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Trailhead Trailhead Leaders

At Trailhead, you'll get to know many of Westmont's faculty, staff, students, and community partners. Below are just some of those people—the staff of the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts, which runs Trailhead, and the undergraduate mentors and residence life staff who live with Trailhead participants during their week on campus.

Meet Our Westmont Staff

Chris Hoeckley - Director

Chris Hoeckley directs both the Trailhead program and the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts at Westmont. His doctorate is in philosophy, and he's worked at Westmont since 1998.

Christen Foell - Associate Director

Our co-associate directors are a married couple, Christen Foell and Aaron Sizer. They came to Westmont from New Jersey, where Christen directed higher educational grant-making programs for a nationwide foundation...

Aaron Sizer - Associate Director

...and Aaron earned a Ph.D. in American religious history. Christen and Aaron are also associate directors of the Gaede Institute.

Thomas Staffileno - Trailhead Resident Director

Thomas Staffileno is Trailhead's resident director. Thomas arrived at Westmont in 2017 after working in residence life at Oregon State University.

Phoebe Wicks - Gaede Institute Assistant

Phoebe Wicks is our new administrative assistant, and a great first contact for anything you need to know as the program approaches. Just email trailhead@westmont.edu.

Meet Our Undergraduate Mentors

Kristi Phillips - Tanjung Bungah, Malaysia

Kristiana studies English and philosophy at Westmont. She enjoys reading, writing, and skygazing. Some favorite writers of hers include Richard Powers, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Mary Oliver; and one of her favorite skies to watch hangs over the Straits of Malacca and is visible from her high school in Penang, Malaysia.

David Shiang - Los Angeles, CA

David Shiang is a rising sophomore from Los Angeles who enjoys tacos, Spikeball, and early morning runs. Feel free to ask him any questions about Westmont’s music programs, student government, or the Political Science department. He is excited to serve as a Trailhead mentor and spend time with each student!

Erin Hardin - San Francisco, CA

Erin is a senior political science major working towards pursuing a career as an attorney. When she's not introverting or procrastinating, Erin enjoys walks, tea (the beverage), and meaningful conversations with old and new friends.

Sofia Pela - Torrance, CA

Certified salad enthusiast Sofia Pela is a third year psychology major who loves concerts, bacon, and dogs. As a Trailhead alumni herself, she is elated to be a part of this year’s team!

Ethan Johnson - Long Beach, CA

Ethan is a senior Economics and Business major at Westmont. He is an avid surfer and beach volleyball player and enjoys playing classical guitar in his free time. This summer, Ethan is working on his French for the Westmont study abroad program he is going on next fall in Paris. He also can ride a unicycle and hopes this skill will come in handy at Trailhead this year.

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