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    Outdoor Experiences Staff

    About | Education | Park Education | Outdoor Experiences Staff
    A Cleveland Metroparks Naturalist is on-hand daily from 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. to answer your questions. Call the Cleveland Metroparks Outdoor Experiences Facility closest to you to have your questions answered by a naturalist.
    • Faruq Abdul-Khaliq
      Faruq Abdul-Khaliq

      Faruq began working for Cleveland Metroparks in 2012 and has a long history of serving the needs...

    • Erica Anton
      Erica Anton

      Erica joined the team in March 2020 as Cleveland Metroparks Nature Preschool Program...

    • Phoebe Atkinson
      Phoebe Atkinson

      Phoebe joined Cleveland Metroparks as a naturalist in 2014, after more than 18 years in the...

    • Foster Brown
      Foster Brown

      Foster has been with Cleveland Metroparks since 1996. He combines the arts with interpretation in...

    • Jen Brumfield
      Jen Brumfield

      JB eagerly combines a passion for extreme birding, field studies, outdoor education and detailed...

    • Martin Calabrese
      Martin Calabrese

      Marty has a masters degree in biology from John Carroll University and a BS in natural resources...

    • Jennifer Daring
      Jennifer Daring

      Jennifer is an outdoor enthusiast who passionately advocates for people of color in outdoor...

    • Elizabeth Durkalec
      Elizabeth Durkalec

      Prior to joining Cleveland Metroparks in 2020, Elizabeth was an Interpretive Naturalist with...

    • Valerie Fetzer
      Valerie Fetzer

      Valerie has been with Cleveland Metroparks since 2001. She began her journey as an Education...

    • Peter Frank
      Peter Frank

      Peter Joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2020. Prior to his current position Peter was part of the...

    • Brian Fyfe
      Brian Fyfe

      Brian joined Youth Outdoors in 2003. His interests include hiking, cycling, fly fishing...

    • Melissa Gottron
      Melissa Gottron

      Melissa has been with Cleveland Metroparks since June 2018 and has a degree in Environmental...

    • Mayim Hamblen
      Mayim Hamblen

      Mayim joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2017. Prior to her current position, she was an...

    • Jill Hauger
      Jill Hauger

      Jill became a Naturalist for Cleveland Metroparks in 2008. She loves being outside! When she is...

    • Angelec Hillsman
      Angelec Hillsman

      Angelec began her journey with Cleveland Metroparks in 2003. As a naturalist she was able to...

    • Nicole Hindman
      Nicole Hindman

      Nicole grew up and graduated college in Iowa with a biology degree after spending a childhood...

    • Caroline Huffman
      Caroline Huffman

      Caroline joined the Outdoor Recreation team in 2018. She has been lucky enough to explore many...

    • Mario Jackson
      Mario Jackson

      Mario has been with Cleveland Metroparks since January 2009. He began his journey as a Education...

    • Beth Joyave
      Beth Joyave

      Beth has been a professional interpreter for the past fifteen years and has a particular passion...

    • Terry Joyce
      Terry Joyce

      With over 20 years in the interpretive field, Terry Joyce spent nearly all of that time working...

    • Min-Sui Keung
      Min-Sui Keung

      Min has worked with Cleveland Metroparks since 1998. Min is interested in showing people how to...

    • Matthew Knittel
      Matthew Knittel

      Matt has enjoyed the outdoors (especially the Cleveland Metroparks) since he was a young boy...

    • Jake Kudrna
      Jake Kudrna

      Jake joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2014. He has a master's degree in Biology from Miami...

    • Doug Kusak
      Doug Kusak

      Doug has a lifelong love of learning and a desire to spread enthusiasm for the wonders all around...

    • Karen Lakus
      Karen Lakus

      Karen Lakus has been with Cleveland Metroparks since 2010. She has worked as...

    • Jen Lukacs
      Jen Lukacs

      Jen joined the Cleveland Metroparks staff in June 2018.  She is a graduate of The Ohio State...

    • Judy MacKeigan
      Judy MacKeigan

      Judy joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2010. She was the lead author and content editor on The...

    • Bethany Majeski
      Bethany Majeski

      Bethany has been working with Cleveland Metroparks since 2007. She enjoys connecting people to...

    • Carly Martin
      Carly Martin

      Carly has been a naturalist with Cleveland Metroparks since 1998. She has varied interests...

    • Jenny McClain
      Jenny McClain

      Jenny joined the Outdoor Education staff permanently in 1996 and has worked at the Brecksville...

    • Kelly McGinnis
      Kelly McGinnis

      Kelly has worked at Brecksville Nature Center since the fall of 2000. She enjoys doing various...

    • Kate McNeece
      Kate McNeece

      Kate has been an informal science educator in Northeast Ohio for over twenty years, with a...

    • Rachel Nagle
      Rachel Nagle

      Rachel enjoys connecting people to nature through outdoor recreation activities and seeing the...

    • Megan Nitzsche
      Megan Nitzsche

      Megan joined the Cleveland Metroparks staff in August 2020. She is a graduate of Kent State...

    • Jody Oelbract
      Jody Oelbract

      Prior to joining the Outdoor Recreation team in 2021, Jody was a tour leader for TrekAmerica...

    • Alex Palmer
      Alex Palmer

      Alex received his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Northland College in...

    • Melissa Ricther
      Melissa Ricther

      Melissa joined the Cleveland Metroparks as a naturalist in 2022. Melissa started as a Cleveland...

    • Jeff Riebe
      Jeff Riebe

      Jeff began working with the North Chagrin Nature Center staff in 1999. He enjoys seining for...

    • Beth Robb
      Beth Robb

      Beth joined Cleveland Metroparks in May 2016 as a seasonal naturalist and was hired as a...

    • Kelsey Rogers
      Kelsey Rogers

      Kelsey joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2021 as a seasonal before being hired as a full-time...

    • Ashley Rossetti
      Ashley Rossetti

      Ashley spends her time playing outside and enjoys teaching others different ways to explore the...

    • Mary Rouse
      Mary Rouse

      Mary joined the Cleveland Metroparks as the Director of Outdoor Experiences in July 2019. She...

    • Dan Sahli
      Dan Sahli

      Dan joined the Outdoor Recreation team in 2014. He holds his MA in Recreation Administration and...

    • Jesús Sanchez
      Jesús Sanchez

      Jesús joined Cleveland Metroparks in March 2020. His experiences have enabled him to work with a...

    • Natalie Schroder
      Natalie Schroder

      Natalie joined Cleveland Metroparks in December of 2014. She enjoys sharing her passion for our...

    • Megan Shumaker
      Megan Shumaker


       With a background as an occupational therapist for over 20 years combined with a...

    • LaDonna Sifford
      LaDonna Sifford

      LaDonna joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2010. LaDonna enjoys facilitating fun, purpose driven...

    • Kristin Spindel
      Kristin Spindel

      Kristin grew up playing in fields and forests in Northeast Ohio. She joined Cleveland Metroparks...

    • Emma Strick
      Emma Strick

      Emma started with Cleveland Metroparks as a Zoo Crew Teen Volunteer in 2010 and was a seasonal...

    • Pamela Taylor
      Pamela Taylor

      Pam joined Cleveland Metroparks in July 2001 as an interpreter/education intern with the Zoo. In...

    • Zach Tolles
      Zach Tolles

      Zach joined the Outdoor Recreation team in 2017. Prior to that he spent time instructing at other...

    • Beth Whiteley
      Beth Whiteley

      Beth has been an educator for over 25 years. She has worked for Cleveland Metroparks in several...

    • Justin Willard
      Justin Willard

      Justin joined Cleveland Metroparks in 2022. He graduated from Cleveland State University in 2021...

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