Staff

Yi-Chuan Luk, Education Manager, grew up in the subtropical island of Taiwan and the eastern deciduous forest of the Nutmeg state. He majored in Cell/Molecular Biology at Tulane University in New Orleans, where the intoxicating scent of magnolia and the funky sounds of brass bands are ever-present. He also spent a considerable amount of time along the Long Island Sound, studying the distribution of mud fiddler crabs and their relationship with various salt marsh vegetation. He has been working in the field of environmental education for almost a decade, while exploring and learning in the temperate rainforest of Washington State, the Great Northwoods of western Maine and here in the Headlands. Most recently, he has been the jack of all trades in our school-year environmental science programs. Outside of work, Yi-Chuan enjoys riding his bike into the city to eat dim-sum and sit on various park benches.

Jennifer Baca, Education Manager, grew up on the coastside here in the Bay Area, exploring the beaches and nearby redwood forests. For graduate school, she majored in Curriculum and Instruction and for her undergraduate studies she majored in Geography with emphasis in Environmental Studies at San Francisco State University. She has been working in the field of environmental education for nearly a decade, while also teaching in the classroom for a couple years during the pandemic. In her free time, she enjoys traveling overseas, gardening, going for hikes, spending time in nature exploring and learning, drinking iced coffee, and cuddling with her cat.

Abby Wissink, Camp Office Coordinator, grew up in the Sacramento Valley and spent a majority of their time outside as a child in the Sierra foothills, Humboldt redwoods and red rocks of Southern Utah. They found a love for all things camp at two separate sleepaway camps in the Sierra Nevadas, and worked as a cabin leader, counselor, activities staff, and office assistant. After living in Eastern Washington for a few years to get their BA in English, they are happy to be back in California. Abby has worked as a performing arts Teaching Artist, a radio DJ, and a babysitter, and is so glad to be back at summer camp! When not in the Headlands, you can find Abby performing in local Shakespeare companies, singing in choirs, knitting, and camping all over Marin County.

Callie Nance, Camp Field Coordinator, grew up climbing trees, wading in creeks, and scrambling over river rocks in Mariposa, California, just outside Yosemite. Her childhood adventures laid the foundation for her love of the outdoors. After graduating with a Public Affairs degree from UCLA and learning about different interventions for positive health and environmental outcomes, she decided to explore outdoor education, starting off as a backpacking instructor on the Appalachian trail and in the Sierra Nevada. For the past school year, Callie has been working as a NatureBridge Environmental Science Educator in the Headlands and has fallen in love with the coastal prairie and riparian ecosystems. She is excited to continue watching the seasons change in the Headlands and inspire more students to truly love the outdoors. Beyond her work, you can find her cooking new recipes, nature journaling, practicing yoga, or backpacking.

Mia Perez, Operations Manager, grew up in the Central Valley of CA and spent most of her youth outside either working at her grandparents ranch or swimming, fishing, and enjoying nature at their cabin in the Sierra National Forest. She understood at a young age that she was connected to nature in a deep way and always looked for ways to foster that connection. Mia's affinity for outdoor recreation and outdoor spaces led her to get a degree in Biology at Sacramento State University, emphasizing in Conservation Ecology and Evolution. In her undergraduate work she found a love for studying animal behavior, participating in diversity, inclusion, and equity programs, and worked for a non-profit that introduced college students to outdoor spaces. Sacramentos proximity to amazing outdoor spaces allowed her to expand her recreation interests; here she took up rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and trail running. Mia is extremely excited to join the Costal Camp team for the Summer of 2024!

Caitlin grew up on the opposite coast in Connecticut on Long Island Sound, around 45 min outside of New York City. Her love of the outdoors was born in the deciduous forests and meadows at her local Audubon nature preserve where she attended summer camp. While her love of the environment stayed with her, she opted to major in Elementary Education at Boston University, where she graduated from last year with teaching licenses in Elementary Grades 1-6 and General Science Grades 1-6. While in school, they ended up interning and then working at the New England Aquarium as a Conservation Educator before taking the leap and coming to NatureBridge August 2022. When they’re not enthusiastically showing students all of the amazing marine life here in the Headlands, you can find her making friendship bracelets, learning to rock climb, or playing their ukulele.

David is from the tall grass prairies of Kansas City, Kansas. He currently works as an Educator for Nature Bridge during the school year teaching kids the wonders of science and how to be a steward of natural spaces. David’s favorite part of working for NatureBridge is being next to the ocean and getting to see a lot of marine life while hiking. He is really looking forward to hanging out with the campers this summer and continuing teaching environmental science, stewardship, and having fun! David's favorite thing to do in nature is canoeing, camping and swimming.

Annette was raised in Sonoma County and grew up exploring the incredibly diverse landscapes of Northern California. She recently graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in Environmental Science, Geography, and Management and is looking forward to pursuing a master's degree at the University of San Fransisco in fall 2024. For the last two years Annette has been a Student Naturalist at SSU's Fairfield Osborn Preserve and has worked as an undergraduate researcher focusing on wildfire ecology. Some of her favorite outdoor places include the Sonoma Coast, the Mount Tamalpais and Russian River watersheds, and tidal ecosystems throughout the San Francisco Bay. Her hobbies include birding, playing music, SCUBA diving, and gardening. She is super excited to meet all the campers this summer while getting to spend every day exploring the beautiful Marin Headlands!

Oliver was raised just outside of Calhoun, TN, a town that boasts the extensive population of 423 people. Devoid of the amenities of city living, they turned to the forest surrounding their home where they and their siblings would build stick forts and learn about the beauty of nature with their hands in the dirt and their heads in the trees. After moving to California in 2021 for a year-long national service term as a Team Leader for Americorps NCCC, they took an outdoor education job in SoCal and fell in love with educating youth on the ways science works in our every day lives, and giving them the opportunity to experience what they grew up surrounded by. Two years later, they love getting to reach new groups of kids every week, connecting with them in ways that only camp counselors and naturalists can, and learning from children as much as children learn from them. In their spare time you can find them being bad at tennis, being good at crochet, cooking family dinner for all their friends, or jamming out on their ukelele. They don't know where their outdoor education journey will take them in the future, but they're excited to find out.

Maddie was born in raised on Aquidneck Island in the beautiful state of Rhode Island. She graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies and Sociology from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Living in two beautiful, small, tight night communities cultivated her love and passion for helping others and the environment in which we live. Maddie has worked at various outdoor education programs as well as learned through experience at St. Lawrence, inspiring a passion to educate outside of the classroom. Maddie has been really interested in bridging the connection between her interest in food systems, outdoor education, and intersectional environmentalism. Over the last four years, Maddie lived and worked on a few organic farms throughout New England, exploring her newfound passion for sustainable agriculture. When not teaching, Maddie enjoys a casual canoe, dancing with friends, car camping, listening to loud music, and creating art in various forms.

Quinlan grew up in Illinois, just south of Chicago. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in Environmental Studies. Growing up near a city, Quinlan became passionate about connecting children to the nature around them and providing outdoor experiences for people of all abilities and backgrounds. A lot of Quinlan's childcare experience was through a local nonprofit working with special needs individuals. Quinlan moved out to California in pursuit of a career in outdoor education and just completed an internship at Foothill Horizons Outdoor School. Outside of teaching, Quinlan loves eating tuna, deep cleaning various surfaces, visiting National Parks (she's a junior ranger), and watching nature videos on YouTube. She's excited to explore the Headlands, play in the sand, and sit near large and small bodies of water.

Peggy grew up in the midwest, spending every summer of her life backpacking, canoeing, sailing and being outside in northern Wisconsin and Michigan. She has a degree in Natural Resources from Colorado State University where she got to learn to ski, rock climb, and sometimes ice climb! She has lived in California for the last two years, experiencing different environmental education jobs while finally landing at NatureBridge this January. She currently works at the NatureBridge Yosemite campus, and is excited to get to spend the summer on the coast! She also loves to spend her time biking, drinking iced coffee, and playing music.

Kat was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, so she's already very well-adjusted to San Francisco's foggy weather! She received her BS degree in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management from the University of Washington - Seattle, where she fell in love with learning and teaching about wildlife. Nowadays, she loves hiking and exploring new areas, birdwatching, tidepooling, reading, and swimming! Her favorite dinner to make is a grilled cheese with tomato soup, and her favorite dessert is tiramisu! She's excited to spend the summer teaching outside in a coastal ecosystem, her favorite kind of environment. To Kat, the Marin Headlands is the perfect little pocket of wilderness, while still being close to the fun, hustle-and-bustle of the city. She's REALLY excited to discover all kinds of new sea creatures in the waters next to NatureBridge, and hopes her students will be as fascinated by all the local wildlife as she is!

Clarisa grew up in Las Vegas, but has been living in Canada for the majority of her life, getting to experience the beautiful Canadian lakes, mountains, and wilderness. Her love for nature and the outdoors came from spending time outside with her family and friends throughout her life. Clarisa is in her final year studying at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec majoring in Environment, and hopes to pursue a career in environmental conservation. She loves to connect with nature by hiking, camping, and especially swimming. When she’s not studying or working, she enjoys thrifting, listening to music, and having potlucks with her friends. She cannot wait to explore the Marin Headlands this summer!

Sadie grew up amongst the tall buildings of San Francisco and spent her childhood biking through Golden Gate Park and hunting for sand dollars on Ocean Beach. Her true love of nature wasn't unlocked until high school, when she went on her first backpacking trip in Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Ever since then, she's been hooked! After graduating from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington Sadie left the evergreen state and headed back to the Bay Area hoping that her love of getting outside would lead her to somewhere special. Now, with NatureBridge, she loves that she gets the chance to help other Bay Area kids experience the wonder and magic of being outside while exploring the Marin Headlands. When not working you can find her reading, hunting for sea glass, making pottery and eating gluten free treats.

Sarah recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in environmental studies and while she also enjoyed spending time out on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and trail running in the mountains. When not out in nature, Sarah may also be found at the farmers market, curled up with tea and a book, perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe, or dancing to their favorite music. She grew up in the east Bay Area and always considered the Marin Headlands one of their favorite places on Earth because of how magical and beautiful it is, though the Santa Barbara coast is a close second! She's excited to join Coastal Camp this year as an educator and to explore and learn more about one of the most special places with future environmental stewards.

Hannah was born in the small town of Ferndale, Washington and spent her early days playing in her grandma's garden and exploring the beaches of the Salish Sea! Eventually she moved to Seattle, WA to study environmental Geography at the University of Washington, where she also developed a love of teaching. After graduating, Hannah has worked in various summer camps and outdoor education sites throughout both Washington and California. She is excited to share her love of the ocean and the outdoors this summer at Coastal Camp! When not working, you can find Hannah reading, hunting for sea glass/little trinkets, or absolutely locked in on the NYT Games.

Emily was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and currently attends Northern Arizona University studying Environmental Studies and Sustainability. Because her hometown was notoriously hot during the summer months, her family took every chance they could get to escape three hours north to the beautiful (and much cooler) landscapes of northern Arizona. It was here that she learned to have a passion for wildlife and natural systems, and would love to inspire the same passion in others. When she's not completing her schoolwork under a tree, you can find her cooking, reading, thrifting, or browsing a local farmers market.