Our Board
Jake Hall
Chair
Jake brings to the board a combination of marketing and analytic skills along with a love of nature and the power of connection fostered by Flying Deer’s mission. His relationship with Flying Deer began when he dropped his then second grader off in a field in the snow for a week of Snowshoe Hare Vacation Camp—and, at the end of the day, picked up a happy and tired child who was excited for another day of adventure to come! Since then, he and his family have participated in numerous programs, including Tracking Club, school programs, summer camps, and the Sacred Fire rites-of-passage program. Professionally, Jake is Vice President of Solutions Consulting for QuickPivot, a marketing software company in Boston, where he helps clients use data to understand their customers and build better relationships with them. In his free time, Jake enjoys flying small airplanes, cooking, and spending time in the woods with his family.
Liz Young
Clerk
Liz's commitment to Flying Deer Nature Center began with Cottonwood Camp opening circles and has continued through her children’s experiences of Camp Sherwood, Adirondack Canoe Expedition, Moon Tribe, and Sacred Fire. FDNC has been an important part of her family life for more than 20 years. Liz brings to the board her experience as both a school counselor and a mental health counselor in private practice, specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and school adjustment. Flying Deer’s mission to foster deep connection to nature, self, and others deeply resonates with her work. Liz also has many years of service as an Adjunct Professor of Counseling at the College of Saint Rose, Sage Graduate School, and Hudson Valley Community College. She loves to spend time with her family and friends, enjoying her horses and dogs, competing at horse shows, and soaking up time in nature on long hikes and walks.
Kirstin Hill
Treasurer
Kirstin’s love of nature began in her native Australia, where she grew up hiking with her parents in Tasmania, Western Australia, and Victoria. She first connected with Flying Deer through her daughters’ participation in Saturday Explorers and then more deeply and directly through Awakening Wild. More recently, Kirstin has supported each daughter’s journey through the Luna Moth program. Professionally, Kirstin worked in finance for 25 years with Merrill Lynch, serving as Chief Operating Officer of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She is now President and Chief Operating Officer of Social Finance, a national impact finance and advisory nonprofit that mobilizes data, funding, and ideas to measurably improve lives in areas such as workforce and economic mobility, health, and housing. Based in Boston, she also spends time in Salisbury, Connecticut, where she loves to hike in the Taconics.
Vanessa Baehr
Vanessa (Nature Name: Ghost Pipe) grew up combing the beaches for treasures in New Jersey and exploring the forests of the Adirondacks during summer camps, but was otherwise raised mostly in urban environments. She reconnected with nature when she worked with farms and camped in New Zealand and Australia for six months. Soon after that trip, Vanessa started to learn everything she could about botany, gardening, herbalism, and foraging. Since 2012, she has worked as an environmental educator and landscape gardener, working with both public and private land and clients on various projects, including community gardens, ecological restoration projects, advisory boards, and after-school programs in Columbia County. Vanessa attended C-GCC and Bard College, completing a degree in Environmental and Urban Studies. She was drawn to Flying Deer when she saw how transformative the experiences had been in her child’s life and has been grateful to join in on the fun. She is fluent in Spanish and passionate about history, culture, and community.
Will Harris-Braun
Will has been involved in Flying Deer nearly from the beginning: first as a camper, then as an instructor, and now also as a Board member. They grew up in Columbia County, went away to college, studied computer science and linguistics and made sculptures, and have now moved back to the area. They currently steward a piece of land in Chatham, where they live. Will brings to the board perspective from memories of their not-so-distant past as a Flying Deer camper, as well as an excitement to care for Flying Deer as an organization and midwife its healthy growth. They spend their time fixing things, throwing parties, mowing the lawn, and being friends with people.
Wanonah Kosbab
Wanonah is an enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans and a direct descendant of the Oneida Nation. She has also served on the Band’s Language and Culture Committee. She is a mother, grandmother, teacher, craftswoman, and peacemaker. Wanonah and her brother, Shawn Stevens, lead Flying Deer–sponsored Mohican Children’s Ancestral Homeland trips to our region, including a week of camp at Flying Deer. Wanonhan visits from Wisconsin multiple times a year, sharing traditional skills and knowledge, and helping to guide Flying Deer’s work of deep nature connection, community building, and cultural change.
Dale Saylor
Dale came to the Flying Deer board as a parent whose son absolutely fell in love with the camp programs and the Flying Deer philosophy—and the whole family has come to embrace and learn from the grounding spirituality of nature and connection to the earth. The co-owner of a design/build studio specializing in residential and commercial interiors and production, Dale brings to the Board a background in design, planning, and fundraising. He and his family recently relocated to Columbia County full time.
Malene Waldron
Malene brings to the Board a background in design, marketing, and branding, including three years as Promotion Art Director for Vogue magazine, and eight years with the Arnell Group, as Creative Director and then Senior Vice President. She serves on the board because she believes that the way we walk on this earth is informed by our understanding of nature’s ways. She supports Flying Deer’s work for the great benefit it provides individuals, as well as the ripple effect this has on our planet and humankind. Malene has been instrumental in Flying Deer’s collaboration with the Fresh Air Fund, which brings children living in New York City to Flying Deer summer camp each year.
Bruce Weiner
Bruce was a school psychologist for 35 years, working with kids and their families to help children develop a positive sense of self and a well-rounded character. As an adjunct professor at the College of Saint Rose for the past 17 years, Bruce has taught graduate-level classes in social emotional assessment and ethics. He also serves as a special education surrogate parent for children in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, through the Federation of Special Children and the Massachusetts Department of Education; and a board member of the Alternative Living Group, providing services to people with developmental disabilities; and was recently elected to the Hancock School Committee. He loves sailing, skiing, magic, travel, drumming, and kayaking. Bruce brings to Flying Deer his experience working with children, knowledge of nonprofit boards, and love of the outdoors.
