Meet the Team
Bill Shively
River Jim Learning Solutions
Founder & CEO
-
Teacher, Eagle Scout Master, and Canoe Instructor
Bill is the Executive Director of River Jim Learning Solutions. He is in his 33rd year of teaching and currently teaching Career Technical Education Woodshop and Science.
​
Bill has an AS in Natural Sciences from Feather River College, a BA in Industrial Technology from Cal Poly Humboldt, and a MA in Educational Leadership from CSU Chico, Ca.
His Masters project is titled, "The Kid in the Canoe: Finding Attachment in a Test Taking World".
Bill's parents made camping & backpacking a priority early in his life, leading to hundreds of nights camping experience and a well developed level of thriving out-of-doors.
Having experienced the entire standardized test era in education, Bill knew that his thriving outside and playing in boats could translate to his students and improved life trajectories. Following on that idea, in 2006 River Jim was born.
Having owned 20 or 30 canoes and paddled hundreds of miles, Bill still admires his canoes with affection and wonder for their design and what they are capable of, and mostly, the experiences they've shared.
Bill's other passions his garden and 120+ fruit trees.
​
Lisa Williams
River Jim Secretary, Lifeguard & Wilderness First Responder, paddling guide
Lisa fell in love with kayaking in the unlikely environs of the desert southwest. After moving to Northern California in the early 2000s her paddling opportunities exploded: canoeing, rafting, paddle boarding, whitewater kayaking, and even sailing.
​
Lisa became a certified Lifeguard and Wilderness First Responder with NOLS institute and then taught paddling and guided trips with a summer camp in North Carolina before joining the River Jim team almost 10 years ago. She, in part, chose a sole-proprietor business career so that she can devote time to introducing kids and adults to the "magic" that happens in the outdoors and especially on the water.
​
When she's not on the water you can find her cycling, hiking, skiing, taking roller skating lessons and wishing she had a cat.
Kendall Enns Smith
Teacher & River Jim Treasurer and Guide
Kendall is a high school English teacher at Chico HS and has been teaching for six years. She completed her Master's in Education through the residency in Secondary Education (RiSE) Program at Chico State in 2017. Prior to that , she was an English tutor for Burmese refugees in Chiang May, Thailand while studying abroad in Thailand as a Gilman International Scholarship recipient.
Her love for the outdoors was inspired by her Hilltribes Trekking course where she hiked the jungles of northern Thailand getting to know various indigenous groups native to the area. Since then she has enjoyed adventuring throughout Southeast Asia and Australia.
​
In her spare time, she enjoys training for half-marathons, trail running, paddle boarding with her husband, kickboxing with friends, and studying Vedic mediation with some yoga in between.
Vicky Steindorf
Board Member, Teacher, River Instructor
After having grown up in Hawaii, she moved to Northern California to pursue her teaching credentials and at the same time discovered a love of the outdoors.
Vicky designed and taught an outdoor-based curriculum for 6th graders in Paradise, CA for over 20 years. She also pursued her love of the outdoors by teaching kayaking and canoe and exploring the rivers and wilds of the West at every opportunity.
When she is not paddling she can be found skiing in Tahoe, biking in Italy, working at her friends' local fruit stand or taking her pup to agility classes.
Abby Ott
Board Member, Teacher, River Jim Guide
Abby Ott has been a lover of the outdoors since she was a barefoot eight-year-old catching lizards in her backyard. At various times in her life, she has been a camp counselor, a youth mentor, a camper, a backpacker, a mountain climber, a world traveler, a student, a teacher, a wife, and a mom.
She has taught high school English since 2016 having earned her Masters in Education from CSU Chico. Her favorite thing about teaching is that she and her students mutually expand each other's understanding of the world.
She lives in Chico, CA, where she and her husband, Ben, are learning how to share their love of adventure with their two young daughters, Maia and Rori.
Board Member, paddler, and community planner
John "Johnny" Shively grew up in Willows, CA paddling with his family and the Boy Scouts. He is now a community planner and researcher whose work focuses on housing justice. His work is driven by cultivating authentic & reciprocal relationships between people.
