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.

 

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 exquisite Croatian Coastline to the inner-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.

 

 

Beriah Empie-PEEPs Support Coordinator

Beriah grew up in Yosemite National Park, and as a result his affinity for nature was cultivated at an early age. Living in such a unique part of the world made the personal evolution from environment to environmentalism a seamless one. While exploring the park, his parents instilled a sense of stewardship and a "leave no trace" ethic. This upbringing provided a solid foundation to apply these local practices to global issues.

In 2005 Beriah moved to Portland, and began graduate studies in English at Portland State University. He earned his M.A. in 2008. Beriah has a wide range of experience working with youth, including a previous AmeriCorps term with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He is excited to continue his engagement with Portland-area youth through his love of the outdoors. Some of the many ways Beriah enjoys communing with nature include backpacking, bouldering, and growing too many plants in his small urban apartment.

 

 Whitney Lynch- PEEPs Counselor

Whitney grew up in the Pacific Northwest camping, hiking, kayaking and bird-watching during almost every vacation from school. Studying environmental science, French and music in college, she enjoys spending time outside daily getting her "nature fix". She spent six months taking environmental science and French literature  classes in Fribourg, Switzerland, in addition to traveling around Western Europe. The highlight of one of these trips was the gondola ride over the Alps from Italy to France and then a nine-day backpacking excursion from chalet to chalet on the Alp's French-Swiss border.

Whitney served as a residential advisor during college and helped lead youth outdoor trips on the Olympic Peninsula and in the San Juan Islands. After volunteering in youth programs across Oregon and Washington with the YMCA, Red Cross, REI and several local school programs, serving with PEEPs in Portland is a great step to get involved with the urban community. Whitney is excited to discover new parts of the city of Portland with all the PEEPs campers this summer and believes education and experience are the best tools to develop nature lovers and life-long advocates.

 

Angela Fojtik- PEEPs Counselor

Originally from San Diego, Angela is a second term NWSA AmeriCorps member. She has the University of California, Santa Cruz to thank for fueling and directing her desire to educate about and protect the environment. With interests in both the natural world and in the human impacts on our earth, she double majored in Marine Biology and Environmental Studies. Her worldview has largely been shaped by her thirst for travel and exploration of other cultures. Angela was fortunate enough to study abroad in Australia (and dive at the Great Barrier Reef!), road trip throughout Europe and camp in Mexico.

She spent her 2008-2009 NWSA term working in a K-12 school district teaching both students and staff about energy conservation and waste reduction. Her varied work experience also includes teaching youth about the marine environment as well as some nitty-gritty field work with elephant seals, birds, and plants.

Angela is happy to call Portland home again and is eager to continue dragon-boating and exploring the region by foot or by boat. She is extremely excited to be a PEEPs Counselor and to have the opportunity to foster a sense of wonder of the natural world in today's youth.

 

 

Bailey Johnston- PEEPs Counselor

Bailey made his way to Portland in 2005 to begin his university career at Portland State University where he got involved with the Outdoor Program. He began guiding various excursions, including backpacking and winter camping trips, in Oregon and Washington. These trips incorporated curriculum for safe travel and Leave-No-Trace principles as well as natural and cultural histories of the areas.

In 2007, Bailey traveled extensively outside the United Sates. These travels allowed him to recognize the benefits of seeing the outdoors as not only a place of recreation but as a major component of the livelihoods of many cultures. Bailey got first hand experience conversing with locals in South Africa and Australia in issues ranging from irrigation techniques to issues in contamination and access. These experiences have fueled his enthusiasm for pursuing further study in these areas. Bailey was recently accepted into the Environmental Engineering program at PSU and will be completeing his studies, with a focus on water resources, in 2012. His love for the outdoors continues to grow with his academic career.

 

 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated June 23 at 11:16 AM