Our Staff
Jaclyn Sinay
Executive Director | She/Her
Jaclyn is a nonprofit professional and parent who discovered Flying Deer while seeking a place that would foster and celebrate the natural world and her young daughter’s place in it. Flying Deer quickly became a home away from home! Prior to stepping into her current role, Jaclyn was on the Flying Deer Board of Directors and served as Treasurer for the Board. A nonprofit professional born and raised in Berkshire County, Jaclyn holds a BA in anthropology and sociology from Fordham University and a law degree from Suffolk University. After graduating, she worked as a practicing attorney and later as the executive director of Cambridge Local First, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting and promoting the local economy. Upon her return to the Berkshires, she joined the team at Berkshire South Regional Community Center, where she held the positions of Membership Director, HR Director, and Managing Director. Jaclyn is passionate about working collaboratively with organizations and people who are devoted to making a difference in the vitality and health of their community.
Michelle Apland
Development & Outreach Director | She/Her
Michelle’s passion for the wild led her into environmental conservation early in life. When she was 19 she spent five-and-a-half months thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, which launched her into the world of wilderness skills. She soon began taking classes with the Tracker School in New Jersey, focusing on Philosophy and Healing. Michelle complements these studies with training in naturalist mentoring and community building with Wilderness Awareness School and Vermont Wilderness School. In 2001, Michelle earned degrees from Prescott College in Environmental Education and Eco-psychology. She has enhanced her skills by studying herbalism and mentoring with Lorene Wapotich of Her Feet on the Earth and becoming a Kripalu Yoga teacher. Michelle discovered Flying Deer Nature Center in 1999 and fell in love with the beauty of what she saw. She returned in 2000 to take a leading role in guiding its growth as a naturalist community. Michelle is passionate about working with children and families and specializes in leading programs for women and girls.
Devin Franklin
Director of Programs | He/Him
Devin has loved exploring in and learning about nature since early childhood. He discovered his thirst for the wilderness teachings in 1994 and has been walking the wilderness path ever since. Devin is the author of Put On Your Owl Eyes nature guide and creator of the Put On Your Owl Eyes professional development training for educators. He studied survival, tracking, and awareness skills with Dan Fisher of Wilderness School in Maine and Tom Brown Jr. at the Tracker School in New Jersey, and trained in naturalist mentoring and community building through Jon Young and the Wilderness Awareness School, as well as Mark Morey and the Vermont Wilderness School. Devin received a degree in Environmental Education from Prescott College in Arizona in 2001. He joined Flying Deer in 1998, where he was mentored by Leonard Brown, Flying Deer's founder. Devin deeply loves working with children and nature through creating the Naturalist Community that has been his home since 1998.
Rowan Alder
Director | They/Them
Rowan Alder (Hawk Moth) grew up constantly running around outside with no shoes, and this spirit still lives inside of them. Their love of nature and exploration came from hours of climbing trees, playing in the mud, exploring their godparents’ farm, and going on family camping and rock climbing trips. As Rowan grew up, their passion for and joy in nature never left them. They studied at Hampshire College, examining the intersections of education, architecture and design, dance, circus arts, and community. At Hampshire, Rowan often spent their evenings wandering through the woods, and one starry night they had the realization that their future needed to be outside. Since graduating college, they have been able to fulfill that promise to themselves while also continuing on a path of education, art, and community work. Outside of Flying Deer, Rowan has most recently worked for the Hampshire College Early Learning Center, Greenagers, and Jacob’s Pillow. One of their goals is to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
Raei Bridges
Director | They/Them
Raei was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in California and always sought out ways to deepen their connection to nature. As a child, Raei could be found playing in the mud, climbing trees, and observing insects in any way that was accessible to them. In 2016, Raei had the opportunity to explore the backcountry of the San Isabel National Forest in Colorado in a way that completely changed their relationship to both themself and the land, and served as the catalyst for their work as a guide today. Currently Raei leads backcountry trips for BIPOC individuals through their grassroots organization, the Rusty Anvil, a platform that creates safe and noncompetitive space for people of color to reconnect to the natural world, transform outdoor culture, and build a deeper outdoor community. Raei is a certified SOLO Wilderness First Responder and Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, and a trained Wild Mt. Rite Of Passage Guide, and is dedicated to serving as a pillar of safe space for BIPOC, neurodivergent, and LGBTQ+ youth.
Dan Corral
Director | He/Him
Dan Corral spent his childhood years roaming the fields and forests of the spirited and ancient landscape that Flying Deer calls home. At 14, he became the first counselor during the second year of Flying Deer summer camp, having been taken under the wing of Lenny Brown, the original Flying Deer founder. After years spent in Alaska and studying marine mammals in the Northeast and throughout the continent, Dan has returned to his roots. His heart is deeply connected to this land and to his work with children, which brings him immeasurable joy.
Julie Kunz
Director | She/They
Julie Kunz grew up in New York City, but she has many fond memories of roaming fields and mushroom hunting in the forests of Switzerland, where her family is from. After a decade of teaching young children, she comes to Flying Deer passionate about healing the lack of connection to the natural world she has witnessed in most early childhood settings. She believes nature can be our greatest teacher if we learn to speak her language, and the freedom to explore and play in the woods can be deeply transformative. Through both the Flying Deer Naturalist Leadership and Awakening Wild programs, Julie has gained the skills she needed to become a more wholesome teacher, parent, and person. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from CUNY Hunter College, and is fluent in French and Spanish. She enjoys fire making, intuitive forest wandering, poetry, and leading women’s moon circles.
Olivia Morgan Ellard
Director | She/Her
Olivia has been part of the Flying Deer community since she was six years old, first as a camper and later as a counselor and instructor for summer camps and the Luna Moth program. She has always loved the outdoors, and is also deeply passionate about history and cultural resource preservation. Olivia holds a degree in anthropology and archaeology from Dickinson College, and after graduation spent time working as a interpreter in an art museum and in the National Park Service. While teaching park visitors about archaeology and history, she missed the connection of hands-on education programs like those at Flying Deer. Olivia knows that experience is the best teacher there is, and is constantly striving to widen her own understanding of the world. She loves reading and traveling, and returned to Flying Deer after six months hiking the Appalachian Trail. Olivia is excited to dive deeper into wilderness skills and share her her love of the natural world with others.
Raven Ross Kelso
Director | He/Him
Much of Raven Ross Kelso’s early years were spent running, stalking, and otherwise galavanting in the Flying Deer forest. The Flying Deer community and land have been instrumental in his development as an educator and a human being. Since he was six years old, Raven has not spent a summer without taking part in a Flying Deer program, first as camper, then a counselor, and now an instructor. Raven’s passion lies in witnessing the spark of pure joy that comes from students and teachers alike learning and thriving in nature.
Jodi Standring
Forest Kindergarten Homeschool Program Director | She/Her
A Berkshire County native, Jodi has a deep love for the natural world and the native plants surrounding us. She started her career in education in 2004, working with traumatized youth in residential and day program settings. She is trained in both experiential education and herbalism, including a two-year apprenticeship in folk herbalism at the Gaia School of Earthen Education in Putney, Vermont. Jodi is also a certified Montessori Guide, through the Association Montessori Internationale, and has served as the lead guide in a multi-age early education Montessori classroom. She brings a diverse lens to her teaching and approach, incorporating emotional recognition and regulation alongside love of learning through plants and nature.
Christopher Wiltshire
Director | He/Him
From his childhood living by the coastal waters of the north shore of Massachusetts to teenage experiences hiking in the White Mountains, Chris has spent his entire life immersed in the beauty of nature. This passion eventually led him to work with agriculture and natural land management, having spent several seasons in apprenticeship at vegetable and animal farms in the Berkshires, and now working in land care and property management. After completing a Permaculture Design Certificate with Sowing Solutions in 2018, Chris is excited about permaculture as a way to integrate and harmonize the social, economic, and environmental aspects of his work. Chris believes wholeheartedly in Flying Deer's mission to bring the natural world and the human expression with nature to the forefront of people’s lives, and into the larger conversation about our role as stewards of the planet and as cohabitants with other living beings. He is continually inspired by the intergenerational land-based activism and nature mentoring that connects both children and adults to each other and the earth.
Vanessa Baehr
Instructor | She/Her
Vanessa (Nature Name: Blue Vervain) 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.
Victoria Laurence
Instructor | She/Her
Victoria grew up leading other children around the beaches of New Jersey, searching for marine life to identify and observe. When she wasn’t at the beach, she was climbing trees, building fairy houses, and wandering the trails in the woods near her home. She has over 20 years of childcare experience, including as a long-term nanny. She has always enjoyed bringing the children in her life out to explore their environment any chance they got, from visiting those same forests and beaches, to strolling botanical gardens and helping at a local historical farm on a weekly basis. Victoria brings her deep love of learning, nurturing, and creating to any child she works with. She holds degrees in Anthropology and International Studies.
Topaz Ross Kelso
Executive Assistant | He/Him
Topaz grew up playing in the woods of Berkshire and Columbia counties. He first came to Flying Deer in 1999, and spent more than fifteen summers as a camper, counselor, and instructor. He believes that community and spending time in non-manufactured spaces are both necessary for a happy life. He holds degrees in Philosophy and Law & Society from Oberlin College, and thinks that spreadsheets are pretty neat.
Jennifer Skipper
Instructor | She/Her
Jennifer grew up south of Albany, in Coeymans Hollow, New York. From a young age, she could be found exploring the wilderness surrounding her home—and her love for nature and adventure continues to this day. Whether she is tramping through the forest or building shelters, Jennifer finds great joy in her time in the wild. An avid hiker, camper, and bush crafter, she particularly loves spending time in the Northern Catskills and Southern Adirondacks. Jennifer participated in an apprenticeship with Dave Musk of Ondatra Adventures, where she learned and practiced primitive and survival skills, including wild edible and medicinal plant identification.
Pavina Soukamneuth
Instructor | She/Her
As a child, losing herself in Nature was how Pavina felt she could truly be herself and safely explore questions she couldn't ask in school. Her fondest memories are of wandering into the forest behind her family's home to sit and listen by a quiet stream or rest atop a large rock known as the neighborhood kids' "meeting rock." Nowadays, her loving relationship with the natural world keeps Pavina connected to her Motherland, her ancestors, and her family’s ways of life. As she's navigated what it means to be a child of Laotian immigrants, the teachings of nature have remained her most trustworthy guides, leading her to find peace in hardship and shared stories within the web connecting us all. Pavina seeks to nurture children's innate ability to relate to the natural world, while incorporating indigenous teachings of her people. At Flying Deer, she feels supported and honored to follow this path on the ancestral lands of the Muhheconneok, now known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. Pavina's favorite activity is starting and tending a fire.
Tes Reed
Luna Moth Co-Director | She/Her
Tes served passionately on the Board Of Directors for the first nine years of Flying Deer's non-profit life, and is in her 10th year of codirecting Luna Moth, Flying Deer's rites-of-passage program for girls. She has a life-long connection with the natural world, having grown up in the woods, fields, and streams of the Berkshire hills. For the past 15 years, Tes has been teaching kids on her land in New Marlborough, Massachusetts. Her love of life, gift of storytelling, ability to laugh, and passion for the wild inspires those around her to enjoy the beauty and magic of the outdoors. When Tes isn't in the woods, you can find her in her garden, walking the dogs, or teaching water aerobics.
Dan Yacobellis
Sacred Fire Co-Director | He/Him
Dan has been a naturalist, tracker and student of native lore, culture, and life for more than 25 years, and has been working with children, teens and adults since 1997. As well as directing and instructing in Flying Deer’s Homeschool and Sacred Fire programs, he teaches programs on tracking, friction fire, and other primitive skills for centers and organizations throughout the Capital District, Western Massachusetts, the Adirondacks, and Vermont. Dan also instructs a Winter Study course on animal tracking at Williams College.
Adriane Schramm
Social Media Manager | She/Her
Adriane was born and raised in the hills and woods of Wheeling, West Virginia, and of all her childhood memories, what stands out is playing creekside among the trees, which felt akin to meditation for her. Her parents raised her with reverence toward nature, and solstices and equinoxes were celebrated in her family as much as any other holiday. After earning a BA in English Literature/Creative Writing from West Virginia University and an MFA in Painting from Ohio University, Adriane set out to explore New York City. She remembers her father predicting she'd be back in the woods again someday ... She performed and exhibited in various galleries and performance spaces throughout New York, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, and two exhibits, in Spain and New York City, curated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Adriane has also done album cover art for Moore's Ecstatic Peace record label and for the duo Enid Ellen. After a few years of writing for the Vice Magazine blog and studying Kundalini Yoga, she moved upstate and is now a mother and homeschool teacher to her daughter, Love. Love's enrollment in Flying Deer's Forest Kindergarten homeschool program several years ago brought Adriane back to the woods, and she has raised Love with the critical knowledge that when life feels difficult, nature will always be there to teach and comfort us.
Masha Miller
Instructor Assistant | She/Her
Masha's love of nature began at home, playing in the back 100 acres, and continued at Flying Deer as a summer camper, counselor, Luna Moth student, and now Instructor Assistant. She is especially passionate about forming individual relationships with kids in the programs, as well as fire-making and other survival skills. Masha wants to work at Flying Deer forever.
