Jonathan Ruf came to Mountain Oak in 2023 after working for about two decades largely in the mental health field. Due to this previous work, and other job experiences, Mr. Ruf knew how much he enjoyed working with kids and decided to take a new career path, which he was grateful for to this day. Mr. Ruf holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology with a focus in Psychology, as well as a Masters degree in Humanities.

Mr. Ruf first began working with children serving in a behavioral and educational role at an outdoor camp setting in rural North Carolina for at-risk youth. Later, while attending graduate school, he worked as a graduate teacher’s assistant, helping to educate undergraduate students. During this time he also began working as an outdoor educator at Chapel Rock here in Prescott, where he used experiential methods to teach science in an outdoor setting to elementary and middle school aged children, which he greatly enjoyed. Jonathan was reminded on a daily basis of how much our kids can also teach us adults.

Additionally, Mr. Ruf has an extensive background in agriculture, from growing up on a small family dairy farm, to the other end of the spectrum, working on a large swine CAFO, and also as a small-scale vegetable and hop grower for local markets. Because of the unique environment and property here at Mountain Oak, he gets to use these skills and knowledge on a regular basis. Jonathan is very mindful of health and nutrition which he incorporates both into the students’ structured educations, as well as in their daily lives. Healthy minds need healthy bodies.

In his free time, you will likely find him enjoying the great outdoors in various capacities, but most often on a bicycle in the woods.