Esperanza is, and has always been, a teacher at heart. From the early age of 8 she would hold play groups in her church and tend to the young children who would often disrupt the sermons. This passion to teach carried on through the years, bringing her to SUNY New Paltz where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Black Studies. Beginning her journey at Wild Earth in 2008 as an assistant instructor, she has guided countless youth and adults into deeper relationships with the land and one another. She brings years of experience designing and leading programs that inspire connection, confidence, and belonging through nature-based education

Before her work at Wild Earth, Esperanza taught in local schools and led programs in theater, children’s yoga, and the arts, always centering creativity as a pathway to growth. Her lifelong dedication to community connection has also shaped her service in correctional facilities, juvenile centers, AmeriCorps, mutual aid networks, and other volunteer-based initiatives. Rooted in the belief that every child holds limitless potential, she sees the arts and the natural world as the most powerful teachers we have, offering belonging, healing, and hope for the generations to come.

Mai grew up in southwestern CT, where she spent her days clamoring across barnacled boulders lining Long Island Sound, and capturing crickets to feed to her leopard frogs. She studied acting at Emerson College and graduated from Hampshire College with a self-designed B.A. in ecosystem mimicry agriculture and community circus theater. Alisha Mai has run nature-immersion programming since 2008, with Vermont Wilderness School, the Institute for Natural Learning, Wolftree Programs, White Pine Programs, and most recently, Wild Earth. Mai enjoys working with girls and teens, and incorporating physical play into her programs. She draws upon her background in theater and circus to create zany and magical experiences in nature. Alisha Mai is certified in Wildlife Track and Sign (Level II) through CyberTracker, and is a Wilderness First Responder. She teaches vinyasa yoga and aerial silks, and studies at Circus Warehouse in Queens.

Kate’s curiosity of the wild began while being raised on a maple farm in Central NY. Surrounded by natural forests and open pastures, she developed a passion for the freedom that exploration in nature provides for children. Kate discovered the Hudson Valley as her home more than 20 years ago. She comes to Wild Earth with many years of experience in nonprofit management, focusing specifically on youth development. She received a BA from SUNY New Paltz and a Masters in Public Administration from Marist with a concentration in Ethical Leadership. In her spare time, Kate leads an inclusive Girl Scout troop, teaching young girls about leadership and cultivating an appreciation for our natural world.

Ana is from the fish-shaped island to the south otherwise known as Long Island, Northport to be exact. She studied Philosophy in Boston and Eastern Classics in New Mexico before fully diving into yoga and Early Childhood Education. She has taught yoga in the Hudson Valley since 2013 and specializes in serving groups along the entirety of the birth spectrum. In 2020 her passion for maternal care and creating family-forward environments led her to become a Birth and Postpartum Doula. At this time she also began an apprenticeship at Wilder Waters in Maine, harvesting wild blueberries with her two children, learning to gather and process medicine and food from the land and swimming in ice cold creeks. Engaging with the landscape in these new meaningful ways culminated in her finding her way to Wild Earth and she is very happy to be here!

Brendan grew up on the Connecticut shoreline, on the territory of the Hammonassets, Wappinger, and Quinnipiac people, marveling at the life teeming in the tide pools and salt marshes, rivers and forests. Now living on the territory of the Munsee Lenape, Schaghticoke, and Mohican people, Brendan and their lovely wife, Abigail, enjoy bouldering, biking, and swimming on and around the Shawangunk Ridge with their friends. Having experienced the transformative capacity of the outdoors personally and in the children they have worked with over the years, Brendan is passionate about organizing experiences to support people, specifically youth, in accessing connection and agency within themselves, the Earth, and all other communities they are a part of through play, dialogue, discovery, and creation.

Craig was born to Martha Diaz and Jin Kim in Flushing, Queens. As early as he could flip rocks, he developed a passion for insects that followed him all throughout his academic and professional career. He has a B.S. in Environmental Biology from SUNY-ESF, an M.Ed. in Environmental Education from Bard College, and has worked for the Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem health within the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Most of his work for NYSDEC included surveying and felling pitch pine trees infested with Southern Pine Beetle in the Long Island Pine Barrens. Having seen the need for a positive relationship between people, bugs, and the environment at large, Craig now proudly shares his passion and experience with and through Wild Earth.

Dale Gibbons has worked with children as a teaching assistant and providing foster care for Ulster County Harbour Program while raising her family.  Later she worked in theater tech but was always drawn to spend time in nature. Wild Earth has allowed her to combine these passions, to work with children while encouraging their love of the outdoors.

Devin grew up in Mesa, Arizona, where they spent their days exploring the desert barefoot and occasionally pulling cholla cactus out of their clothes. They are a first-generation college graduate who earned a BA in Environmental Studies from CUNY Hunter College. Devin first visited the Hudson Valley on a Geography Club trip and instantly fell in love with the region.
Now based in Kingston, Devin is Wild Earth’s Staffing and Outreach Manager, where they wear many hats, including marketing and social media, supporting internships and the CIT program, and helping connect more people to outdoor learning experiences.

Dustin has been working with people in nature for over 15 years. He’s a passionate deer hunter with a special fondness for birds, open fire cooking, gardening, black walnuts, buckskin sewing, and earthenware pottery. He lives in Cottekill, NY with his wife Terrah and dogs Frankie and Peanut.

Elana grew up along the shoreline of Connecticut, running through the woods in her neighborhood and biking to the local seashores. She studied Holistic Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy at Lesley University, and minored in Environmental Science. Elana lives with her partner and their family in Hyde Park where they live and farm. Elana has worked in support of a variety of community organizations and artists and is passionate about bringing her energy to work that serves and inspires the collective. She enjoys her free time by offering Yoga and healing arts, spending time with her family, learning and practicing herbal folk medicine, and playing music.

Henry Gartner was born and raised in rural Greenwich NY. Growing up in a farming community, he found a love for the outdoors at an early age. As a Farm & Wilderness camper when he was a young teen, Henry refined his skills for spoon carving and creating friction fire. He came to the Hudson Valley to study at SUNY New Paltz, where he graduated with a degree in mathematics. Henry can be found in the Gunks year-round, trad climbing and mountain biking. When there is snow to be skied Henry shreds on tele gear. His two moms could not be happier that he has chosen to work for an organization fostering social justice.

Katie was raised in the Hudson Valley and spent much of her formative years barefoot outside. Drawn to early childhood she spent 8 years teaching preschool at SUNY New Paltz, regularly guest lecturing in language development and child appropriate practices as well preschool and kindergarten curriculum and child psychology and development. After leaving SUNY Katie studied At Hawthorne Valley Alkion Center and spent several years teaching in Waldorf Schools. With a passion for the outdoors she brings a craft, snack and story with her wherever she goes.

Kayla was born and raised in the Hudson Valley where she spent most of her childhood exploring all this beautiful valley has to offer. Her passion drove her to attain her BA in Environmental Studies & Policy in 2019 and work on various outdoor research projects before joining the Wild Earth team in 2021. She loves spending her time exploring the woods, crafting with natural materials and most of all, exploring these interests with other excited people!

Mark (he/him/his) is a multidisciplinary maker, teacher, social activist, and life long learner who lives in the Hudson Valley, NY. When Mark isn’t leading a Wilderness Education program, you might find him collecting acorns to make flour, constructing a giant prop to be used in a rally, or redesigning ADA accessible designs to be more functional and aesthetic. Mark is an expert carpentry teacher, tiny house builder, designer, and architectural draftsperson, as well as an amateur inventor and avid gardener. Mark loves his partner Sage and helps her manage living with multiple sclerosis as her primary care worker. In addition to these experiences, Mark has taught Maker Space carpentry programs and Wilderness Education programs for a variety of schools, camps and non-profits. You can view Mark’s teaching work and other work at his website www.acornmarky.wixsite.com

Sarah grew up in Michigan, where her first introduction to the “wild” was through YMCA summer camps. She looked forward to exploring and getting dirty, and would jump into any body of water that she could find. Her passion for the outdoors led her to the Pacific Northwest, where she spent nearly 20 years on the shores and slopes of Washington State. Sarah has a Master’s Degree in Natural Resource Management and has worked in the fields of environmental conservation, food justice, corporate accountability and civic engagement. She spent nearly a decade volunteering as a mentor and snowboard instructor for Seattle youth before moving to the Hudson Valley in 2017. After several years of living on her family’s farm and working at Wild Earth, Sarah moved back to Michigan where she still works for Wild Earth remotely. In her spare time, you can find Sarah making pottery, swimming in Lake Michigan, and trying to befriend every dog she meets on the trail.

Born and raised in the magical Catskill mountains, Tiffany’s idea of a perfect day would be spent barefoot off the beaten path exploring the true wild woods, climbing high into the pines, bird-watching (especially at her favorite place, the Great Blue Heron rookery she visits as often as possible which had 5 nests and many babies last year!), tracking the local wildlife, snacking on the plants and berries along the way, and floating life away swimming in the streams. Graduating from Suny Ulster with an Associates degree in Science and spending nearly ten years in retail, she decided it was time she followed her passions and answering her own call to adventure, Tiffany began volunteering for Wild Earth, took the apprenticeship and is now proudly working as an instructor for the Wild Earth Kingston Project. She is also deep into her second year of the Ancient Art of Awareness classes taught by Michael Ridolfo and, just as she feels about her job with Wild Earth, she is enjoying every moment of it.

After twelve years working as a private wealth advisor on Wall Street, in 2002 David miraculously extricated himself from this soul-deadening work and came home to New Paltz with his family to realize a life dream – fully sharing in the care and parenting of his three children and creating a small family farm. Over the years, the Brownstein family (Three Suns Farm) have raised dairy cows, goats, chickens, bees, and fruits and vegetables in season. In 2004 David co-founded Wild Earth with a vision toward regenerating a living community culture centered around nature connection. From its humble beginnings serving a few dozen local children, Wild Earth now serves close to 4,000 youth and adults each year. David served as its Executive Director for nearly 20 years until 2023, when he passed the baton of leadership to to Omari Washington and the next generation of incredibly capable and inspired leaders. Today, David continues reaching toward his vision, now through his Root Connections (rootconnections.org) practice; he offers mentoring, coaching, and collaboration rooted in place-based, relationship-first and village-making work and life ways. David loves to work and play in the garden, meadows and woods, and is an avid cyclist.