Who are our counselors?

Our counselors and staff are Northwest Service Academy AmeriCorps members who serve throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. AmeriCorps is a national service program funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service that aims to engage willing volunteers for a year of service in their desired field. AmeriCorps members gain valuable experience in local schools, nonprofits, and government agencies across the country. Our counselors are committed to teaching the value of service to local youth so that they can discover the excitement and importance of helping people in our community.

For information about job opportunities at PEEPs, contact Emily Goodman , NWSA Programs Support Coordinator.

 

2010 Staff

 

 Jess Hoylman- PEEPs Coordinator

Originally from the Bay Area, Jess has called the Pacific Northwest home since 2003- Portland specifically for a little over a year. Her educational experiences have taken her all over the globe- from the expansive red center of the Australian Outback to the equisite Croatian Coastline to the inter-city schools of Hanoi, Vietnam, all the while strengthening her passion for education and her understanding of the natural world.  

Jess became enthralled with environmental education at an early age, when as a 4th grader at Brookside Elementary School, her class helped found the California Freshwater Shrimp Project. A nationally-recognized habitat restoration project, the "Shrimp Club" ultimately helped shape her passion for the outdoors and Jess experienced first-hand the tremendous impact youth can have in restoring and preserving the natural world. As an adult, she has had the opportunity to mentor youth in various habitat restoration projects including the STRAW Project (Students and Teachers Restore a Watershed) and with the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, CA. She has taught Pacific Northwest ecology and marine biology to elementary and middle school students, most recently with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry's outdoor school. Her passions include writing and playing music, backpacking and cookin' up good eats in the outdoors! Jess holds a degree in Communication from the University of Washington.

Jess is honored to bring her enthusiasm for environmental education to the PEEPs Community.

 

 

 2009 Staff

Fayer Hutchins - PEEPs Support Coordinator

Fayer is originally from Rhode Island, and moved to Portland four years ago. During her time here, she received a degree in Spanish and Anthropology from Portland State University and co-founded an intentional community called the Green House Collective. The Green House focuses on community building, consciousness raising, and creating  Safe Spaces to deconstruct  "-isms," Through this, Fayer works to develop a compassionate, peaceful perspective that respects the individuality and human rights of all peoples.

Fayer is a community organizer whose passions are social justice, leadership, and conflict resolution. She is also a passionate teacher with a great love for the natural environment. Last year, she lived in the Amazon and taugh English at la Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana.

Fayer looks forward to bringing her energy and diverse experience to PEEPs.

 

 

 

 

 

Corin Bauman - PEEPs Counselor

A native to Portland, OR, Corin recently graduated from the Unviversity of Portland with a BA in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry. She has a passion for both science and the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys being outside as much as possible including hiking, camping, cycling and running. Last spring, she spent five months studying in Western Australia where she learned about Australia's unique culture, history and ecosystems. From her time in Australia she gained an appreciation for experiencing new places and meeting new people, and an appreciation for how connected we are to each other and to our Earth.

Corin is really looking forward to spending the summer with the PEEPs campers, teaching, learning and experiencing more of the greater northwest area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aleta Mills - PEEPs Counselor

Originally hailing from the Philadelphia suburb Media, PA, Aleta spent her college years in New England before moving to Portland in 2008. Aleta is both a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in Geography, as well as the National Outdoor Leadership School - Semester in the Rockies. She has traveled the United States extensively and spent several summers rafting Idaho's Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Some of her favorite destinations include the mountains of Vermont and southeast Utah's canyons.

Aleta is excited to call Portland home, and enjoys local food, bike rides, playing ice hockey and soccer, and exploring Oregon's hiking trails. PEEPs is a great opportunity for Aleta to share her passion for protecting our natural environment, as well as her extensive background in environmental education. Aleta is looking forward to an educational and fun filled summer.

 

 

Gregg Hayward - PEEPs Counselor, Master Composter

Gregg is origianlly from Hew Hampshire, but has found himself traveling over the past few years, getting more and more excited and involved in environmental education. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire, Gregg worked for a commmercial compost company in Burlington, VT, then headed west to drive a highway plow truck in the Sierra NEvada of California. After a winter of 600 inches of snow, Gregg headed south to the African country of Zambia where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer working in sustainable farming, sustainable forestry and HIV/AIDS education. He then returned to the states and worked for a small newspaper in N.H. beofre returning to the west coast. He has been serving as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Vancouver, WA coordinating school composting and recycling programs, and is super excited to round out his service as a counselor for PEEPs!

 Gregg feels most at home outside, and environmental education seems like a natural extension of his passion for the Earth we live in. He has a strong passion for waste reduction, recycling and composting, and he is excited to be outdoors this summer, establishing positive momentum for environmental change.

 

Mac Woods - PEEPs Counselor

Mac is an Ohio native, but has spent the past few years traveling throughout the US as well as having spent four months studying in Ecuador. His time in Ecuador included conservation research in the Andean highlands, the Amazon, and the Galapagos Islands.  He is currently finishing his final year at Kenyon College where he is majoring in Environmental Biology and Spanish.

He has worked as a tutor and counselor to children with disabilities for six years prior to moving to Portland. He has a passion for backpacking that has seen him traverse through National Parks all over the country including Acadia, Canyonlands, and Zion National Parks. His dual appreciation for the outdoors and conservation projects allows him to see the Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland, as an ideal location to continue to develop these skills.  He is extremely excited for the opportunity to explore Portland (as it his his first time here) while being an integral member of the PEEPs program.

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Sparks - PEEPs Counselor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated January 21 at 10:56 AM