Dori Them
Executive Director

Dori has spent most of her personal and professional life in a quest to help individuals find meaning, hope and passion in life. Her pursuit has taken her to places as distant and Mongolia and as remote as The River of No Return wilderness. It is this same passion that feeds her work at Passages To Recovery.

Dori’s education includes a B.A. in English, teaching certification, and Masters level Health Practitioner of Nuerolinguistic Programing. Her work in the mental health field began in 1990 when she accepted a job for Mount Bachelor Academy as co-head of the lower school in their academic department. Following her passion, curiosity and love for learning she later accepted director and supervisor positions at TREX, SUWS of Idaho and SUWS of the Carolinas.

Dori has direct knowledge of the life changing power inherent in wilderness. She was raised in a small town in Northern Idaho and had daily access to the experience and gifts of wild places. Hiking, backpacking, fishing and camping were all consistent parts of Dori’s youth. Experiences in the wild continued into Dori’s adulthood as she made the choice to spend much of her time in those environs. As an example, she completed her seminar project for her B.A. with a type writer and a multitude of books during three months she spent as a fire lookout in the Payette National Forest.

Dori continues to build and support the program at Passages To Recovery with belief in the power of wilderness and a vision of Passages To Recovery as a learning organization that offers students and staff a powerful, meaningful experience. The transforming power of a sweat lodge, potent nature of vision quests and rites of passage intertwined with the rigors of weeks of living in wilderness for multiple weeks are the foundation of the program. Dori provides vision and leadership that keeps these whole, brings heartfelt passion to them, and offers those who participate education, training and support that creates the highest quality experience in wilderness recovery.