Nathan Kumar Scott • Executive Director
Email: nscott at sageprogram.org    Skype: nathan.k.scott
Nathan was born and raised in India, speaks fluent Hindi, and studied at Woodstock School in the Himalayas. He holds an M.A. from the University of Washington in South Asian Studies and a B.A. from Oberlin College in anthropology. Nathan has been a Watson Fellow, studying non-formal education throughout South and Southeast Asia, as well as a Fulbright Fellow in India, studying Indian puppetry and performing arts. Besides his many years and extensive experience in India, Nathan has travelled and worked throughout the developing world: in both East and West Africa (he speaks some Ki-Swahili); Central and South America (teaching college courses in Spanish at Universidad de las Americas in Mexico, volunteering in the Ecuadorian rainforests); and East and Southeast Asia (studying Bahasa Indonesia while doing research in Indonesia, living and working in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines). Nathan is a “Global Nomad” and yet there are still many places he would like to go – Patagonia, Easter Island, the Great Barrier Reef…

Ruth Brodeen • Program Coordinator
Email: ruth at sageprogram.org    Skype: ruthbrodeen.sage
With a B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Ruth has always found a way to combine her passion for travel and discovering other cultures with her professional career.  Her travel repertoire includes trekking the Annapurna circuit in Nepal, meeting with NGO’s in India, visiting ornate temples in Thailand, volunteering with a medical team in Guatemala, scouring the backroads of Costa Rica, exploring indigenous cultures in Panama, backpacking throughout Europe, and studying abroad at the Universitat Heidelberg in Germany. She has been a group travel specialist for almost 20 years developing customized tours around the globe. In her free time she advocates for anti human trafficking organizations and develops sustainable programs for victims.  What she finds most rewarding about her work at SAGE is seeing how cultural immersion programs can shape and transform the lives and careers of students.

Todd Newcomer • Marketing/Outreach Coordinator
Email: outreach at sageprogram.org
Todd Newcomer was born and raised in Colorado growing up in the outdoors. Skiing, mountain biking, rafting and exploring the Colorado backcountry dominated his free time. After graduating high school Todd took a gap year in Australia exploring the desert and the most remote locations of the sun burned continent. After his travels down under Todd attended the University of Colorado where he majored in Marketing with an area of emphasis in Tourism Management. Combining those two disciplines Todd has developed a wealth of knowledge about global travel and the benefits of sustainable tourism. Todd continues his love of travel and the outdoors and doesn't miss an opportunity to take his wife and two daughters on extended family adventures.

Marthy Shults • Travel Coordinator
Email: travel at sageprogram.org
Marty came to SAGE after a diverse career as an internet marketing representative, small business owner, and a brief stint as a NASA diver. He first caught the travel bug when he took a six month trip through Europe, followed by a study abroad program in England. He moved to Colorado in the early 1990s moving to Leadville and attending school at CMC and finally CSU where he majored in International Soil & Crop Sciences. Being an avid rock climber he took many road trips around the US and eventually set off on a three year trip around the world with his wife. They visited Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Egypt, Greece and England. They volunteered on 13 farms in New Zealand and Australia and taught English in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Marty also worked as a raft guide in Malaysia as a dive master in Thailand. He now calls Fort Collins home and travels with his wife and 8 year-old son as often as possible.

Sara Smith • Travel Coordinator
Email: groups at sageprogram.org
A travel enthusiast with a penchant for languages, Sara speaks, reads or writes eight languages in varying degrees of fluency. To date she has visited over 30 countries in North, Central and South America, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, and Africa, and looks forward to her next adventure with great anticipation! Sara sums up the effect that a lifetime of travel has had on her in this way: “Amongst all of the world’s cultures, there is one common denominator: we all want to be understood and accepted. If you learn even just a phrase or two in another person’s language, they feel touched. If you show kindness, they feel accepted. It is our humanity, no matter our language or customs, that unites us."

Mona Thornton • Volunteer & Gap Year Coordinator
Email: volunteerabroad at sageprogram.org
Mona graduated with a BFA from CSU in 1987 and then three days later moved to Italy where she spent 2 years perfecting her Tuscan accent. After returning she worked for various architects and designers in Colorado and Oregon and then returned to CSU to get her Master’s Degree in Design. Always saving up for the next big trip she has traveled widely throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America. Mona has experienced firsthand the transformative power of travel and she is excited to help bring that experience to others. She and her two well-traveled boys and husband are off this summer to spend six weeks camping in British Columbia.