Meet the Sure Foot Team

Jonah McDonald, Founder & Lead Guide

Jonah McDonald grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where he learned his love of the south, barbeque, and the blues. Upon graduating from college with a BA in history and religion, he decided to embark on a pilgrimage–hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. After six months and 2,172 miles on foot, Jonah completed the Trail and settled in Atlanta and became a Montessori middle and high school history teacher. He soon developed an integrated wilderness program at his school, teaching wilderness skills and leading day hikes and backpacking trips for teens. After five years of teaching, Jonah decided to set out on his own, starting Sure Foot Adventures. He now helps schools around Atlanta develop their own wilderness programs and leads trips with all ages.

Jonah is trained as a Wilderness First Responder and is certified in Wilderness First Aid and Professional CPR. Since the Appalachian Trail, he has gone on many adventures, including two multi-week trekking expeditions in the Alaskan Arctic, bicycling the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain, and hiking the Colorado Trail, the Bartram Trail, and the Benton MacKaye Trail.

Jonah is also a professional storyteller and serves on the board of the Southern Order of Storytellers. He loves throwing boomerangs, reading, and bicycling. Together with his wife, Dana, he raises chickens in his backyard and exults in nature, exercise, and playing basketball.

Dana Goldman, Co-founder & Lead Guide

Dana Goldman spent her youngest years camping with her family under California redwoods. After her family moved to Atlanta, she spent some years learning the nuances of the couch potato lifestyle. That changed in high school, when she was selected for an Outward Bound leadership development program called Bridge Builders. Over the course of a year, she did monthly community service projects and went on two Outward Bound trips – one canoeing in the Florida Everglades and one hiking in the mountains of North Carolina.

Since then, Dana’s kept a foot outdoors and a foot in the city. She received her BA in Religious Studies and worked as a teacher and journalist for 6 years. Dana’s currently working toward a master’s degree and licensure in Professional Counseling.

Dana has extensive experience facilitating groups of adolescents and adults in various settings, including the outdoors, juvenile detention centers, neighborhood organizations, universities and schools, and nonprofits.

She ran her first half marathon in 2005, and her first full marathon in 2007. She loves yoga, swimming, and bicycle commuting mixed in with lots of cooking and baking.  (Especially brownies!)

Catie Beaulieu, Programs Manager & Guide

Catie Beaulieu spent her youth climbing trees, biking, and exploring rivers, lakes, and beaches.  She has loved the outdoors since childhood and transferred her passion into a career.  She has coordinated camps, directed afterschool programs, facilitated ropes courses and has led wilderness trips ranging from day hikes to canoeing.

Catie attended a Leadership Semester with the Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School and achieved certification in Wilderness First Responder, Emergency Response, Technical Rope Rescue Operations, Open Water Lifeguarding, Scuba Diving, White Water Rescue Technician, White Water Raft Guiding, and received substantial Outward Bound Instructor training.  After she completed the semester, she continued her journey with Outward Bound, traveled throughout Central America, embarked in a wilderness internship, and worked as the Associate Program Director.  Upon her return to Georgia, she graduated with a BS Ed in Recreation and Leisure Studies, concentrating in Therapeutic Recreation.
She is currently working towards a Master of Business Administration.  She enjoys nature, camping, rock climbing, volunteering, playing with her dog, guitar, and reading.

Nancy Smith, Logistics Assistant

Nancy Smith was born in St. Louis and grew up in the midwest, where she enjoyed camping with her family in Michigan and the Missouri Ozarks.  After moving to Atlanta, she had two children.  Nancy is a behind-the-scenes, administrative assistant-type person who has worked in non-profits, libraries, and social service agencies.  She enjoys shopping, volunteering, cat- and chicken-sitting, baking bread, reading, google-ing, traveling (especially to Asheville, San Francisco, Guatemala and Cumberland Island), and living in a co-housing community.  Nancy is looking forward to beginning her degree in Grandmothering this January.

Joshua Osolnik, Guide

Joshua Osolnik was born in Fayetteville, GA and has lived there all his life. Josh is currently completing his undergraduate degree in History at Emory University. His love for the wilderness began while attending middle school at Counterpane Montessori School. He participated in school trips throughout middle school and through high school and also participated in two Outdoor Bound programs during two summers of his high school year: a two-week white water rafting and backpacking trip in North Carolina and a four-week white water rafting trip in Colorado. These trip helped Josh gain valuable leadership experience. By his senior year in high school, Josh was selected to be student leader on school backpacking trips. Josh enjoys teaching young kids about the outdoors and backpacking. He is gifted as a teacher and mentor, and is constantly used as a jungle gym (as evidenced in this photo) by kids. During the summer of 2008 Josh worked as a camp counselor and co-led the camp’s outdoors program. Along with leading Sure Foot trips, Josh is planning to continue his education and attain his MAT degree in order to teach middle school or high school history.

Leah Kuenzi, Programs Assistant

Bio coming soon…