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105 DeLong Road, Nauvoo, Alabama 35578
Email: maggie@campmcdowell.com
Experiential Environmental Education in a Residential Setting
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Staff Biographies
Maggie Wade Johnston is the Director of McDowell Environmental Center (MEC). She has worked for MEC for 6 years. She grew up in Winona, Mississippi and attended the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Montevallo for graduate work. She taught science and environmental education at Alabama School for the Deaf for 21 years, volunteers for the Alabama Sierra Club, and is active in several other outdoor organizations. She is married to Mark Johnston and has one daughter, Alison, three sons, Noah, Ethan and Adam, a daughter-in-law, Emily and two grandchildren, Carter and Mary Charles. They have 3 four-legged family members, Buddy, Peanut and Ollie. Maggie enjoys canoeing, hiking, fishing, gardening, creating pottery, traveling, reading and living in the country. Jen Kopnicky is the Program Coordinator for McDowell Environmental Center. She grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Go Steelers!!) and graduated from Slippery Rock University with a B.S. in Parks/Resource Management and Environmental Education. After graduating, she explored the south western end of the country at The Outdoor School in Texas. That is where she reaffirmed her calling for connecting children with nature. She and her dogs, Izzy Belle and Rosco, love to be in the wild, natural beauty of Alabama where they can hike, camp and swim! She also enjoys backpacking, making people laugh, snowboarding, gardening, reading, coloring books, cooking, rock climbing and mountain biking. David Hollaway is McDowell Environmental Center’s Senior Naturalist. Big Dave, as we call him, has worked for Camp McDowell for over 7 years. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and has spent many years in the environmental education and interpretive field where he has led classes and workshops, supervised the care of wildlife through rehabilitation, developed programs, and provided leadership to area schools and the public. He has worked at Ruffner Mountain Nature Center and the Chattanooga Nature Center. Dave brings his energy and enthusiasm to McDowell so that he can continue to share his knowledge and love for the natural world. When he isn’t sharing this passion with others, you can find him birding, camping, and hiking! Heather Montgomery is the Education Coordinator at MEC. In that part-time role, she gets to help with staff training, curriculum development, mentoring, teaching and anything else. When she is not at McDowell, she leads teacher/staff workshops and writes children's books and articles about nature. Her newest books are on snakes and the human body. Heather lives on the Alabama/Tennessee line with her husband (Laddin), two cats (shy Annie and three-legged Sipsey) and one dog (hyper Piper). Heather is nuts about bugs and all things geological! She has a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Environmental Education, but learned most of what she knows from the staff, students and environs of Camp McDowell. For more about Heather's books go to:http://www.heatherlmontgomery.com/Publications.html Matthew Miller is the Director of the Living River Environmental Center. Matthew has a long history working with summer camps and residential environmental education centers, beginning as a seasonal naturalist in 1976. He is active with several environmental and conservation organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, Natural Resource Initiative, and Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance. Matthew has three daughters, Emily, Megan and Irene and four grandchildren. He shares living space with a Boston Terrier named Jack. When not a work you'll find Matthew fishing, hiking, gardening, wood carving, playing music or telling a story or two. Alicia Hall, the MEC Projects Coordinator, is originally from Stillwater, Oklahoma but over the last twelve years she has lived in numerous states doing a variety of jobs. She has her AAS in Graphic Design, her BFA in Illustration, and completed a 45-day NCOBS Leader Course in 2005. She was a graphic designer for a few years before moving into the outdoor education and adventure fields in 2005. She was the director of MEC’s Venture Out program last summer. She has worked as a rock climbing instructor in a gym in Michigan and spent some summers working as a wilderness trip leader in other parts of the country. She loves spending days teaching in the outdoors, and is looking forward to another great season down south. Anna Bryant was born and raised in Auburn, AL, but spent 5 years living in Key West, FL. She did volunteer work with Team O.C.E.A.N. (Ocean Conservation Education Action Network) which included watching turtle nests and kayaking to pick up trash along the water ways. She has also worked with injured wildlife in Mobile, AL. Anna has worked at the Environmental Studies Center in Mobile, AL helping children learn about wildlife and how they affect the environment. Since her passion as always been wildlife and the environment, she decided to get a degree in biology from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. She came to Camp McDowell for 10 years as a camper, and then happily returned to be a summer cabin counselor for 2 years. Anna will also be serving as the Interim Summer Camp Director this summer. Laura-Catherine Conville is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and graduated with a BA in Foreign Language. She just returned from a year of mission work in Columbia through the Episcopal church. She spent several months in Ecuador where she taught English classes to children from 5 year-olds to seventh graders. Laura-Catherine enjoyed playing soccer and making arts and crafts with her family in Ecuador as well as hiking and seed collecting. While in Montevallo, she worked with Habitat for Humanity as a fundraising coordinator. She has worked as a Spanish interpreter and instructor for Girl’s Incorporated and the Birmingham Health Care. Laura-Catherine grew up attending church retreats at Camp McDowell and now enjoys working with the McDowell Environmental Center. Jessica Hewitt grew up for the most part in Georgia, but considers herself from Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama and got a degree concentrated in Marine Science and Biology. She loves the ocean and sharing her knowledge about everything living in it. Jessica did an internship in Hawaii working with a variety of marine life, mainly dolphins. Nature and its conservation have become a high priority for Jessica, and she feels that sharing this with all age groups will help make our Earth a better planet. This will be Jessica’s second season at MEC. Adam Johnston graduated from Auburn in 2006 with a degree in Environmental Science. Then in the fall of 2006, he joined the McDowell Environmental Center staff. He spent the next two years living and working in the South Pacific with The Peace Corps in Vanuatu. He loves having the opportunity to share his Peace Corps experience with students and chaperones. Aside from traveling, Adam really enjoys fishing, canoeing, camping, and sports. Adam is glad to return to McDowell for his third season. Lindsay Madison grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL and went to college there at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!). She graduated in 2007 with a degree in Physical Education. She loves children, as well as sports and the outdoors. She previously worked at the Alabama Museum of Natural History as the education and outreach liaison. She taught canoeing, planned and designed exhibits, led nature hikes, and studied about Alabama's geological history. This will be her second season on McDowell's teaching staff and she looks forward to many exciting outdoor-classroom experiences. When she is not working, Lindsay is usually either road biking across Alabama, water skiing on Lake Tuscaloosa, or backpacking in Tennessee. Fareed Mostoufi hails from Columbus, Ohio, but he graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing (Concentration in television writing) and a double major in Journalism. At NYU, he also secured a minor in Spanish. While in New York, Fareed worked as a teaching artist intern at City Lights Youth Theater and as a contributing writer to Time Out New York magazine. He also put in a few hours interning for the soap opera "All My Children". He spent the last year as a Fulbright ETA Scholar in Argentina. In his free time, he enjoys movies, television, theater, writing and running. He is excited about returning to MEC after his year in Argentina. Steph Munkachy calls the beautiful state of Alabama her home, although as an Air Force Brat she moved with her family across various and sundry locales before landing in Prattville in high school. Steph graduated from the University of Montevallo with a B.A. in English and a minor in Biology, and afterward spent 4 months in Oregon learning about Permaculture and interning in the garden at Lost Valley Intentional Community outside of Eugene. She also spent 2 months off the grid in Northern California where she helped build a house using natural materials like straw and clay. For the first 6 months of 2009, Steph worked on an organic farm outside of Prattville, running a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and learning all about growing food in Alabama. When she's not digging in the dirt to find worms or to plant things, Steph loves searching for wild edible foods, experimenting with fermenting and preserving, playing with fiber art, camping and hiking, singing, reading, and writing. Jen Pecor is from Baltimore, MD where she attended the College of Notre Dame. Jen completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy with a minor in Women’s Studies. While at Notre Dame, she was able to publish her thesis entitled, “Environmental Existentialism.” Jen spent her summer teaching at-risk youth in the Annapolis area how to sail as well as volunteering with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. This winter, Jen developed an Environmental Education program geared for after school programs and successfully implemented it at a school in Birmingham. In her spare time, Jen loves to hike, read, make jewelry, and play cards. This is Jen’s third season here at MEC. Brandon Phillips is originally from Ocean Springs, MS. He graduated from the University of South Alabama with a degree in Oil Painting. Since then he has taught at McDowell Environmental Center, interned at a sustainable organic farm, and built a log cabin. He has taught survival skills and environmental education in Alaska for the past two summers. It is actually a lot like what he does at McDowell, but with more grizzly bears and moose. Brandon enjoys mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing, and pretty much anything else that gets him into the woods. He also loves teaching and spending time in his garden. This is Brandon's third season at McDowell, and he cannot wait to be in the garden, play with the dogs, and keep dreaming about the farm he will one day build at the foot of the mountains. Jennifer Saranzak is from Dayton, Ohio and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. (Yes, it is possible to study Marine Biology in the North- they just send you to really awesome places like the Bahamas!) She enjoys birding, Scuba diving, making things such as jam, candles, and clothes, and is obsessed with lobsters of any kind. She is close to her family, and enjoys sharing her new skills with them. She is discovering that she enjoys travel, and is planning to road trip to Alaska for a month, living from her car. This is Jennifer’s second season at MEC. Kathy Temple grew up in Minnesota on the shores of Lake Osakis where she first began to explore the natural world. She graduated from the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota with a B.A. in Dietetics. Her passion is working with kids, which she started doing as soon as she moved to Denver, Colorado in 2001. During her time in Denver she was a Colorado Vincentian Volunteer, 2nd grade teacher, middle school tennis coach, and dietitian at Mount Saint Vincent Children’s Home. Kathy was once told, “No one loves the outdoors as much as you.” Thus, it is not a surprise to find her outside hiking, running, biking, swimming, playing tennis, or sitting next to a rushing river. Kathy is currently very close to achieving her Masters in Applied Ecopsychology through Project Nature Connect. Although she misses the mountains of Colorado, she loves discovering natural treasures in Alabama! This is Kathy’s second season at McDowell Environmental Center. Kirby Thompson hails from the town of Gilbert, which is located in eastern Pennsylvania. She graduated from East Stroudsburg University in December of 2006 with a BA in environmental studies. Since graduating, Kirby has been an environmental educator at a variety of different camps. She worked for the Don Lee Center in Arapahoe, NC, and for the Audubon Society of Western PA. She also has taught at Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA. Kirby loves the outdoors, and loves the experiences that come with outdoor education. She loves to spend her days flipping up rocks and logs looking for critters and loves to splash around in the pond catching frogs. Kirby also enjoys the time she spends with her pot-bellied pig, Oliver. This is Kirby’s third season at McDowell Environmental Center. Carroll Wilson lives in Jasper, Alabama and has done volunteer work here for MEC for several years as well as worked one season as an instructor. He is one of the original trail builders for the Camp McDowell Trail of Discovery! He is a graduate of University of Alabama with a B.S. degree in psychology; worked twenty-seven years as a field officer for Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles before retiring in January of 2001. Since then he has worked part time as a test examiner and as a domestic violence/ drug abuse counselor. Since 1979, he has been a day hike/canoe trip/work trip leader for the North Alabama and Cahaba Groups of Sierra Club as well as the Birmingham Canoe Club, The Alabama Trails Association and Wild South. When he isn't teaching at Camp McDowell, Carroll teaches health and safety classes for the Birmingham Area Chapter, American Red Cross. Carroll’s can-do attitude is contagious and we all love working with him! Carolyn Price is a wonderful addition to the team at McDowell Environmental Center. She helped kids have fun and adventure while learning in the outdoors for 32 years at Pine Hill Day Camp in Somerville, Alabama, a camp which she and her husband, Frank, started, owned and directed. A couple of years ago, they retired from this labor of love, closed Pine Hill and sold their 122 acre camp property. Now they live in Decatur, Alabama. Previously she was a psychologist at Indiana University Medical Center; a psychometrist consultant to school systems in Indiana and Alabama; a certified horseback riding instructor, director and owner of Pine Hill Equestrian Center; and a college instructor. She is on the boards of the Decatur Library, Decatur Youth Symphony and heads up the Stewardship of Creation committee at St. John’s Episcopal Church. She is on the section board of the American Camp Association and has held various board positions during the past 30 years.
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