Call begins at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Our Community Calls provide peer support, discussion forums and guest workshops for retreat center leaders. To join us on a Community Call, please register here to join this free community call.
Facilitators: Alexander Thompson
Topic: The Joys & Challenges of Seasonal Hiring
Seasonal hiring is a reality for many retreat centers — and few roles illustrate its complexity more clearly than a chef. A skilled chef is central to the guest experience, deeply woven into the rhythm of a place, and yet often difficult to recruit, train, and rehire year after year.
This round table invites honest conversation about the lived realities of seasonal staffing. Together, we’ll explore how centers navigate recruitment, onboarding, retention, relationship-building, and the emotional and operational work of “starting again” each season. Rather than focusing on a single best practice, this conversation will center real experiences: what has worked, what hasn’t, and what participants are still learning along the way.
Come prepared to listen, share, and learn alongside peers who understand the complexity — and creativity — required to sustain seasonal teams.
Bio for Alexander Thompson
Alexander Thompson is the Executive Director of Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge and Retreat Center in Grand Lake, CO, where he stewards a legacy of sanctuary and care that began with his grandparents in 1956 and has been carried forward by hundreds of volunteers, staff members, and guests over the past seventy years. At Shadowcliff, he strives to create a space of refuge while nurturing a culture of intention, reflection, creativity, healing, care, and transformation.
Prior to joining Shadowcliff, Alexander served as Program Director at the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and worked with artists and arts organizations in service of creating a better and more beautiful world. He has taught, lectured, and facilitated workshops at colleges, universities, and arts institutions in the United States and internationally, and has participated in numerous grant, residency, and fellowship review panels. Across his career, he has collaborated with artists, educators, and cultural leaders across disciplines.
In all his work, Alexander is guided by a belief in the transformative power of art, community, and intentional gathering. He is especially interested in how creative practice, environmental responsibility, and collective care can help communities imagine and build more just, connected, and beautiful futures.