Additional settings for Safari Browser.
Naturalists
Ranger Brauer (Bones)
Ranger is a Florida Native with a love for the mountains that has taken her across the US to do what she loves. She discovered her passion for teaching in high school and really got to start exploring that in college, where she got a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and a minor in environmental science. She has worked as a park ranger in Jacksonville, FL for a while and is excited for this new adventure across the country! When not at work she enjoys hiking, reading, and anything that lets her be creative.
Kathy Valle (Snapdragon)
Kathy Valle is from Orland, California. She graduated from the University of Hawaii Hilo with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. In her free time, she likes to garden, go on nature walks, and enjoy a cup of coffee with friends.
Carter Scott (Thunder)
Carter grew up in the suburbs north of Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia. After graduating, he taught English in Japan for four years and has previously taught at outdoor environmental education facilities in Alabama, Georgia, and Colorado. He has also worked as a kayak guide on Lake Superior in Minnesota, Acadia National Park in Maine, and the Florida Everglades before venturing out to the central Sierra Nevada.
Corina Powell (Pika)
Born and raised on the coast of Southern California, Corina left home as soon as she was able to travel solo around the United States and Europe. Upon returning to California, she began working with the special needs community and continued to do so for several years. Now settled in Sonora since 2021, Corina is a Forestry student at Columbia College and occupies her free time with hiking, writing, solving puzzles and crafting. While Corina does miss the ocean at times, she feels very much at home in the Sierra foothills.
Lisa Wojciechowicz (Tule)
Lisa is from the Central Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania and earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2019, Lisa joined the AmeriCorps VISTA program and discovered the world of outdoor education. Lisa has been teaching at Sierra Outdoor School since 2023.
Phil McDonald (Badger)
Phil grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. While earning B.S. in Natural Resource Management from Northland College in Wisconsin, he discovered the field of outdoor education and developed a passion for teaching. Working with the Great Basin Institute brought him west, and once he discovered the Sierra Nevada Mountains he never looked back. Phil has worked as an Interpretive Specialist for California State Parks, Development Manager with the Nevada Conservation Corps, and non-profit outdoor education centers. Phil is excited to be part of the SOS team and looks forward to helping students discover the outdoors and experience science in the field.
Scott Maas (Newt)
Scott grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, often exploring the forest preserve of Cook County. He then went to the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and received his Bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Environmental Education. Scott started his career in environmental education as a Naturalist Intern at Sierra Outdoor School in 2017 and continued to explore wild and exciting places throughout the country. When not sharing his love of nature with students at SOS you can find Scott hiking, backpacking, or exploring the world around him.
Dory Martin (King Snake)
As a kid growing up in Southern California, Dory loved climbing trees, digging up worms in the sandbox, and going to outdoor school with her 6th grade class. She discovered that she could go on vacation to amazing places by working seasonally, and especially loved living at the Grand Canyon, at the base of the Grand Teton in Wyoming, and in Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra. Her passion for working with children in nature drove her to level up her skills and complete a Master of Arts in Education: Natural Science and Environmental Education. An avid backpacker, Dory recently completed the 2,651-mile Pacific Crest Trail. She also enjoys rock climbing, international travel, and poking dead things with sticks.
Shea Merritt (Huckleberry)
Shea grew up in Canada in a small town in the Rockies and then went to college in Victoria, British Columbia. She developed a passion for the outdoors and Biological Sciences through hiking, learning, and skiing anywhere she could. She believes that the best way to learn anything is to experience it first-hand and went on to work at many Outdoor and Environmental Science programs in Washington, Oregon, and California. She has a new passion for the Sierra Mountains and all the amazing outdoor experiences they provide. She now lives in Columbia with her family.
Austen Thibault (Aspen)
Austen grew up exploring the forests, mountains, and waters that surround Sierra Outdoor School in Tuolumne County, CA. Here he found a love of all things natural, especially when they involve play like snowboarding and rock-climbing. He found a passion for education first as a snowboard instructor, then a science tutor while attaining his bachelor’s in biology: Ecology & Biodiversity from Humboldt State University. He worked for the university system, Forest Service, and nonprofits in field biology before shifting to education. You may still find him surfing snow, climbing rocks, dabbling in the arts, or hibernating.