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About Us

Our carefully-assembled core team is a collection of the brightest young stars of our industry.  With over 52 combined years of nanny experience, we pride ourselves in our innovative recruitment, communication, and successful matchmaking strategies.  Our team has backgrounds in a wide spectrum of fields, including early childhood education, special education, business, education reform, psychology, and conflict resolution.

Adventure Nannies does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion or religious creed, disability or handicap, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status,  genetic information,  or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. We encourage our families to follow EEO practices when interviewing and selecting candidates for their positions.

Brandy

Founder 

Brandy founded Adventure Nannies after 8 years of working as a travel nanny herself.  As a nanny, she went cliff diving with kids in Italy, worked on a farm in Southern France, attended Burning Man, and learned survival skills in the Rocky Mountain wilderness.  These experiences combined with Brandy’s background in education reform and gender studies led her to creating Adventure Nannies. As the original Adventure Nanny, Brandy’s passion for active families and dynamic visionary leadership has propelled Adventure Nannies from its infancy into the high-touch worldwide boutique nanny agency it is today.

When Brandy isn’t at home with her1-year-old son and two dogs, she’s out on the road with her husband’s band, The Lumineers.

Shenandoah

Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder

Shenandoah joined Adventure Nannies in 2016 as Chief Operations Officer after being initially hired on as a small business consultant and transitioned into CEO in 2018. She has presented at both the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA) and the International Nanny Association (INA) conferences and is on the APNA board of directors. In a past life, she was the marketing director and brand manager for a popular restaurant and bar group in Seattle and has also nannied, tutored, and given music lessons to students aged 4 to 72. Shenandoah holds a Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and English and, as a touring musician, has performed in Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Italy, the UK, and many other places. Shenandoah lives in Tacoma with her rabbit Meatball.

 

Emily

Recruitment Director

Emily joined the Adventure Nannies team in 2016. As the Recruitment Director and Office Manager, she is the main point of contact for nannies and private educators. She conducts screening calls, assists candidates in completing their applications, and ensures that every candidate is carefully vetted. Recently she presented at the International Nanny Association (INA) conference in Chicago, IL.

Emily was raised in a small central Oregon town where she grew up hiking, rock climbing, and camping. After earning a BFA in theater she co-managed several non-profit theater organizations in Seattle, Washington and served as an associate artistic director. She possesses a background in Montessori, nannying, and touring as a teaching artist throughout Washington. Emily is also a professional voice over artist and actor. Currently, Emily splits her time between New York and Seattle.  

Contact Emily:

emily [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

Christina

Placement Director

Christina possesses a double BA in Business Administration and Spanish from the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the Adventure Nannies team, she was a high school teacher in Spain, the national account manager for Caffe Vita, and a business development consultant.

In addition to residing in Spain, she has traveled to the UK, France, Italy, Morocco, Holland, the Czech Republic, and Mexico.  Christina’s many hobbies include road trips, motorcycle rides, cooking, yoga, flower arranging, and vintage shopping.  She lives in Seattle with her sweet pup named Chicken and her motorcycle, Little Bird.

Contact Christina:

christina [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

Elizabeth

Lead Placement Counselor

Elizabeth joined the Adventure Nannies team in 2018 after over 10 years of experience in the private service industry. She earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin River Falls and certification in Early Childhood Education at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Elizabeth has enjoyed living in places like Colorado, Connecticut, and New York while pursuing a career as a high-profile nanny before working as an account executive at a domestic staffing agency for almost 4 years. Earlier in her career, Elizabeth worked as an accomplished glass artist, private tutor, and personal trainer, in addition to founding a wellness center in Westchester County.

Elizabeth is an avid fitness enthusiast and enjoys journaling and meditation. When she isn’t working or traveling towards sunshine and salt water, she enjoys volunteering at the local animal shelter.

Elizabeth currently resides in the Milwaukee area with her unbelievably adorable Welsh terrier, Otto.

Contact Elizabeth:

elizabeth [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

Nina

Recruitment Coordinator

Nina joined the Adventure Nannies team in 2017. After earning a BA in psychology, Nina began her career as a nanny in the Bay Area, then eventually transitioned to a local Bay Area nanny agency as a recruiter and executive assistant.

Nina’s brief hiatus from the nanny industry included three years as a corporate executive assistant, as well as a 6-month international trip with her husband, visiting places such as Peru, Thailand, Bali, Australia, and New Zealand. Upon her return from traveling, Nina had a new appreciation for adventure, and a strong desire to return to the childcare industry, making her role at Adventure Nannies a dream come true.

Nina now lives north of the Bay Area with her husband, and also owns a home bakery. When she’s not working, she can be found running, hiking, or cheering on the San Francisco Giants!

 Contact Nina:

nina [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

 

Danielle

Director of Communications

Prior to her role with Adventure Nannies, Danielle has worked with local and national businesses on developing their branding and marketing through social media, blogging, and SEO. Danielle has also been a classroom assistant for K-12, and a Newborn Care Specialist with over 15 years of childcare experience.

She possesses an unlimited sense of optimism, loves a hearty challenge, and has the uncanny ability to find wi-fi in the most unlikely places. Danielle takes on the occasional freelance writing project whenever possible, and in her spare time volunteers with underserved members of the community.

Danielle lives in Seattle with her incredible husband along with their dog Arlo, and cat Babette. Please contact Danielle for all media and press inquiries.

Contact Danielle:

danielle [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

Alenni

Recruitment Assistant

Alenni possesses a BS in Music Industry and has been a private music teacher for 4 years prior to joining the Adventure Nannies team. She brings an overwhelming sense of positivity and energy to our team! When she is not behind a laptop, she is playing viola, guitar, or piano, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and teaching herself Japanese.

Alenni lives in Philadelphia with her rescue dachshund Wormy.

 Contact Alenni:

alenni [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

 

Kenna

Placement Assistant

Kenna joined the Adventure Nannies team in 2018 after receiving a Bachelor’s degree in cinema arts and sciences from Columbia College Chicago. Kenna approaches challenges with a sense of creativity, patience, and optimism as she counsels candidates on moving through the placement process.

Kenna is also a photographer, videographer and musician who runs a production company called Tiny Ship Co. Kenna lives in upstate New York and frequently contributes to the local art and music scene. When she’s out of the office, Kenna enjoys engaging her adventurous side at the climbing gym.

 Contact Kenna:

kenna [at] adventurenannies [dot] com

How We Hire

Only the best nannies are invited to join our team. Our vetting process is designed to ensure that every Adventure Nanny upholds the highest level of professionalism to exceed the expectations of our families. Our screening process is competitive and thorough, and sets us apart from other agencies.

The following steps outline the process nannies and private educators face when applying to Adventure Nannies. After each stage of our screening process, the applicant is re-evaluated before being invited to move on to the next step. Each nanny is asked to:

  1. Submit an initial, online application.
  2. Submit an extensive, in-depth written application, assessing professionalism, experience, personality, and childcare values.
  3. Complete an in-person interview (in NYC, Denver, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle) or Skype interview to determine if the nanny is a personality fit for our company.
  4. Complete a follow-up, job-specific interview over Skype with another member of our team for a second opinion.
  5. Provide at least (3) childcare or education related references, which we contact directly.  Written reference summaries for each candidate are provided to families considering hiring them.
  6. Complete and pass a professional background check and E-Verify to ensure they are permitted to legally work in the United States.

We run our background checks through PFC Information Services, and provide our families with the full report before they hire a nanny. Our standard background checks include criminal history, driving records, wants and warrants, and are run in every county in which the candidate has lived. Families have the option of adding additional criteria to their background checks a la carte as well.

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Our Nannies have Superpowers

Medical Training

This nanny goes above and beyond CPR certification. Many of our nannies are nurses, Wilderness First Responders, and EMTs. If someone in your family requires special medical attention, we can help you find a nanny with just the right experience and training.

Teaching

A nanny with this teaching power has a degree in teaching and/ or classroom teaching experience. Many of these nannies have extensive experience including Teach for America, overseas teaching, private tutoring, and advanced degrees in specialized education fields.

Special Needs

This nanny has a degree in special education, or two or more years of experience working with children with special needs. If you’d like extra attention for your child with special needs, rest assured, our nannies can help.

Language Skills

Nannies with the language superpower are anywhere from conversational to fluent in a language besides English, or have a degree in speech pathology. If you have concerns with language development in your child, or would like to travel with someone who can speak a specific language, we can find just the right nanny for you.

Multiples

This nanny has two or more years of experience or training working with multiples. Do you need an extra set of hands… or four? These nannies are well-equipped to take on the task juggling it takes to care for multiples!

Infant Specialist

This nanny has three or more years of experience working with infants, or is a certified infant care specialist, postpartum doula, or sleep specialist.  The first few years come with a range of new challenges, and our nannies can help!

Travel Pro

These are our world travelers. Nannies with this superpower have spent extended periods of time in popular and exotic travel destinations, and are extremely adaptable. They know how to pack, how to plan, and how to make the most of any situation. These are a few of our candidates that can make your family vacation a true vacation for everyone.

Creative

These are our artists, our crafters, and our creative educators. If you want your child in the care of someone who sees the world through an artist’s eye, we can find just the nanny for you.

Discretion

Discretion is a core value at Adventure Nannies. Each of our clients and their families are provided with the assurance that their privacy and safety are in good hands with us. Once a nanny or educator applies to our team, they are required to sign an NDA and are properly trained to maintain discretion throughout their employ and beyond. Additionally, we provide a blanket NDA to each of the families we work with that candidates are required to sign before interviewing or trialing with your family. We also take special care during our Internet screening process with each candidate to ensure they have not shared any sensitive information about their past employers. Our training protocol has been taken from our own experience working with high-profile clients whose safety and privacy is of paramount importance. **Note: We have received written permission from the parents/ legal guardians of all of the children featured on our website and social media pages.

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