Shaver’s Creek Nature Names
What’s with the “nature names” below? At Shaver’s Creek, many of our staff members adopt a secondary “nature name.” These monikers are meant to be fun and are usually used during programs with kids, such as during Summer Camp and Outdoor School.
Penn State College Affiliation
Shaver’s Creek is part of Penn State Outreach, but we have teaching agreements with many colleges and departments across Penn State. Some staff members also serve as faculty for the recreation, park, and tourism management program in the College of Health and Human Development or the School of Forest Resources in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Summer Camp Staff
Lena Logan Adams
Summer Camp Naturalist
Lena Logan has grown up surrounded by and inspired by Shaver’s Creek through summer camp, the Enchanted Halloween Festival, and the Maple Harvest Festival. She has been a camper, LIT, and assistant naturalist for summer camp in the past and cannot wait to be a naturalist for the 2024 summer camp season!
Lena Logan is a rising junior at Penn State studying wildlife and fisheries science with minors in music performance and sustainability leadership. She hopes to pursue a career in ecology field research and is specifically interested in animal behavior studies. Through Shaver’s Creek, she also discovered her passion for childhood environmental education and hopes to continue as an educator in the future. She has gained environmental education experience from her time with Outdoor School. Lena Logan is also an AURORA leader and will be leading for ORION this summer.
At Penn State, Lena Logan is involved with the Penn State Equestrian Team, the Penn State Outing Club, and THON. Outside of school, her interests include hiking, playing the violin, and catching critters. She is very excited to be spending her summer at Shaver’s Creek this year.
Nature Name: Sassafras
Samantha Bryn
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Samantha is an undergraduate student at Penn State, studying wildlife and fisheries science with minors in both biology and forest ecosystems. She will be spending her final semester studying abroad in New Zealand this fall. Her love and passion for nature and environmental education is what brings her to summer camp this year.
As a former SEED student, Samantha has been involved with Shaver’s Creek through Outdoor School, Maple Harvest Festival, and the Birding Cup. Outside the classroom, Samantha can be found reading, playing cards with friends, or hiking with her black lab puppy, Moshannon.
Nature Name: Salamander
Christopher Cole
Summer Camp Naturalist
Christopher Cole is a Pennsylvania native who has loved Shaver’s Creek since he was a kid. He participated in summer camp as a child and was a summer camp LIT as a teenager. He is currently enrolled at Penn State, pursuing a degree in computer science. He is very passionate about the outdoors and is excited to share his passion with others. When he’s not out searching for reptiles and amphibians, he can usually be found with a cat on his lap and a dog by his side.
Nature Name: Snapper
Rebecca Dean (she/her)
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Rebecca is an undergraduate student at Penn State, majoring in animal science business and minoring in wildlife and fishery sciences. She discovered Shaver’s Creek through work-study and instantly fell in love. “The atmosphere is just so welcoming and everyone’s passions shine brightly!” She enjoys working alongside the Wildlife Program coordinators and being able to interact with and represent the animal ambassadors.
Animals have always been Rebecca’s passion, but reptiles are her main focus. She began reptile-keeping in 2017, from there the enthusiasm ruptured. Her goal is to have a future career relating to zoology or working in a wildlife state park. Her plan after college is to move to Florida to pursue this goal.
Nature Name: Toadstool
Kiera Drohan (she/her)
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Keira is a recent State High graduate who will be attending Penn State Erie for nursing in the fall. She loves spending time in nature and making a difference in people’s lives, and her ultimate goal is to be able to incorporate a health care–focused job with time spent in nature. Keira grew up in State College and spent many summers as a camper and leader in training at Shaver’s Creek. She enjoys hiking, learning, spending time with her family and dogs, and exercising.
Nature Name: Borealis
Christian George
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Christian is a previous undergraduate student of the University of Oregon, majoring in environmental studies. He plans on transferring to Penn State in the fall to continue his degree through RPTM (recreation, park, and tourism management) and continue pursuing outdoor education. This will be his first year experiencing and leading the wonders of camp at Shaver’s Creek! He is excited to see what the summer holds while gaining experience teaching in nature. Always drawn to the woods as a kid, this was a source of peace and never-ending curiosity. Even now, the thought of an unexplored trail is more than enough to peak his interest. Whether running, hiking, or drawing, the fresh, pine-scented air is always welcome. When he’s not thinking about mountains, Christian enjoys cooking, singing, and ice cream, as well as dinosaurs, playing piano, roller coasters, and a good cup of tea at the end of a long day.
Nature Name: Cypress
Alice Gipe
Summer Camp Naturalist
Alice is a student at the University of Vermont pursuing a degree in environmental science. Her passion for the outdoors stemmed from her enjoyment of Shaver’s Creek Summer Camp as a kid, and since then, she has remained involved with the program. Always searching for new experiences in nature, she will jump at the chance to spend time outside exploring. She is particularly interested in plants and wildlife and cannot wait to share her joy with campers this summer as a naturalist. If not backpacking, running, or biking, she can most often be found reading a book in a hammock with her dog, Summer.
Nature Name: Moss
Eamon Jamieson
Summer Camp Naturalist
Eamon is a student at Penn State with only one more year to go until he receives his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, English. He is interested in becoming an English teacher at the high-school level. Eamon loves reading, writing, and working with kids, and he could not see himself doing anything else but teaching. In addition to his interest in English, Eamon loves the outdoors and, growing up in rural Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, spent much of his childhood in nature. Even today, he still enjoys hiking, biking, and swimming as well as reading, writing, listening to music (especially the Beatles), playing guitar, singing, exercising, and watching movies alone and with friends. Eamon is excited to spend his summer as a naturalist at Shaver’s Creek and relishes the opportunity to build valuable friendships and teaching skills.
Adan Kooken
Summer Camp Naturalist
Adan is a student at Penn State planning to graduate in the spring of 2025 with a degree in environmental resource management. His love for the outdoors began with camping in scouts and watching The Weather Channel. With a wide variety of interests, Adan loves learning about anything and everything. After two semesters of Outdoor School, he felt inspired to apply for this position and further develop his skills. In his free time, Adan loves to teach himself new things, build puzzles, look at the weather, or just sit and watch the birds.
Nature Name: Sparrow
Nick Lombardi
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Nick is a current undergraduate student studying planetary science and astronomy at Penn State University Park campus. Ever since he was a kid, Nick has loved exploring the outdoors and uncovering the mysteries of nature. He hopes to nurture and grow the curiosity of those interested in the sciences and to make learning exciting! He has volunteered for the Outdoor School program at Shaver’s Creek and, through this experience, has grown a passion for teaching the complexities of nature. Nick loves learning and teaching about anything astronomy and our place in the universe.
Nature Name: Sirius
Juliet Mallouk
Summer Camp Naturalist
Juliet is a former environmental education intern who is excited to return to Shaver’s Creek as a camp naturalist for summer 2024! She grew up visiting Shaver’s Creek and credits its incredible staff with fostering her love of nature. She is inspired to pass ecological investment on to the next generation.
Juliet received her B.A. in anthropology from Bard College with a concentration in the anthropology of medicine. She completed an herbalism apprenticeship with Foliage Botanics in 2021. Most recently, she comes to Shaver’s Creek from working on community-based urban agriculture and art projects in Philadelphia and New York City, where she has also worked in art therapy for chemical dependency centers, nutrition assistance programs at farmers markets, and ecological cleanup. She is passionate about bringing people together and creating a world our human and non-human descendants can enjoy. When she is not wandering the woods putting acorns in her pockets, you can find her reading myths and folktales. She loves plants with storied pasts and close relationships with humans, like her nature namesake, Witch-Hazel. She is always looking for people who like to share their knowledge of local stories and the ways they involve plants, animals, and natural phenomena.
Nature Name: Witch-Hazel
Evelyn Ohs
Summer Camp Naturalist
Evey is a rising junior, studying a dual degree in nuclear engineering and political science with a focus on nuclear energy policy. Despite moving from State College to St. Louis, MO, in 2007, Evey has returned each summer to spend time at Shaver’s Creek as a camper, LIT, and now a naturalist. She is excited to continue her work in environmental education with a special focus on sustainability and human-nature relations. In her free time, she enjoys camping, playing piano, and catching up on the latest season of Survivor.
Nature Name: Grizzly Bear
Danny Pierro
Summer Camp Naturalist
Danny is a student at Penn State studying education. He grew up in central New Jersey and developed a love for the outdoors attending and working at summer camps. He is very excited to be joining the Shaver’s Creek summer camp team this summer to continue to grow that love. In the past, Danny has participated in Outdoor School as both a counselor and learning group leader, and he is looking forward to working with Shavers Creek as a camp naturalist. When Danny wants to unwind, he plays video games, draws, or hangs out with his dog, Willie.
Nature Name: Sycamore
Eva Wilf
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Eva will be attending Penn State this fall as an undergrad, intending to major in geosciences. She has grown up hiking through Pennsylvania’s nature, spending hours in the creek flowing through Shingletown Gap, and identifying all she can! In her free time, you will find her practicing viola, drawing, and spending time with her dog, Kiki. She was a camper at Shaver’s Creek for years and was a leader in training for the past three. Eva cannot wait to return as an assistant naturalist this summer!
Nature Name: Lichen
Anna Yinqi Zhang (she/they)
Summer Camp Assistant Naturalist
Koi is a Ph.D. candidate in educational psychology at Penn State. Originally from Nanjing, Koi learned to appreciate the power of spending time outside when she started looking for salamanders and picking up crayfish at Pine Creek many years ago. In their spare time, you can find Koi hiking, running, painting with watercolor, doodling, and jewelry-making (anything artsy). Koi have attempted fishing many times but never managed to catch anything (maybe that’s why they are called ”koi”).
Nature Name: Koi
Graduate Assistants
Madison Botch
Graduate Assistant
Past SEED student, intern, and seasonal educator, Madison is no stranger to Shaver’s Creek! Having meandered her way through many different roles for the past few years, she landed in her current graduate assistant position in August 2019. Madison is a Ph.D. candidate in the curriculum and instruction program, with a focus in science education. She graduated from Penn State in 2018 with her bachelor’s degree in recreation, park, and tourism management under the environmental interpretation option. Outside of Shaver’s Creek, Madison has previously worked with some of Central Pennsylvania’s other environmental education entities, such as Millbrook Marsh Nature Center and The Arboretum at Penn State. Madison loves to continually learn and grow as an educator and is excited to begin this new graduate-school journey with a place that is near and dear to her heart. In whatever free time she is able to find, Madison enjoys drinking coffee, birding with great friends, and fostering her 4-year-old daughter’s love of the natural world.
Nature Name: Kestrel
Amy Eldredge
Graduate Assistant
As a kid, Amy grew to love the great outdoors through exploring the woods of Pennsylvania. A native of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, she participated as a camper in Shaver’s Creek Outdoor School, which helped guide her on a career path in environmental stewardship and education. After graduating from Franklin & Marshall College in 2014 with majors in animal behavior and studio art, she interned at Bald Head Island Conservancy in North Carolina where she became the director of education. In 2018 she moved to Maui to work for the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary as the volunteer coordinator to promote ocean conservation and awareness of the impacts of how we interact with our environment. These experiences have confirmed her desire to pursue higher education to connect people more effectively to nature. Amy is excited to be back in her home state to pursue both a master’s and Ph.D. in recreation, park, and tourism management under the guidance of Dr. Danielle Lawson, exploring the indirect impacts of environmental programs, including intergenerational learning and the influence of a program over multiple years. She will also be a member of the Shaver’s Creek team, working with Ellen Will and Jennifer Emigh, where her primary focus will be assisting with the Shaver’s Creek Outdoor School. In her free time, Amy enjoys taking nature walks with a camera and binoculars in hand, reading on rainy days, and painting landscapes from her travels.
Emily Olsen
Graduate Assistant
Emily is a Ph.D. candidate at Penn State, studying curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in science education. Her research interests are at the intersection of climate anxiety and environmental education. Emily is an adventurous, friendly, outgoing person who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, spending her childhood around Puget Sound in Washington and her young adulthood in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. She holds a B.S. in biology from Portland State University and an M.S. in environmental education and an M.A. in teaching, both from Southern Oregon University. She loves to share her passions with others and to help foster connections between the people and the world around them. She has held environmental education positions with Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District, Crater Lake National Park, and the Multnomah Education Service Districts Outdoor School Program among others in Oregon. Most recently, she has held an environmental education position with The Arboretum at Penn State in addition to her work as a Ph.D. candidate. Hiking and anything involving the water are her favorite outdoor activities, as well as reading and watching movies when indoors.
Nature Name: Sequoia
Will Robertson
Graduate Assistant
Growing up, Will spent every ounce of his free time in the local woodlots, catching frogs, snakes, turtles, and salamanders. Over the years, his passion for wildlife has grown and his explorations have become more ambitious. Will graduated from Middlebury College in May of 2021 with a degree in conservation biology and is excited to be pursuing a master’s in wildlife and fisheries science here at Penn State. At Middlebury, he was an athlete on the track team, specializing in the 400m dash. In the fall of 2019, Will spent a semester abroad in South Africa, where he got to see elephants, black mambas, lions, and more! For many years, he spent his summers working as the nature director at Buck Hill Falls Camp Club, teaching kids ages 3–12 about the local flora and fauna. In his free time, Will pursues, photographs, and films wildlife and enjoys making educational videos. Will is passionate about the role of media in conservation and hopes to inspire an audience through his videography.
Faculty and Staff
Jennifer Anderson (she/her)
Program Director
Jen coordinates the public workshops and OLLI programs at Shaver’s Creek. In addition, she teaches BiSci003, an environmental science class at Penn State. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science from Westminster College in 1996 and a master’s degree in environment and community from Antioch University Seattle in 2001. She is originally from Port Allegany, in north-central Pennsylvania. She and her sons (Isaac, Henry, and Luke) and dogs (Tioga and Penny) now make their home in Pine Grove Mills. Her interests include exploring, reading, bike riding, kayaking, making jewelry, and spending time with friends and family.
Nature Name: Prism
Jamie Arnold (she/her)
Summer Camp Program Assistant
Jamie graduated from Penn State in May 2023 with a degree in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and a minor in sustainability leadership. Post graduation she worked at Shaver’s Creek summer camp as a a naturalist and has just completed the fall and spring seasons as an environmental education intern. Before she was staff she was involved with Shaver’s Creek as a Maple Harvest Festival volunteer, Outdoor School counselor, and Enchanted Halloween Trail volunteer and was a SEED student in Spring 2023. She is excited to be joining the summer camp leadership team as an assistant director for summer camp 2024. She attributes her connection to the Creek to her sister “Pine,” who introduced her to Shaver’s Creek in 2018. As a Pennsylvania native, she is grateful to her family who have fostered her connection with the natural world, allowing her to get muddy in the rain and look for fireflies in the summertime. Jamie loves live music, playing with her two kitties (Diego and Bo), hanging with friends, and enjoying a good bite and has been “converted to birds” through SEED.
Nature Name: Mud
Lexi Arnold (she/her)
Outdoor School Program Assistant
Lexi is the program assistant for outdoor school. She was born and raised in Pennsylvania and completed her bachelor’s degree in recreation, park, and tourism management at Penn State in 2019. As a student, Lexi was very involved at the Center. From Outdoor School to festivals, to summer camp, to SEED semester, to summer camp; she took any opportunity she could to be at Shaver’s Creek. After college, she lived in Colorado and California for a few years working in outdoor education and the service industry. She is stoked to be back at Shaver’s Creek and is passionate about creating a safe, inclusive community for all people to learn, grow, and connect with each other and the outdoors. In her free time, she loves all things outdoor recreation, cooking, watching live music, and spending time with loved ones.
Nature Name: Pine
Stacey Budd (she/her)
Program Coordinator, Team Development Center
As the program coordinator for the Team Development Center, Stacey designs and facilitates experiences that foster meaningful connections and enhance group dynamics. Stacey delights in creating space for the “a-ha” moments and developing more human-centric work environments where everyone flourishes.
A Midwest native, Stacey earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Grinnell College. When not immersed in organizational culture literature, you can find her out on the hiking trails and waterways of Central Pennsylvania or in the thrift store aisles searching for her next restoration project.
Nature Name: Betula
Eric Burkhart, Ph.D.
Associate Teaching Professor
Appalachian Botany and Ethnobotany Program Director
Dr. Eric Burkhart is a botanist who specializes in ethnobotany, non-timber forest products, and plant conservation in his teaching, research, and educational outreach endeavors. He holds degrees in ethnobotany (B.A., Idaho State University), horticulture (M.S., Penn State), and forest resources (Ph.D., Penn State) and is currently Appalachian Botany and Ethnobotany program director for Shaver’s Creek and faculty instructor for the Penn State Ecosystem Science and Management Department. His research program in Pennsylvania is focused on developing sustainable wild stewardship and agroforestry production systems for specialty forest products, including American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), and ramps (Allium tricoccum).
Nature Name: Panax
Rachel Cole (she/her)
AURORA Program Coordinator
Rachel graduated from Penn State in May 2023 with degrees in secondary education and mathematics. She has worked with AURORA since 2019 in various roles. Rachel believes strongly in the impact outdoor orientation programs like AURORA have on students’ personal growth and academic achievement and is beyond grateful to further this impact in her position as the AURORA program coordinator. She loves spending time outside — hiking, biking, caving, and more. When she has to be inside, Rachel enjoys discovering new Rubik’s cube algorithms and learning to play different instruments. Rachel would describe herself as a glass-half-full kind of person, a lifelong learner, and a storyteller.
Nature Name: Sprout
Shannan Davidow (she/her)
Wildlife Programs
As Shaver’s Creek’s herpetarium coordinator, Shannan ensures a high quality of daily care for the reptiles and amphibians who call Shaver’s Creek home. Shannan’s passion for wildlife started when she enrolled in Juniata College’s wildlife conservation program and conducted research on map turtles of the Juniata River. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2018, Shannan joined the wildlife education team as a lead animal ambassador, where she developed a love for mentoring emerging professionals in their journey to an animal care career. After earning her Professional Animal Trainer certification in 2021, her passion for animal training grew — she particularly appreciates the daily opportunity to give the animals a voice through training sessions.
In her current position, Shannan loves taking the time to connect people to the animals at Shaver’s Creek. Her favorite moments include helping visitors to overcome their fears of snakes and invertebrates. She also has a particularly close bond with Matilda, the Black Vulture, who reveals her alluring personality alongside Shannan during training sessions.
Shannan loves to spend time hiking, herping, and walking her dogs. As an avid reptile and invertebrate enthusiast, she cares for 4 snakes and 3 tarantulas of her own at home!
Nature Name: Firefly
Chris Diehl
Grounds and Facilities Technician
Chris came to Shaver’s Creek in 2018 after working for Penn State for over ten years. He assists with all things grounds and facilities related. When he’s not working, you might find Chris riding motorcycles and enjoying the outdoors!
Nature Name: Mephitus
Jennifer Emigh (she/her)
Assistant Teaching Professor, AURORA Director
Jen is an assistant teaching professor in the College of Health and Human Development and teaches courses in outdoor leadership for the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management (RPTM) and Kinesiology departments while also overseeing the adventure recreation pathway within the RPTM outdoor recreation option. She is also the director of the AURORA Outdoor Orientation Programs at Penn State, which aid students with their transition to college through backpacking expeditions before the semester starts.
Jen earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation and park management from Penn State in 2001 and a master’s degree in environmental studies from Antioch University New England in 2007. She honed her skills as director of corporate leadership trainings at University of New Hampshire’s Browne Center prior to returning to Penn State in 2010 for what she calls her “dream job.”
Jen’s passion in life has become helping people live an authentic life by learning more about themselves and how to lead in all walks of life. While she focuses her time mainly with student leaders, she is passionate about supporting anyone as they find their inner leader. She also enjoys spending time pursuing outdoor adventures with her son, road tripping in their camper van, and waiting for snow to fly so they can hit the slopes.
Nature Name: Samara
Dom Feola (he/him)
Marketing and Engagement Program Assistant
Dom graduated from Penn State in 2022 with a degree in advertising and public relations. His passion for the natural world was sparked by his service with AmeriCorps, where he spent summers rebuilding trails in Oregon, backpacking the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and planting trees in Washington. Through it all, he’s loved learning how deeply and emotionally people connect with the outdoors. He’s excited to return home and help Shaver’s Creek foster deep and meaningful relationships with our community. You can find him taking photos, writing blog posts, developing social content, and helping to promote all that Shaver’s Creek has to offer. Outside of work, he enjoys camping, hiking, going for runs, and making art.
Nature Name: Ridge
Siara Glenny (she/her)
Program Registration Coordinator
Siara joined Shaver’s Creek in her current role in March 2023. She provides support to Shaver’s Creek programs by coordinating and facilitating program registration, manages membership and donor databases, and provides general support to operations. She enjoys working with the diverse programs Shaver’s Creek offers throughout the year! Previously, she worked in the bookstore/gift shop and provided visitor services for 4 years. She graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology with an associates degree in business management in 2017, later obtaining an undergraduate certificate in fish and wildlife management. She grew up locally in Petersburg, enjoying the beautiful woodlands and mountains of Rothrock. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside, reading, getting coffee at a local shop, and spending time with her niece and nephew and the many animals in her life!
Nature Name: Dogwood
Autumn Graham (she/her)
BISCI Educational Coordinator
Autumn graduated from Penn State in the spring of 2022 with a B.A. in journalism. She was a teaching assistant for biological sciences, wilderness literature, and introductory chemistry at Penn State. Additionally, she served as a camp counselor for Shaver’s Creek Outdoor School, where she enjoyed seeing the eyes of the young explorers light up as they participated in outdoor programming centered around developing ecological consciousness. Through these various experiences, Autumn developed a passion for mentorship. This year, Autumn is working under the guidance of Jen Anderson (Shaver’s Creek program director and biology instructor). In this position, she looks forward to continuing to expand her knowledge of environmental science to expand environmental awareness to people of all ages through reflection and mindfulness. In her free time, you can find Autumn singing, reading, writing, caring for her plants, and wandering around Shaver’s Creek. If you see her, feel free to say hello!
Nature Name: Breeze
Patti Gray
Visitor Services Program Coordinator
Patti can be found welcoming visitors, both first timers and frequent guests, to the Shaver’s Creek Visitor Center. She is also the manager of the Weidemann Bookstore. Patti enjoys chatting with visitors and sharing her growing knowledge of the resident animals, particularly the snakes.
Patti and her husband Brian have lived in the State College area for over thirty years. They have three children, Hannah, Lucas, and Nicholas, with whom they enjoy spending time outdoors and kayaking. Patti enjoys bird watching in the backyard, riding her bike, traveling, and spending time walking her dogs, Firkin and Finley.
Nature Name: Heron
Lisa Hayes (she/her)
Marketing and Engagement Program Director
Lisa’s love of nature began from a very early age; she spent countless hours of her childhood running through the woods, creating forts from fallen branches, wreaths of monkey vines, and daisy chains. A previous Outdoor School camper — tents not cabins — Lisa has long held Shaver’s Creek in special regard. She is thrilled and honored to be entrusted to share the stories and amplify all Shaver’s Creek offers at our beautiful location in Stone Valley. Through photography, videography, and content creation, she provides strategic support to the various programs and events that Shaver’s Creek offers. Bringing a diverse set of skills and experience gleaned from living and traveling all around the country, she works to ensure strong connections and engagement with the University community, surrounding communities, and beyond.
Lisa enjoys traveling and exploring, spending time outdoors, live music, various artistic endeavors, gardening, reading, spending time with family, a good cup of coffee, and learning new things.
Nature Name: Meadow Lark
Nikki Houck
Office Manager
Jon Kauffman
Assistant Program Director
Jon promotes conservation through citizen science projects such as Project Nestwatch, Monarch Watch, Winter Raptor Surveys, and seasonal hawk watches. In the spring, Jon partners with the State College Bird Club to help coordinate the Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch, a major flyway for Golden Eagles. While majoring in wildlife and fisheries science at Penn State, he became aware of the great volunteer opportunities Shaver’s Creek has to offer. Since then, he has been a work-study student and raptor center intern, and has assisted with public programs at Shaver’s Creek. He has served as a hawk-watcher for nearby Tussey Mountain and has also traveled and worked with other organizations such as Cape May Bird Observatory and Intermountain Bird Observatory in Idaho. Jon has a passion for canoeing the Juniata River, native plants, exploring new habitats, and connecting people to the avian world.
Nature Name: Timberdoodle
Mary Krupa (she/her)
Conservation Interpreter
A self-proclaimed “bird nerd,” Mary has been involved with Shaver’s Creek since 2008, when she attended a day camp and fell in love with the place and its resident wildlife. She has volunteered in the Klingsberg Aviary for 15 years and counting, helping to train and care for its wide variety of feathered friends (she loves all of them, but feels a particular affinity with the owls). In 2023, Mary was hired as a conservation interpreter and may be seen delivering impromptu tours of the aviary and herpetarium, presenting “Meet the Creek” programs, or providing a welcoming face at the front desk.
Mary graduated from Penn State in 2016 with a degree in English, a minor in wildlife and fisheries sciences, and a reputation as the campus squirrel whisperer. She has a lifelong passion for all things avian and is thrilled to be able to share her knowledge and excitement for birds and nature with Shaver’s Creek visitors. When not working, Mary enjoys nature photography, birdwatching, and video games.
Nature Name: Plumicorn
Drew Lehnerd (he/him)
AURORA Assistant Program Director
Drew works to ensure that AURORA’s operations and staff development run smoothly. He believes strongly in the power of outdoor recreation as a community-building and leadership-development tool and makes that belief a reality each day with AURORA. Drew also instructs wilderness medicine and CPR courses in the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Department. He earned a B.S. in Human Geography from Penn State in 2012. Drew is a Leave No Trace Master Educator, SOLO Wilderness First Responder, and an AASI certified snowboard instructor. He also enjoys riding bicycles, reading, and learning new things.
Nature Name: Larkspur
Matt Marsden
Outdoor School and Discovery Camp Assistant Director
Matt has been helping to direct Outdoor School, Discovery Camp, and Kids Corner. He graduated in 2006 from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in environmental interpretation and in 2016 from Slippery Rock University with an M.S. in park and resource management. He likes all things outdoors and enjoys living in Alexandria, PA.
Nature Name: Cardinal
Lucy R. McClain, Ph.D. (she/her)
Associate Teaching Professor
Lucy is an associate teaching professor and the graduate assistant program director at Shaver’s Creek. She teaches environmental education and sustainability courses in both Penn State’s Curriculum and Instruction (Science Education) department and Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management (RPTM) department. She also co-chairs the Outreach Sustainability Council, which consists of a team of 16 council members representing each Outreach working unit.
Lucy is also involved with several grant-funded research projects with Penn State’s College of Education. Trained in the learning sciences, she studies how families learn in non-formal educational settings — including outdoor spaces and nature centers — using both non-mobile and mobile devices as learning tools.
She enjoys spending time in the outdoors with her two sons, Conary and Eamon, her husband, Casey, and their dog, Scout. Lucy is also an avid sports fan and jumps at the chance to knock around a soccer ball.
Nature Name: Malachite
Laurie McLaughlin (she/her)
Program Director; Instructor
Laurie works to support the people and community at Shaver’s Creek through connection and growth opportunities. Her role as a program director is to coordinate the SEED Semester, oversee and direct the Maple Harvest Festival, and teach Penn State courses that support these efforts. Laurie’s classes include RPTM 230: Teambuilding Facilitation, AEE 297: Interpreting Maple Sugaring for Families, and PSU 14: First Year Seminar. Laurie has a passion for teaching experientially, working with interns and students and helping them to learn about how they can make a positive impact on our planet.
Laurie has been affiliated with Shaver’s Creek since 1993. She earned her bachelor’s degree in outdoor and environmental education from Penn State in 1988, and her master’s degree in experiential education from the University of Colorado in 1992. Before returning to Shaver’s Creek, Laurie spent time in Vermont, Maine, Ohio and Colorado working for outdoor education programs, facilitating teambuilding and ropes course adventures, and helping people to learn about themselves and others.
Laurie lives in the woods of central Pennsylvania and loves to spend time exploring, hiking, birding, biking, and canoeing with her family and friends. Baking pies and cookies is high on the interest list as well ,and Laurie will never turn down a game night with friends. Laurie is also passionate about travel, which includes adventures with her husband Mark to see their grown boys, Brian and Sean, in cool places around the country!
Nature Name: Loon
Mark McLaughlin (he/him)
Director
Mark teaches First Aid and Safety courses and the Discovery Trip class and is a member of multiple Penn State Outreach committees. He is responsible for cultivating the resources necessary to make Shaver’s Creek successful. Mark received a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology, with a minor in forestry, from the University of Vermont in 1985 and a master’s degree in environmental education from Montclair State University in 1988. Mark likes birding, baseball, fishing, reading, and spending lots of time with his family — Laurie, Brian, and Sean.
Nature Name: Goshawk
Tesha Omeis (she/her)
Summer Camp Program Director
Tesha is the program director for all things summer camp related.
Tesha earned her bachelor’s degree in recreation, park, and tourism management from Penn State in 2005 while being a part of the Shaver’s Creek community in a variety of ways. After graduating she lived and worked in seven different states. From the coastal barrier islands in Georgia to the canyons of Alabama and up into the forests of Connecticut, she enjoyed being immersed in the communities of so many different places while educating youth. She then served two years as a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America in the Philadelphia area.
During her off time, Tesha enjoys spending time with plants, exploring new places, and journaling. She values a balance of work that contributes to a healthy planet with invested caretakers and time to explore opportunities to grow as an individual. If she had a bumper sticker physically attached to her that conveyed a message about who she is and what she stands for, it would read “reach your potential and help others to do the same.”
Nature Name: Skye
Chris Ortiz
Associate Director; Program Director, Team Development Center
Chris is the associate director for the Conservation Interpretation team at Shaver’s Creek. He is also the program director for Team Development at Shaver’s Creek and is an instructor for the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management department at Penn State. Chris facilitates and teaches team development, leadership, and group dynamics experiences with schools and university groups, corporations, and sports teams that strengthen relationships, motivate growth, and develop leaders. He regularly presents internationally at conferences where he shares innovative programming and activity ideas. Chris co-authored the second edition of the High 5 Guide: Challenge Course Operating Procedures for the Thinking Practitioner as well as the Ubuntu Activity Guide. He has held leadership roles in both the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) and the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT).
You can usually find Chris at the local climbing gym or exploring trails by bike or boot. Oh… and he loves chocolate.
Nature Name: Mongoose
Skylar Peters
Academic Advisor
Skylar is the Academic Advisor serving Penn State students interested in the Sustainability Leadership Minor, the Outdoor Recreation Management option within the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management, and all the many classes that Shaver’s Creek delivers for the University. Skylar is a 2014 graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Extension and Education. During her time as an undergraduate she participated in various Shaver’s Creek classes, including as a Learning Group Leader for Outdoor School. In 2016 Skylar graduated from the University of Illinois with a Master of Science Degree in Parks and Recreation Management. She spent 8 years working with Penn State Extension as a 4-H/Youth Development Educator before transitioning into her advising role with RPTM/Shaver’s Creek.
Skylar enjoys everything the natural world has to offer, from hiking, hunting, and fishing to exploring with her family. Anytime she can be traveling to new and diverse outdoor spaces, she will!
Nature Name: Doe
Joshua Potter (he/him)
Associate Director, Operations
Joshua works to keep Shaver’s Creek a vibrant educational facility to support the Center’s wide range of credit, noncredit, outreach, and research programming. Joshua is responsible for managing strategic communications to support Shaver’s Creek programs, for developing interpretive materials throughout the facility to support the Center’s educational mission, and for overseeing management of facility and grounds. He also manages our bookstore and membership program. Joshua received a bachelor’s degree in integrative arts from Penn State, focusing on multimedia and environmental education. After seven years working as a naturalist and outreach coordinator for Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Conway, New Hampshire, Joshua returned to his native Pennsylvania to join Shaver’s Creek in 2010. He grew up just over the mountain in Pine Grove Mills and has a long association with Shaver’s Creek — as a summer camper from ages 5 to 18, as a volunteer in high school, as a student and teaching assistant while at Penn State, and now as staff! Joshua also enjoys birding, hiking, and spending time outdoors with his wife Sarah, son, Ellory, and daughter, Lucy.
Nature Name: Otus (Megascops)
Kimberly Russell
Conservation Interpreter
Kim has a degree in agriculture from the University of Delaware. Her focus was redirected in 2012 when she moved to south Florida and worked as the education director at Busch Wildlife in Jupiter. This is where she really fell in love with the work of educating the public about native wildlife. Kim moved to the State College area in the winter of 2022 to live closer to her amazing family. Some of her favorite things to do include collecting things from the natural world, listening to heavy metal, gardening, going for a run, and playing cards with her family. She is super excited to be a part of Shaver’s Creek, where there is something new to be learned every single day. She lives by her favorite message which says, “What you are not changing, you are choosing.”
Nature Name: Possum
Alexa Sarussi (she/her)
School Programs Director
Alexa directs the programs that enhance and engage school children’s learning at Shaver’s Creek. She grew up in Arizona and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Pomona College in Southern California, before moving east and discovering the forest. She has returned to Shaver’s Creek several times since 2014, working as an intern and with summer camp programming. Between her stints at Shaver’s Creek, Alexa led adventure trips for youth in New Hampshire, worked for a study abroad organization in Panama, and taught environmental science at Conserve School in Wisconsin. Alexa loves exploring Central Pennsylvania and beyond, birding, watercoloring, being active outdoors, and learning new skills, like playing the guitar!
Nature Name: Vireo
Brian Sedgwick
Grounds and Facilities Coordinator
Brian is responsible for maintaining the facilities and grounds at Shaver’s Creek and coordinating volunteer groups and work-study students. Brian also assists with a wide variety of programming — from school and youth programs to team building and bird of prey shows. Brian graduated from Penn State in December 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and park management. For twenty-five years he has been involved in Scouting — becoming a Tiger Cub at age 5, working on staff at Camp Mountain Run, sitting on the Bucktail Council Camping Committee, and being an adviser of Venture Crew 509. His twelve years of summer camp experience includes archery range instructor, director of camp program, and director of the first-year-camper program, before being appointed camp director in 2005. Brian has an uncanny knack for pop culture and historical trivia and enjoys model rocketry, paintball, and hockey. Brian, his wife, Johanna, and son, Logan, enjoy cooking, camping, and hiking whenever possible.
Nature Name: Draco
Alex Suleski (he/him)
Wildlife Programs
Alex has worked at Shaver’s Creek since 2021 but transitioned to his role as wildlife program coordinator in 2023. He spends his time organizing and delivering educational programs relating to Shaver’s Creek’s wildlife and conservation messaging. He also works with the ambassador animals and helps students develop skills in program development and delivery. As an educator, Alex strives to provide impactful programming that helps people make connections with our native wildlife and conservation efforts. When he’s not running a program or working with Shaver’s Creek’s ambassador animals, Alex can often be found exploring the trails, fishing, or birding in the area.
Nature Name: Prickly Pear
Paige Sutherland (she/her)
Director of Wildlife Programs
Paige cares for the resident wildlife who call Shaver’s Creek home. She enjoys preparing the ambassador animals for engaging with and educating the Shaver’s Creek community, as well as preparing emerging professionals for impactful careers in wildlife conservation and environmental education. She is passionate about conserving wild beings and places while learning about their unique traits and functions.
Nature Name: Talon
Brady Thomas (he/him)
Education Program Coordinator
Brady supports our school programs and summer camps to ensure that children coming through Shaver’s Creek have engaging and meaningful experiences. Brady’s love of the natural world began at an early age — going on camping trips with family and scouts, where he became all too familiar with the native plant poison ivy. He worked for many years at a scouting summer camp where he learned two things: that he loves teaching (especially outdoors) and the importance of camp songs. Brady graduated from Penn State in 2020 with a degree in secondary education social studies. Able to turn even the most mundane subjects into exciting adventures, Brady’s favorite words to hear while teaching are, “I can’t believe I’m actually having fun while learning!” With a pack-basket full of enthusiasm, wisdom, and the world’s best puns, Brady is excited to make the school programs and summer camps unforgettable experiences for all involved. In his free time, you can find Brady reading, exploring, creating all sorts of crafts, or practicing his bird call techniques — trust us, they’re a hoot.
Nature Name: Harrier
Mike Toolan (he/him)
Musser Gap Conservation Director
Mike manages the day-to-day activities and coordinates projects at Shaver’s Creek’s Musser Gap Greenway property. In this role, he works with volunteers, neighboring landowners, community organizations, local and state agencies, and university faculty, staff, and students to manage the site for recreation, water conservation, interdisciplinary research, education, and ecological resilience. He is passionate about protecting our regional ecology and connecting the community to our many unique natural spaces.
Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and studied forest resource management at Penn State. His work experience includes stints on several farms, habitat restoration projects, and ecological research teams. Mike and his wife live in northern Huntingdon County and enjoy hiking, biking, birdwatching, reading, and countless other hobbies.
Nature Name: Bud
Doug Wentzel (he/him)
Naturalist and Program Director
Doug coordinates the environmental education internship and birding programs and serves as instructor of Principles of Environmental Interpretation (RPTM 325) and Natural History Interpretation (RPTM 326). Doug received his bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology from Penn State in 1989 and has served four years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He is sanctioned by the National Association for Interpretation as a trainer of Certified Interpretive Guides and is the current president of the State College Bird Club. Doug also serves on the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center advisory committee, the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology advisory board, and The Arboretum at Penn State’s avian outreach committee. He is married to Susan and they have two sons, Dylan and Duncan. His ongoing interest is fostering the awareness of the diversity of life in our own backyards.
Nature Name: Merlin
Joe Whitehead
Wildlife Programs
A Penn State graduate and former Shaver’s Creek animal care volunteer, Joe spent 11 months as an educator with Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium before returning to Shaver’s Creek as the amphibian and reptile coordinator. While Joe’s primary focus is on caring for and educating about the center’s resident amphibians and reptiles, he is also the primary or assistant trainer for many of the Center’s resident raptors. Most recently, Joe has begun training our resident turtles and snakes to help enrich their lives while showing another side of these animals to our visitors.
Nature Name: Goshawk
Ellen Will (she/her)
Associate Director; Program Director
Ellen manages the residential Outdoor School program, teaches its companion courses, and assists with the internship program. She believes that camp can change lives and enjoys seeing the interrelationships between the Penn State student leaders and the elementary-aged participants at Outdoor School. Ellen earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies — environmental education from Appalachian State University in 1995, and her master’s degree in environmental education at Slippery Rock University. Her thesis topic was a study of the long-term impact of the Shaver’s Creek internship program (which, by the way, 97% of former interns report was a positive experience and would recommend to a friend). Ellen is a member of the American Camp Association and serves on the PSU Youth Programs Council. Ellen lives in State College with her husband, Thad, and their two sons, Jacob and Nate.
Nature Name: Xylem
Nolan Wilson
Wildlife Programs
Nolan was born in Minneapolis, MN, and eventually moved to State College where they visited Shaver’s Creek often on field trips, finding a deep appreciation for wildlife. Attending Penn State to pursue biology, focusing on ecology, Nolan fully intends to continue their career in environmental education after graduation. When Nolan is not training animals, they’re often found teaching animal care volunteers or giving impromptu snake programs to visitors. If you ever find Nolan during one of your Shaver’s Creek visits, you’re encouraged to ask them any questions you might have about the animals!
Nature Name: Moth
Will Wise
Program Director and Instructor
Will’s profile is left as a memorial to our beloved friend and colleague of 15 years. Watch a video meditation and read a tribute in celebration of Will’s memory in a special post.
Will co-directed the Shaver’s Creek Team Development Center. Will was also the director of facilitator development for World in Conversation at Penn State’s University Park campus, where he taught people how to talk about taboo subjects such as race, gender, and long-term conflicts. With more than two decades of experience facilitating team development and group dynamics, Will earned a reputation as a first-rate instructor. Working with groups ranging from corporate entities to adjudicated youth, school students to senior programs, Will helped thousands of people to foster positive communication and self-actualization. He especially loved empowering participants with social skills that can be applied both to within-the-group training and to everyday life. He was certified by the American Canoe Association to teach canoeing and kayaking, and he loved using the outdoors to encourage people to know themselves. He had a degree in forest management from Michigan Technological University, a master’s degree in workforce education from Penn State, and spent five years as the director of Nature’s Classroom, a nontraditional school in New England.
Nature Name: Whip-poor-will
Faculty and Staff Affiliates
Ian Marshall
Faculty Affiliate
A Penn State Altoona professor emeritus of English and environmental studies, Ian is the founder of the Shaver’s Creek Long-term Ecological Reflections Project and editor of Reading Shaver’s Creek: Ecological Reflections from an Appalachian Forest (Penn State University Press, 2018), a collection of essays from the first ten years of the project. Ian co-founded the environmental studies program at Penn State Altoona and is a past president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment. He is the author of four books of literary ecocriticism, among them Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail (University Press of Virginia, 1998) and Walden by Haiku (University of Georgia Press, 2009), as well as a collection of poems called Circumambulations (Foot Hills Press, 2018). Since retiring from teaching in 2020, Ian keeps busy hiking, biking, paddling, reading, playing tennis, and writing songs.
Nature Name: Hemlock Stones