Lori Fisher

Lori grew up in the small town of Homer, Alaska as a 3rd generation Alaskan, and was raised to understand the importance of having roots and developing a strong sense of community and place. She spent most of her 20s seeking the right place to grow those roots. After receiving her B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2001 from the University of California, Berkeley, Lori worked as a fundraiser and lobbyist for YouthBuild USA, a national nonprofit that focuses on low-income housing development and vocational training for students who have dropped out of high school. Then she switched gears completely, and moved to Thailand to become a divemaster. Finally, Lori returned to the U.S. to complete her M.A. in Education at Stanford University. Lori’s first teaching job was at High Tech High in San Diego, where she fell in love with project-based learning. Eventually the mountains called, and Lori moved to Durango with her husband John to help found Animas High School, an independent project-based charter school. When not teaching, Lori can be found onstage in local theatre productions, or on the river with her family.