.
Before that, he was an ESL tutor for 4 years. He is actively involved in theater in Asheville and enjoys playing music. He is also a soccer coach with ABYSA this year. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Copenhagen.