Stephanie Bennett
Stephanie grew up in suburban Philadelphia but was able to spend her summers exploring the wilderness of the Adirondacks. In 1999, Stephanie moved to Vermont for her undergraduate education, where she took her explorations deeper into the woods and further up the mountains. While in Vermont, she received a B.A. in Political Science and began working as a Production Analyst for locally based snow-sports companies. In 2006, Stephanie moved to Seattle to work for K2 Sports where she integrated her interest in sustainability with her daily job as a Production Planner.  While at K2 she worked on various sustainability initiatives including a recycling program at the office and employee education. She is also an active member of the Eco-Working Group, which is a sustainability-focused organization comprised of Outdoor Industry professionals. Stephanie is excited to gain knowledge and skills that will empower her to share her passion for the environment with others. Additionally she looks forward to running, hiking, canoeing, snowboarding, climbing and puddle-jumping in such an inspiring location.

CeCe Bowerman
CeCe grew up  in the city of Troy, New York, but spent summers hiking  the high peaks in the Adirondacks and swimming in Lake George. CeCe graduated from Unity College in Maine with a Bachelor of Science in Adventure Education.  She has led a variety of backpacking, canoeing and camping trips throughout New England and Puget Sound Washington. Prior to coming to NCI, CeCe worked for three years as the Youth Coordinator for Siskiyou Field Institute in southern Oregon, creating programs about the natural history of the incredible Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion for children. She enjoys harnessing children’s innate curiosity to help them experience the natural world in a meaningful way. When not playing outside, CeCe enjoys cooking with produce, knitting with wool and running in the rain.

Clint Hensley
Clint spent much of his youth exploring the woods around his home in coastal Maine and getting very dirty in the process. Before beginning university, Clint spent four years studying art with the painter Carlo Pittore in Bowdoinham, ME. It was during this time that he began to see nature in a new light and entered University of Southern Maine to study Biology. During his time at university, Clint studied in Seville, Spain and, after some changes, graduated with a degree in International Studies in 2004. Shortly thereafter, Clint was a Peace Corps volunteer in Resita, Romania for thirty-nine months where he taught English and worked with and befriended many like-minded environmental and youth educators at Asociatia BikeAttack Resita, an environmental NGO/non-profit and bicycle advocacy organization and Mansarda, a youth volunteer center. His work with this great group of people, coupled with his love for nature and place-based learning, lead him to Western Washington University's Masters of Education in Environmental Education. When not trying to catch up on readings, Clint enjoys mountain biking, art, hiking, and eating.

Scott Davis
Scott Davis comes to the North Cascades from Southern California where he was born and raised. He most recently lived in San Diego where he worked as a financial services representative within investments and sales, and worked in satellite/telecommunications for a startup company in Pacific Beach. He attended college at University of California Santa Barbara–go Gauchos!–where he studied physical anthropology and conducted a research project in Channel Islands National Park with the Chumash of “Island of the Blue Dolphins” notoriety. He also spent a year in Stockholm, Sweden studying the language and culture. Scott is very excited to teach and learn from the next generation of naturalists, learning to rekindle mankindʼs intimate connection with our national world. He looks forward to spending more time in the Methow Valley eating baked goods from Cinnamon Twisp and making it to the ocean in search of a good beach break.

Codi Hamblin
Codi studied environmental journalism at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment. While there she worked as a writer and editor for the university’s environmental magazine, The Planet, and as a communications intern for Conservation Northwest. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a news reporter for the weekly and daily newspapers in Skagit County, Washington. Codi enjoys taking cold dips in lakes and streams, hiking through dense forests and bundling up for a day in the snow. She looks forward to sharing her love and curiosity for nature with students of all ages as she explores her new role as an environmental educator.

Teresa Mealy
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Teresa grew up exploring the woods and waters of the Pacific Northwest. From walking the shores of the Puget Sound to hiking the Siskiyou and kayaking the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, she has experienced much of what the region has to offer. Teresa graduated from the University of Portland where she majored in Environmental Ethics and Policy and minored in Environmental Science. She volunteered as a naturalist for the Seattle Aquarium, educating visitors about the marine environment, and worked as a crew leader with the Northwest Youth Corp, a non-profit specializing in providing jobs integrated with environmental education. Most recently, she could be found guiding for a small ship cruise line, leading adventures from Costa Rica to Alaska. Teresa is excited to be back in the Northwest, to and explore a “new” area in her backyard, the North Cascades.

Nick Mikula
In 1986, Nick embarked on an epic adventure that has led him up mountains, down rivers and through a world inundated with technology. A recent Western Washington University graduate with a concentration in Video and Audio Production, Nick is striving to find a balance between digital media and outdoor experiences as educational tools. In his free time, Nick enjoys photography, building websites, and silently wandering the world rarely seen by his fellow humans. He has numerous stories to tell of his journeys and is happy to share his experiences with others.

Elizabeth Penhollow
Elizabeth grew up in Western Washington where she was fortunate enough to experience and connect with the outdoors in the company of her family and yellow lab. She completed her undergraduate studies at Western Washington University where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in literacy. Elizabeth recently returned from teaching third grade in Costa Rica, which proved to be a phenomenal learning experience. Having a background in recreation and working with youth, she is passionate about connecting children with nature, as well as deepening her own understanding and appreciation for the natural world.

Stephanie Pate
Stephanie graduated from the College of Charleston in December of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Environmental Studies. All four years she worked as a Peer Health Educator on campus during the academic year. International volunteer work struck a cord within, prompting Stephanie to travel to Australia and India during the summers. She hopes to learn as much as she can about the natural world and environmental education while in the Pacific Northwest. Stephanie loves traveling, reading, hiking, and facilitating learning experiences and meeting new people.

Kate Rinder
Originally from Chicago, Kate is a happy Northwest transplant. After receiving a degree in Environmental Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University, Kate worked as a naturalist and wrangler on a ranch in Colorado’s Laramie River Valley before a 15-country backpack through Europe. During college she studied in Australia through the School for International Training’s Sustainability and the Environment Program, and was an SCA Interpretive Intern in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She was the Outreach and Volunteer Program Coordinator with the Northwest Earth Institute in Portland for the two years prior to starting this program. When she is not trying to inspire sustainability among others, Kate stays inspired by spending her free time hiking, camping, canoeing, climbing, cooking, experimenting with food preservation, and being creative.

David Strich
David grew up exploring the beaches, deserts and mountains of sunny southern California.  After graduating with a degree in history from U.C.L.A., he soon discovered a passion for teaching while working as a naturalist in his home state. Mr. Strich has taught English in Chile and Japan and is excited to once again combine his enthusiasm for education with the great outdoors.  Dave is looking forward to work and study with other environmentally-conscious educators.

Graduate Class of 2013

Mollie Behn
A self-proclaimed addict of the national parks, Mollie spent the past five years working for the National Park Service. She graduated from University of California at San Diego in 2005 with a B.A in Political Science/Public Policy and a minor in Environmental Studies. Prior to starting graduate school, Mollie worked in the NPS headquarters in Washington D.C. serving as the special assistant to the NPS Deputy Director and most recently on interpretation and education program development and support and youth outreach. She was a seasonal interpretive park ranger at Sequoia and Acadia National Parks, a resource management and interpretation intern at Yellowstone National Park, and an interpretive volunteer at Cabrillo National Monument. She also served as a congressional intern in the U.S. House of Representatives. Originally drawn to the outdoors through her involvement in wilderness search and rescue teams in California, she is excited to get back into nature to explore, teach, and learn all she can about the fascinating natural world.

Jacob Belsher
Born in 1982 and raised in Yakima, Washington, Jacob’s love of the outdoors grows with each passing year. After graduating from The Evergreen State College in 2007 with a B.A. and a focus on creative writing and western philosophy, he spent three excellent years working for the Forest Service.  He was drawn to the Graduate Program by the promise of being able to develop his interests in education while maintaining a meaningful existence outside the classroom. Though he loves to travel and has wandered extensively, he always comes home to the forests, mountains, and deserts of Washington State.

Sarah Bernstein
Born and raised in Southern California, Sarah began adventuring into the Sierra Nevada Mountains to camp, hike, and spend time outdoors at a very early age. She feels fortunate to have spent many hours and days exploring and soaking up rays along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, including time spent at the University of California Santa Barbara earning her Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies. During her undergraduate studies Sarah lived in Australia with the cassowaries and kangaroos studying rainforest ecology. Her education and experiences led her to work with a number of environmental and educational programs, which in turn have brought her to the North Cascades. Sarah loves to travel, and in her spare time enjoys taking photographs and baking cookies.

Susan Brown
The subtle beauty of Susan's childhood home in Kentucky stands in sharp contrast to her new surroundings in the North Cascades. Her early days exploring the wilderness of her own backyard led her to study Environmental Science for her undergraduate degree at Morehead State University. For several years Susan's future has been coming into focus around the idea of connecting people to the natural world. Experiences working at various non-profits from the southeast to the northwest have all lead her to take the next steps towards a career as an educator. As she settles into her new home, Susan is excited with the prospect of adventures in the North Cascades.

Emmanuel Camarillo
Emmanuel was born and raised in the city of El Paso, Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science and a minor in Geography from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He spent his years at Truman teaching kids and adults about the amphibians and reptiles in the school’s herpetarium. He started Truman State University's Mammal Museum Education Program, which taught college students about the mammals found in Missouri using the specimens from the museums. Although he has very little knowledge of the environment found in the Northwest, he looks forward to learning as well as teaching students about the North Cascades.

Elise Ehrheart
A Washington native, Elise was born in Seattle and raised on Lopez Island, in the San Juan Islands. She loves exploring tide pools, hiking through dense forests, and watching for whales off Lopez. Elise graduated from the University of Washington with dual Bachelors in English and Political Science, specializing in Environmental Policy. After graduation, Elise worked as a Parks Specialist with King County Parks and Recreation. In 2009, Elise completed a year-long cycling journey through seven countries cycling over 10,000 miles, with only one flat tire! During her time abroad, Elise taught middle school in Thailand and worked with a Nepalese non-profit, caring for injured and sick street animals in Kathmandu. Since her return to Washington, Elise has worked teaching environmental education with Sound Experience and as an afterschool tutoring program instructor. Elise now serves as the Skagit County Program Coordinator for Ocean Adventure Racing Northwest.

Kiira Heymann
Kiira grew up in New England and graduated from Colby College in Maine in 2008, where she studied English and Environmental Studies. Kiira has explored her passion for the environment by spending summers as a backpacking guide for teenagers, studying plants and working at farms in Maine and California, and traveling abroad to Australia and India. In addition to ID-ing plants, favorite things include running in the woods, knitting, yoga, and thick works of fiction. Kiira is excited to find a new home in the North Cascades and to combine her interests in education and the environment at NCI.

Christen Kiser
Christen spent much of her youth amidst the big mountains, granite boulders, and expansive treescapes of Northern California, developing a passion for the outdoors at an early age. After graduating from Lewis and Clark College with a degree in Environmental Studies and Natural History, she returned to her native Sierra Nevada Foothills as a field manager on a small organic vegetable farm, educating people about the importance of local agriculture in building and sustaining resilient communities.  Most recently she could be found managing Farmer’s Markets in the greater Seattle area and delighting in the smell of freshly baked bread. Christen enjoys yoga, climbing, hiking, and cooking, especially when it involves good friends and good beets. She looks forward to defining her sense of place in the North Cascades and helping to awaken a love for the natural world in the hearts of others.

Ashley Kvitek
Ashley is a true Wisconsinite – she grew up on the family farm and loves her Green Bay Packers! She spent her free time growing up literally running around the countryside and learning to appreciate the world around her. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2010 with a BS in Sociology and big but vague plans to change the world. Her time in La Crosse really brought out the pressing issues relating people to their environment and the social injustices that go along with those issues. After graduation, she realized that a job would be important, so she started working for a local healthcare organization in Green Bay and volunteering for a small nature preserve. One year and one “Marsh Trek” seasonal class later, she realized that the conventional job market was not for her. Four months later, she found herself and her life packed into a car and driving across the country to start the adventure of a lifetime!!

Colby Mitchell
Colby found his affinity for the natural world under a rock in his childhood backyard in Connecticut.  A passion for mucking about only grew in the tidal flats of Cape Cod Bay or while fishing and sailing in the waters from Long Island Sound to the Gulf of Maine.  After completing his undergraduate study of Biology in Vermont, Colby moved to the midwest where he discovered a passion and career in teaching and learning. In his six years residing in Chicago, Colby worked for Shedd Aquarium where he most recently coordinated onsite community-based and field-based programming for teens. In this role he took a deep dive into learning theory and began to skim the surface of the possible forms and functions of non-profit organizations. Ultimately, Colby aspires to collaborate with peers on the design and creation of a next generation learning-orientated non-profit.

Jess Newley
Jess thought she had it all figured out... she graduated from WSU with degrees in Marketing and International Business, got a fancy job in downtown San Francisco and met the man of her dreams. Everything was going great until she stumbled into a new passion: the ocean. It didn’t take long for her to trade in her high heels for fins and she found herself working as a Scuba instructor in both the Middle East and south Africa. Spending hundreds of hours in the water gave her a unique opportunity to see the beauty, fragility and importance of our oceanic ecosystems. Jess hopes to start her own program that will work with communities around the world to develop sustainable fishing practices and set up dedicated Marine Protected Areas. So, here she is! Jess is crazy about SCUBA diving and would love to take you anytime. When she's not 100 ft below the surface you can find her taking bike rides with her dog/child Martini, hanging out at the beach and exploring the Cascades whenever possible.

Alex Patia
Alex was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois where he spent much of his time growing up exploring in the outdoors. Early on he developed a habit of carrying field guides everywhere to aid in “poking around.” Alex followed his passion for the natural world to the Pacific Northwest where he lived in Olympia, Washington attending The Evergreen State College. Here Alex studied sustainability issues, zoology and other environmental studies topics. His studies took him throughout Washington and also such faraway places as Chilean Patagonia, Big Sur California, the rainforests of Central America and the swamps of Louisiana. At Evergreen Alex decided he would merge his interests in conservation and working with youth by becoming an environmental educator, which is what brought him to the North Cascades Institute. In his free time Alex enjoys cooking vegan food, running, hiking, camping, sketching, bird watching and catching snakes.

Erin Soper
Growing up in Tacoma, Erin enjoyed a childhood spent outdoors. From picking peaches on the eastside to backpacking in the Olympics, she loved camping, fishing, road trips and secretly enjoyed doing chores on her family’s small farm. Since graduating from Western Washington University with a B.A.E. in Interdisciplinary Child Development and K-8 Teaching Certificate, Erin has taught in both traditional and nontraditional settings.  Beyond the classroom, she led backpacking, canoeing and primitive camping trips in both Northern Michigan and Western Washington. Erin spent the last four years in Michigan at the Chippewa Nature Center. As Lead Teacher and Program Coordinator for Nature Preschool, she puddle jumped, snow shoed, caught insects and collected herps all while singing songs with three and four year olds.  Erin is excited to be back in Washington and looks forward to living in the North Cascades. She can often be found with a camera or book in hand; listen for her laugh and you’ll be sure to find her exploring, naturalizing or enjoying the company of friends.

Katie Tozier
Katie joins the North Cascades community from the small mountain town of Twain Harte, California, located just north of Yosemite National Park and south of Lake Tahoe. Growing up in such a corner of the world – with remarkable landscapes, desirable natural resources, and thoughtful family and community members – Katie fell in love with the environment at an early age. It wasn’t until she left, however, that she realized her true love of the Sierras. She earned her BS in Environmental Science and Management (emphasis in Natural Resource Management), with a minor in Education, from UC Davis in June, 2011. She spent her summers home from school working for the US Forest Service, Stanislaus National Forest – first as an Archaeology Aide, and twice as an Interpretive Aide. Despite the overwhelming challenges posed by global climate change, Katie finds hope in the power of environmental education, and intends to help foster a passion for positive environmental stewardship and responsible resource use in the years to come. In her free time, Katie enjoys chocolate, painting, dogs, and good movies.