Who Are We?

Our Mission

Pinnacle is dedicated to providing a meaningful educational experience that inspires students to develop lifelong connections with the natural world. While nurturing a sense of stewardship for the environment, we also strive to develop a student’s intellectual, social, and ethical foundation in the belief that these qualities are necessary to actively engage in creating a better, more sustainable world.

Our Values

Environmental Stewardship

Preserving our natural world for posterity.

Compassion & Service

Demonstrating concern and acting with a spirit of respect and generosity in service to others while acting selflessly to meet the needs of others and our environment.

Integrity & Excellence

Acting with honesty, being accountable for your decisions and actions while being your best self, pursuing craftsmanship in your actions, and living a healthy & balanced life.

Inclusion & Diversity

Valuing & working to create communities representative of our society that support and respect differences.

Meet Our Team

Staff

Sean Chan, Founder & Executive Director

Sean is originally from NYC, lived up and down the east coast before finally settling down in Seattle with his wife and two children. He holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College and a MA in Environmental Education from UNH. He has worked in the field of environmental education for over a decade as a teacher, naturalist, challenge course director, park ranger, and raft guide. In his spare time, he likes to go hiking, camping, and cheer on his Davidson Wildcats during basketball season!

Board of Directors

Althea Chaivan

Althea and her children have been a part of Pinnacle from the start. She brings with her over 12 years of project and team management experience. She was also a volunteer coordinator with the Big Brother, Big Sister program. Althea has a strong belief that all children should have access to programs that encourage scientific understanding, environmental stewardship and camaraderie. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family and fostering rescued Jindo pups.

Jonathan Koomjian

Jonathan is the computer programmer responsible for keeping this site running.  He grew up in the Midwest, and earned a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Grinnell College before moving west to be closer to the mountains. Jonathan spends his free time dreaming up and building cool tech projects that help people reduce their environmental impact. On the weekends, he can be found backpacking in the Cascades, making up for lost time.

Fan Zhang

Fan has been designing products and leading product teams that help people for over 10 years, ranging from life-saving medical products to impactful consumer electronics. Fan received his BS in materials science and MS in bio-engineering from Stanford University. Fan is passionate about working with underprivileged youth, serving as a mentor for the Big Brother & Big Sister program for over 5 years. Outside of work, he also enjoys hikes and spending time outdoors with his family.

Interested in joining the Pinnacle Explorations Board of Directors?

The board is actively recruiting for new board candidates, especially those who can contribute in any of the following ways:

  • Contribute to the board’s diversity, ideally representing communities without current representation

  • Have connections to the news media or social media outlets

  • Have experience dealing with city government or city planning

  • Willing to commit 4-8 hours per month attending board meetings and events

  • Willing to join one or more board committees and to participate in fundraising activities 

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact our Executive Director at Sean@PinnacleExplorations.org