Celebrating women leaders

“We are working to redefine what it means to go outside, from backyard play to backcountry adventures, and showing everyone that those adventures can and should include babies and young children.”

Jessica Carrillo Alatorre is the executive director of OutGrown (formerly Hike it Baby), a national, community-led nonprofit that helps families of all kinds spend more time outside together.

OutGrown is active in over 300 cities nationwide and provides diverse programming to improve maternal mental health with the help of nature; to empower Black, Indigenous and communities of color, as well as refugee and immigrant communities, to get outside; and to give all parents the tools and the confidence to go on outdoor adventures with their kids. The organization recently launched the Family Trail Guide, which is a free, online resource that compiles information on family-friendly trails, parks and other outdoor spaces across the U.S. based on parent-submitted suggestions.

Altorre believes that by building toward a more welcoming and inclusive vision of the outdoors, we can create a world where more children have the opportunity to fall in love with nature and grow into people who protect the natural wonders of this planet.

Get to know Jessica’s story: “Encouraging new parents to get outside with their babies to access nature’s benefits,” Finding Nature News feature, October 2023

Renée Chacon (she/her) is Diné/Xicana/Filipina with ancestors from Southern Colorado and New Mexico. She is a Sahumadora for Kalpulli ColorAztlan and is co-founder and executive director of Womxn from the Mountain. 

Founded in 2018, Womxn from the Mountain is an inclusive women’s group open to women, trans, non-binary, two-spirit individuals and diverse communities. Their mission is to meet the holistic needs of their community through equity, transformative education and culturally responsive healing arts. Additionally, the group works as climate change organizers and cultural educators to support Colorado’s Indigenous communities and other communities disproportionately impacted by environmental racism. In 2023 at our Inside-Out International Conference, Chacon helped lead an inspiring general session on restorative justice, the power in the Indigenous culture of biodiversity, and how to build sacred connections to the Earth and to each other. 

In addition to her organizing and advocacy, Chacon works to uplift equity frameworks through policymaking. She serves as the Ward III Councilmember on the City Council for Commerce City, Colorado. Chacon is also an active member of the Environmental Action Task Force for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education and serves as the Co-Commissioner of Cumulative Impacts on the task force.

Get to know Renée and the others on the 2023 Colorado Advisory Council: “Colorado Advisory Council brings local expertise and perspectives to Inside-Out Conference,” February 2023

“Women are fertile soil that birth flowers and fruits, roots that give foundation, water that nourishes, fire that gives energy, wind and air beneath wings, seeds that spread growth and renewal.

When a child starts to play in nature, it is these life-giving and caring sources that they first meet. How then can a children and nature movement without the voice of women thrive or exist?”

Born and raised in India, Yakuta Poonawalla’s love affair with nature began during her first trek in the Indian Himalayas. Afterwards, she worked with the Indigenous population in the Spiti valley in the Western Himalayas at 12,000 feet elevation. Upon her arrival to the U.S., Poonawalla led youth initiatives with the Sierra Club in San Francisco.

Today, Poonawalla manages community and volunteer programs for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco as the associate director of Community Stewardship and Engagement. With thoughtfulness, warmth and a joyful spirit, Poonawalla facilitates nature connections for members of the community via events and programs at public lands around the Bay Area. She is also a storyteller and community builder, bringing multicultural holidays to park programs as a way of creating belonging in nature and in public places. In a recent Voices piece for Finding Nature News, Poonawalla described a unique event to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr — an Islamic festival that marks the end of the fasting and prayer period of Ramadan — at the Presidio Park.

Photo credit: Nishad Joshi.

Read some of Yakuta’s writing: “Park pilgrimages: Unearthing new ways of being in nature,” Finding Nature News Voices column, April 2023

“I believe, as women, we have a visceral connection with Mother Earth because, like her, we carry, we bring forth and we nurture life. It is an innate understanding of the value and connection of ALL existence.”

Alicia Fall has been an educator, performing artist and public speaker for over 35 years, addressing humanitarian issues and advocating for Indigenous voices throughout her work. Now the Founder and Visionholder of Her Many Voices Foundation, Fall coordinates a global community of activists, artists and changemakers intent on saving our Mother Earth and All Her Children. 

Her Many Voices leverages strategic partnerships to allocate resources and assets, supporting community-driven solutions for predominantly Indigenous communities. Their core value, “Whatever I do for another, I do for myself,” comes from Fall’s mother, and is the reason that she works so tirelessly to champion causes for Indigenous women and children, and Mother Earth. 

Fall is also a TEDx presenter, a recipient of the New York State Assembly Citation Award, and a board member for the Coalition Against Global Genocide and for Tiyospaye Winyan Maka — serving on both boards as a representative for Indigenous Peoples. In 2023, she served on the Colorado Advisory Board and was a keynote speaker at the 2023 Inside-Out International Conference.

Get to know Alicia’s story: “A common thread: Indigenous-led foundation weaves together activism and art, climate and community,” Finding Nature News feature, November 2022

Hear Alicia’s perspective: “Thinking like a river: A recap of the 2023 Inside-Out Conference,” Network News, July 2023

“As parents, we long for our kids to have positive experiences. We don’t want them to feel like they are different or awkward being in therapy. Nature-based therapy gives parents a place to bring their child that feels like a real-life setting — it feels like play. It’s astounding the confidence that kids get when engaging in therapy outdoors.”

Laura Park Figueroa is an occupational therapist and the CEO of Outdoor Kids Occupational Therapy, which she founded based on the idea that nature challenges and inspires children in a way that is impossible to replicate in an indoor setting. She developed a practice model called the ConTiGO Approach. “ConTiGO” stands for CONnection and Transformation In the Great Outdoors. The practice model encourages pediatric therapists to blend evidence-based interventions with nature to help neurodivergent children meet their therapy goals. Outdoor occupational therapy might look like kids working on hand strength and fine motor skills by making leaf confetti or participating in a group hide-and-seek game where kids interact with each other and nature.

As part of her PhD dissertation, Figueroa developed and is in the process of publishing a theoretical model called the Ecology of Change in Outdoor Therapy, which aims to explain how change occurs during outdoor therapy with children. To help train and support other pediatric therapists, Figueroa also launched Therapy in the Great Outdoors (TGO), which offers online courses in the ConTiGO Approach, business coaching for nature-based therapists and an online community forum for therapists to connect and learn about nature-based therapy for children. 

Get to know Laura’s story: “Neurodiversity in nature: Occupational therapy in the outdoors helps children find confidence,” Finding Nature News feature, March 2023

“Working with other talented youth always makes me feel inspired and fills my cup to continue to bring people out to nature!”

Since 2023, Leidy Pineda Flores has been one of the young leaders serving on our Youth Advisory Council. In her role, she’s helping to guide the planning, production and facilitation of our Nature Everywhere Conference, as well as key pieces of our 2025 Nature Everywhere vision.

Flores is based out of Boulder, Colorado, where she works in the community as an environmental educator, naturalist and community connector. She is currently serving as a bilingual education and outreach senior representative for City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. Prior to that, she honed her leadership skills as a Latino family camp advisor for the Cal-Wood Education Center in Jamestown, Colorado. Flores has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

All of these experiences — and a childhood spent in the outdoors — have given her the tools to effectively address barriers and inequities to outdoor access. She is deeply passionate about co-creating relevant and meaningful experiences with underrepresented youth and families in outdoor spaces. During her time off, she enjoys photography and hiking with family and friends.

Get to know Leidy and the story of the Youth Advisory Council: “Beyond mentorship: Engaging young people in designing nature programs,” May 2023

“Use your creativity to inspire others. Write stories, create art or use social media to raise awareness about the importance of nature for children’s well-being.”

Nicole Jackson is an urban environmental educator and the founder of N Her Nature LLC, a Columbus-based coaching business that helps Black women find ways to connect with nature and use it as a conduit for joy and healing. N Her Nature was inspired by Jackson’s own experience using nature to heal from trauma and grow her self-confidence. For Jackson, her connection to nature helped hone her ability to slow down and be present in the outdoors. She created N Her Nature as a way to help more Black women tap into wonder and curiosity as tools for addressing stress and anxiety, whether it’s by building a fitness routine or learning a new outdoor skill.  

Jackson has been a longtime leader in the children and nature movement. She participated in Legacy Camp leadership development training and is now a member of the Natural Leaders Network. An avid birder, she’s been a member of the Black Birders Week National Planning Team since 2020, hosted by Black AF in STEM, and co-developed a course with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy entitled “Let’s Go Outside! How to Connect Kids With Birds and Nature.”  She is also the founder of Black in National Parks Week, which celebrates and amplifies the stories and experiences of Black people visiting U.S. national parks. In 2023, she finished up her second term as a member of the National Parks Conservation Association’s Next Generation Advisory Council.

Read Nicole’s story: “Nature helped Nicole Jackson see possibilities over trauma; today she helps others do the same,” Finding Nature News feature, March 2023

“To anyone (of any gender) who is interested in advocacy, education, biology, the outdoors, the environment: The work of connecting people to nature, helping people fall in love with nature, is the foundation of all of conservation. A love of nature is where it all starts.

As a woman in this movement, I believe that my collaborative nature has given me adventures and friendships with other leaders, organizations, scientists and creators all over the world, while wasting fewer resources because we all use less when we share with others.

I am an inherently nurturing person, and taking care of the earth by inspiring people to love her helps me feel like I am making a positive contribution to conservation, and this is the antidote to eco-anxiety. The work of connecting people to nature is the most hopeful, adventurous, fun and rewarding job in conservation.”

Heather Kuhlken is the founder of Families in Nature. Since 2008, the organization has provided educational experiences and play-based opportunities in nature for families. By empowering children and their parents to spend quality time together engaging in outdoor and conservation activities — like building backyard habitats, taking nature walks and going on community campouts — Families in Nature is fostering the next generation of conservationists. A trained biologist and educator, Kuhlken is the author of “Adventures in Ecology: A guide to inspire ecological literacy, outdoor adventure, and nature connection for all” (publication pending), which includes more than 1,100 lessons about how to teach this kind of programming. 

Kuhlken serves as the co-chair of #NatureForAll United States, a Commissioner for Education and Communication with the IUCN and a member of the Green Schoolyards of America working group. Her nature photography has appeared in books, magazines and conservancy reports.

Read more of Heather’s story: “Using science and play to inspire families to connect with nature,” Finding Nature News feature, April 2023

“Being a woman in the movement for children and nature means I get to challenge the status quo as much as it wants to challenge me.

As women, we still have a long way in securing our own rights, and I say that in favor of ALL women and historically excluded genders.

As we continue to do this intersectional work of advocating for each other and the future of our children and our home planet, we get to lead by example and show how our power and imagination are infinite and not constrained by patriarchal and colonial models that have shaped the world we live in.”

Gabaccia Moreno (She/Her/Ella) is a first-generation Mexican-American multimedia storyteller, consultant and passionate outdoor advocate. Growing up visiting the Maya forest gave her an appreciation for the land and its wildlife at an early age. Her works, whether artistic, creative, or entrepreneurial, have always intersected with the social and environmental issues that surround her.

She currently serves as the Executive Director of The Outdoorist Oath, an organization creating educational tools and models to help and encourage people to become allies for planet, inclusion and adventure. She sits on the Joshua Tree National Park Association Diversity Council and is a founding member of the Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E. Initiative. 

Gabaccia also served as a National Monuments Fellow at Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, where she worked on initiatives to ensure historically and deliberately excluded communities have access to the process of protecting our lands and waters. Other credits include serving as Director of Social Responsibility at Hiking My Feelings, contributing to Backpacker Magazine, and being a resident host for the She Explores Podcast. In 2023, Gabaccia joined Outdoorist Oath Co-Founder José González at our 2023 Inside-Out International Conference to host a conversation about the intersection of the planet, inclusion and outdoor experience through a lens of sustainable ecology and accessible joy.

Photo credit: Roberto Flores Buck

Read about Gabaccia’s appearance at the Inside-Out Conference: “Thinking like a river: A recap of the 2023 Inside-Out Conference,” Network News, July 2023

“Being a woman in the movement for nature and access to nature for children is being an advocate for a healthy and resilient community.

Equitable access to nature and green space has a multitude of benefits, both physical and mental for the individuals, but also in terms of support and sustainable health at the community level. Underserved and underfunded communities often overlap with the most at-risk demographics; low income, low education completion rates, high minority populations, and high comorbidity rates.

As women, we are often the backbone of our communities, the caretakers acting through a sense of sisterhood and compassion.”

Zara Noreen is a Chinese American adoptee raised as a “city girl” in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since 2023, she has served on our Youth Advisory Council as a young leader. In her role, she’s helping to guide the planning, production and facilitation of our Nature Everywhere Conference, as well as key pieces of our 2025 Nature Everywhere vision.

From a young age, Noreen had an interest in science and nature, putting samples of everything and anything under a microscope and attending nature camps and conservation sustainability policy summits. Currently, Noreen is a scientific program manager supporting work within scientific research, education and communications in the government sector.

An avid diver, she uses underwater photography to bring awareness to endangered species and Great Barrier Reef coral conservation by volunteering with organizations like Tortuguero Vive Mar, Oceans2Earth and PADI AWARE. Noreen is extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to places like Mexico, Puerto Rico and Hawaii’s Big Island while raising awareness for conservation education and nature access, both in her professional and personal life.

Get to know Zara and the story of the Youth Advisory Council: “Beyond mentorship: Engaging young people in designing nature programs,” May 2023

“The construct of racism limited access to land, parks, pools and beaches. Limited access means limited opportunities for learning. The Bronze Chapter wants to share information, empower beginners and help our community get back outside to rest, play and learn.” 

In 2021, Denice Rochelle founded The Bronze Chapter, which reconnects members of the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community to the natural world by sharing outdoor knowledge, skills and recreational opportunities.

The Bronze Chapter offers activities like nature and adventure camps, aquatic outings and self-defense classes for the outdoors. These events teach core camping and outdoor skills in a safe and supportive environment — and they’re open to both individuals and families. By making these outings enjoyable and educational for the entire family, the organization aims to give parents the tools to continue venturing outdoors and BIPOC kids more opportunities to recreate in nature. 

Through these efforts, Denice Rochelle is a catalyst for growing a more skilled, confident, healthier and environmentally-aware outdoor melanated community in which families and individuals can rewrite their outdoor narratives and change their outdoor legacies. Rochelle sits on the boards and committees of many organizations, including North Cascades Institute, Recreate Responsibly Coalition, Washington State Park’s Pro-Equity Anti-Racism team and Livestock Master Foundation.

Read more of Denice’s story: “Building nature-based skills and community at the intersection of identity and the outdoors,” Finding Nature News feature, September 2023

“There is a reality that conferences can uphold the ways in which white supremacy has shaped professionalism and academia.

I believe strongly that Black, Indigenous and all People of Color and people of all genders hold integral and beautiful relationships to nature. The injustices we see in unequal representation — ‘the nature gap’ — need to be recognized.”

Kimiko Lorraine Russell-Halterman has served as a young leader on our Youth Advisory Council since 2023. In her role, she’s helping to guide the planning, production and facilitation of our Nature Everywhere Conference, as well as key pieces of our 2025 Nature Everywhere vision. She was born and raised in Oakland, California, the unceded home of the Muwekma Ohlone, and always felt a pull to the sea. She is now grateful to be in community with the Ocean and many friends and family, including her ancestors from many shores, through wave riding, free diving, harvesting — and anything she can do in the sea. 

Russell-Halterman had the privilege of living on Pimu, or Catalina Island, where she worked in outdoor education. She was deeply impacted by the many experiences she shared with young people in the water there. She is passionate about education and nature reconnection as justice, and grateful to be part of the Brown Girl Surf community as environmental education specialist and summer program manager. Currently, Russell-Halterman is pursuing a Ph.D. in education and learning from Black and Brown youth leaders about how community-based and culturally sustaining “outdoor ed” can be a radical tool for dismantling the injustices that have tried to separate Black, Indigenous and all People of Color from nature, something we have and will always be part of.

Get to know Kimiko and the story of the Youth Advisory Council: “Beyond mentorship: Engaging young people in designing nature programs,” May 2023

“To girls interested in advocating for children and nature:

Be bold. Be knowledgeable and unapologetic in your pursuit, for your unique perspectives are essential in catalyzing just and lasting change for the betterment of our world.

Take agency in your future, create opportunities — don’t wait for them — and share your success and space with a strong community of other women and allies to continue to pave the way towards a better tomorrow for everyone.”

Emmy Scott (she/they/ze) is a biracial queer cis-woman, activist, educator and creative of 10+ years. She is dedicated to creating a world where businesses are a force of good and the catalysts of a thriving future for all. Emmy educates youth on the circular economy, place-based action and voting with your dollar to empower underserved communities. In all that she does, Scott is committed to ethics, racial equity and inclusion of underrepresented groups.

Although Scott was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, her grandfather gave her access to a world outside the city that she fell in love with. Scott fondly remembers a childhood spent outdoors, learning and interacting with nature. Ever since, she has remained passionate about expanding her knowledge of nature and exploring the role of humans in the protection of the environment.

Scott now serves as Earth Guardians’ youngest executive director. With a global network spanning six continents, Earth Guardians is an intergenerational climate justice organization that trains and supports youth worldwide in leading change within their communities. At our 2023 Inside-Out International Conference, we were honored to host Scott and her fellow Earth Guardian peers, who highlighted the critical importance of stepping into revolutionary roles by reimagining current systems of work and mobilization.

Read about Earth Guardians’ participation in the Inside-Out Conference: “Thinking like a river: A recap of the 2023 Inside-Out Conference,” Network News, July 2023

“I am proud to be part of a collective of women and nonbinary folx who are working to disrupt the status quo and create livable systems that nurture children’s innate connections with nature.”

Alayna Schmidt (she/they) is a queer scholar-activist who strives to make space for the stories, leadership and knowledge of youth in rural areas. Her research and work particularly emphasize the voices of youth at the margins.

Alayna sees all work related to research, education and the environment as inherently political. Their research and practice in youth development and environmental education are therefore rooted in justice and applied toward collective liberation. Among her wide portfolio, Alayna has published research and an art zine exploring Black youth’s conceptualizations of nature, as described in their own words, and explored how to engage youth as community leaders in the design of outdoor education programs. In their previous roles as an environmental educator and equity analyst, Alayna led a teen naturalist program to a national award, served on the board for Environmental Educators of North Carolina, established a team to analyze government policies through a social equity lens, and served on the writing team for eeGuidance on Equitable Pay & Hiring and as an advisor for eeGuidance for Collecting Demographic Information.

An alumni of the Children & Nature Network’s Youth Development & Nature Cohort and Natural Leaders Workshops, Alayna is currently a Ph.D. student and Instructor of Record in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Clemson University. She also works as lab manager for the Race, Ethnicity, Youth & Social Equity (REYSE) Research Collaboratory at Clemson.

Read more of Alayna’s story: “Art zine helps Black and Brown youths show others what they see in nature,” Finding Nature News feature, November 2023

Discover Alayna’s work during the early days of COVID-19: “Creative shift saves Young Naturalist program: Alayna Schmidt finds new ways to engage teens,” Finding Nature News feature, December 2020 

Check out Alayna’s other appearances on our site