Eric - he/him
Founder / Wild Foods Taste Tester
Program Director / NYS DEC Guide / Archery Coach
Eric is the Program Director for The Rewilding School. He develops our programs, trains staff, and much, much more.
Eric graduated from SUNY Environmental Science magna cum laude with a B.S. in Natural History and Interpretation and minors in Environmental Writing and Rhetoric and Recreation Resources Management.
Prior to founding The Rewilding School in 2016, Eric had a decade of teaching environmental summer camps in New York, residential outdoor education in California, ancestral skills in Oregon, and teambuilding in Massachusetts and right here in Westchester. He also founded and directed the Muscoot Naturalist Summer Camp. When not out in the woods Eric enjoys cooking, swing dancing, and trying not to buy everything in used bookstores.
You can see more about Eric at his Linked In account.
Megan - they/she/them/her
Administrative Director / Get it done'r!
Megan is the person who gets it done from behind the scenes. They multi-task to make sure our staff, land partners, and participants are all taken care of.
Megan graduated with a MPH in Emergency and Disaster Management from Tel Aviv University, and a Bsc in Anthropology & Human Biology from Emory University. Before joining The Rewilding School full time, they worked with government and non-government organizations in the global health and emergency management fields. Megan enjoys exploring new places, learning, making art, and sci-fi and fantasy books and movies.
Along with Eric, they are gradually making a small, quaint home in the Lower Hudson Valley with (hopefully) a very productive and tasty garden.
Our Naturalists
Jessie - she/her
Outdoor Educator - Site Supervisor
Jessie started her naturalist passions as a camper and CIT in some of Eric's outdoor education programs, and then when we started The Rewilding School in 2017 she joined us as an instructor. Along with Program Director Eric, she has spearheaded most of The Rewilding School programs. Jessie is pursuing her dream to combine her love of nature with her enthusiasm for teaching. She aspires to become an Outdoor Educator and Naturalist specializing in Ethnobotany and Wildlife Biology (otherwise known as the Plants & Animals Nature Teacher). You'll rarely find a camera on her face rather than in her hands.
Ryan - he/him
Outdoor Educator - Site Supervisor
Ryan joined The Rewilding School in Fall 2020, but he has been an Environmental Educator since 2009. He has taught diverse curriculum such as Renewable Energy Technology in Maine Classrooms to Orienteering in the Poconos. One of Ryan's first jobs out of college was an SCA internship based in Stonykill Farm. Ten years later and he has come back to the Hudson Valley. Ryan strongly adheres to a jack-of-all-trades mindset, with hobbies such as bushcraft camping and gear making, live action wargaming, leatherworking, historical methods of cooking and fire making, cat petting, beer brewing, film collecting, and much, much more.
Cathy - she/her
Outdoor Educator - Wildlings / Homeschool
Cathy joined The Rewilding School in Fall 2020. She has grown up in Westchester County and is currently raising her own family here. An avid hiker, Cathy loves nothing more than to explore many of the local and Hudson Valley trails with her two dogs. When the opportunity arises to travel further and climb a high peak, she jumps on it. Cathy has very recently been certified as a Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide- and truly enjoys sharing the wonder of the natural world with others. She is currently honing her fire building and bird identification skills. A former children's television producer, Cathy has always been amazed and inspired by children's imaginations. She is grateful to be able to combine her love for the outdoors with her passion for being with children.
Mark - he/him
Outdoor Educator - Preschool / Summer
Mark joined The Rewilding School in Spring 2021, after seven years of experience in outdoor education. He is a graduate of Stony Brook University, and has also earned an Associate's Degree in Natural Sciences at Mesalands Community College in sunny Tucumcari, New Mexico. Out west, Mark used to dig up fossils and help prepare them for display or study at the local paleontology museum. (Ask him about dinosaurs sometime). His other passions include campouts, freelance writing, Italian eateries, old monster movies, and the world of theater.
Katie - she/her
Outdoor Educator - Preschool / Wildlings / Homeschool
Katie joined The Rewilding School in Fall 2021. Her passion for nature started with a childhood spent swimming in waterfalls in her hometown of Ithaca, and fly fishing with cousins in Montana. In 2012 she founded Tarrytown Nature Club, a group aimed at helping local families connect with the outdoors. As part of that effort, Katie teamed up with the Bronx Zoo to help found a grant-funded nature club there. She served as Excursions Director for several summers at Blue Rock School's Summer Play Camp Program, where she brought groups of kids to Harriman State Park to hike, catch frogs, and pick wild blueberries. She went on to serve as Director of Summer Play Camp from 2018-2019. When she's not looking under logs for salamanders, Katie likes to cook, write stories, and hang out with her two awesome teens in Tarrytown.