WHOWE ARE
Starved Rock Hikers was founded by a group of locals looking to enhance the hiking experience in the Starved Rock area.
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Today, we continue to share our love for the parks through an avid community of hikers, hand-picked adventures, and our commitment to preserving these natural wonders.
Matthew Klein
Co-Founder
Matthew Klein graduated from the Bradley University Foster College of Business with a B.S. in Business Management and Leadership and a minor in Marketing. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration. Growing up near Starved Rock, the idea of a business that preserves a park through participation, education, and partnerships came naturally to Matthew. He coordinates company strategy, customer segments, key partners, and revenue streams. Matthew's favorite season is winter and can often be found sitting by the fireplace in The Great Hall of the Starved Rock Lodge.
Kyle Petersen
Co-Founder
Kyle has a passion bridging community and love of the outdoors, two core aspects of Starved Rock Hikers. Kyle is a full time college student studying Multimedia communications at Olivet Nazarene University. He uses his skills in communication, video and photo content creation, and creativity to promote the natural beauty of our local parks, helping to foster a community of people who enjoy the parks, just as much. Kyle's favorite part of the park is the transition into fall and winter where the park transforms into a whole new place with new sights to see and capture.
Devin Soldati
Sustainability Specialist
Devin Soldati graduated from Bradley University College of Education and Health Sciences with a B.S. in Health Science and a minor in Business Management and Leadership. His goal is to become a physician. When he isn’t hiking, he spends his time outdoors playing volleyball, pickleball, and bags. In his current role, Devin educates visitors through writing informative blogs revolving around how to preserve your health as well as the Parks’. He also manages inventory and contributes to strategy development. His favorite memory at Starved Rock is guiding a group of friends from Bradley on their first hike at the park!
Lauren Klein
Marketing Associate
Lauren has called Starved Rock home for life and is an outdoor enthusiast who loves hiking, rock climbing, and seeing the serene nature. Lauren is a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying Marketing and Information Systems with a Minor in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism. Promoting tourism is not new to Lauren, as she previously worked as a Tourism Coordinator for the Starved Rock Country Welcome Center in Utica, IL. In her current role, Lauren utilizes her marketing skills and creativity to write blogs and hikes, plan events, design merchandise, and meet with local businesses. Lauren's favorite memory at the park is when she went hiking with some friends, lost track of time, and ended up walking over 30,000 steps!
Anand Krishnan
Website Administrator
Anand is a website administrator at Starved Rock Hikers. He is a freshman student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science. Anand's hobbies include riding his bike, soccer (playing, watching, and refereeing), and movies. As a website administrator at Starved Rock Hikers, Anand has worked on the "find an event" page, connecting potential visitors with engaging events at Starved Rock.
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Jayce Ladzinski
Social Media Specialist
Jayce helps out with social media marketing here at Starved Rock Hikers and is currently going into his sophomore year studying marketing at Bradley University. He grew up going to Starved Rock often, and has a passion for nature and all of its aspects. His favorite part about the park is going out and sharing the experience of the outdoors with friends and family.
Interested in joining the team? Email us at starvedrock@hikersglobal.com with your resume and what Starved Rock Hikers means to you!