Madison leaders bring local wisdom to Nature Everywhere Conference

The Madison Advisory Council has been crucial to the planning and development of our 2024 Nature Everywhere Conference. Composed of fourteen distinguished leaders from Madison and from our key national partners, the National League of Cities and KABOOM!, the council has contributed invaluable local insights and recommendations. Council members hail from diverse backgrounds, including environmental education, public health, government, outdoor recreation, nonprofits and more. 

Council members include:

Jen De Melo – She/Her

Jen De Melo is the vice president of organizational innovation & strategic partnerships at KABOOM!, and has committed her career to ensuring every kid has equitable access to safe and high-quality play. Her extensive knowledge of play solutions stems from leading hundreds of community playspace projects across North America, representing over $20 million in grant dollars. An advocate for creating inclusive and environmentally conscious playspaces, Jen co-led the creation of the UNICEF Cities Inspire award-winning Nature Exploration Area in San Francisco’s Heron’s Head Park. Jen serves on several committees and advisory boards focused on weaving nature and play.

Cheryl DeWelt

Cheryl DeWelt is the environmental education and garden manager at Madison Children’s Museum. Cheryl has been at the museum for 15 years and has over 30 years of experience educating about nature, permaculture and the environment. In addition to her work at Madison Children’s Museum, Cheryl has a myriad of relevant experiences, including being the owner and director of a nature-based child-care, working as a naturalist guide, and developing curriculum and exhibits at Wisconsin’s Cave of the Mounds. Her personal and professional pursuits are driven by a desire to connect children with the natural world and promote environmental stewardship. Cheryl develops and facilitates programs in environmental education, permaculture, gardening, healthy eating, eco-literacy and art, and helps design and fabricate exhibits at Madison Children’s Museum. She earned her degree from UW-Madison and holds a permaculture design certificate. Cheryl is also a visual artist who works with COB, wood, metal and fibers.

Vera Feeny – She/Her

Vera Feeny is a senior program specialist, for children and nature at the National League of Cities (NLC) in Washington, DC. She supports Nature Everywhere, a joint initiative between NLC, the Children & Nature Network and Kaboom! aimed at creating local systems to connect children to nature more equitably. Within Nature Everywhere, her focus is on early childhood nature connection. She previously worked on NLC’s Early Childhood Success team and is excited at opportunities for how nature and the built environment can support healthy development and early learning. She has also worked in early childhood advocacy, education and developmental psychology research. Vera was a 2021-2022 World Urban Parks and Salzburg Global Seminar Emerging Urban Leaders Fellow. She received a Master of Education in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Suzy Grindrod – She/Her

Suzy Grindrod is a nearly lifelong resident of Madison. She had a lengthy career as a proud public school teacher, teaching 4K, kindergarten and first grade, as well as being a library media specialist, before retiring in 2016. After a grown-up gap year, she landed at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, where she is currently the early childhood education coordinator. She has two grown daughters who have opted for the big city life in New York City, opening her eyes to the incredible amount of wildlife that exists even in a large metropolitan area! In her time away from the nature center, she enjoys reading, knitting, drawing, singing, raising backyard chickens, cuddling cats and especially hiking through county and state parks in all weather with her husband and their intrepid corgi, Milo the anklebiter.

Nathan Kennard Larson – He/Him

Nathan has worked in the fields of nature- and garden-based education for the past 25 years. He currently serves on the teaching faculty and as co-chair of Landscape and Urban Studies in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His teaching practice and courses focus on community-based learning, school gardens, outdoor classroom co-design, community food systems and well-being in urban nature. He helped establish the Wisconsin School Garden Network and School Garden Support Organization Network and is the author of Teaching in Nature’s Classroom: Principles of Garden-Based Education. 

Lisa Laschinger – She/Her

Lisa joined the City of Madison Parks Division in 2012 and has gained experience in all aspects of the organization in a variety of positions. In her current role as assistant parks superintendent, she works directly with the Planning & Development, Finance & Administration, Golf Enterprise Program and Olbrich Botanical Gardens teams. She has a passion for serving the Madison community and connecting all residents with the natural environment around them. 

Sarah Lemieux

Sarah Lemieux is the District 3 Legislator for the Ho-Chunk Nation’s Legislative Branch. You can read more about her appointment here.

Betsy Parker – She/Her

Betsy is the executive director at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center where she’s been an educator, fundraiser and program director over the past twenty years. She has played a role in passing the Wisconsin Children’s Outdoor Heritage Resolution, drafting Wisconsin’s Plan for Environmentally Literate & Sustainable Communities and installing an outdoor classroom at her children’s elementary school. Her undergraduate degree in conservation biology and more recent master’s degree in human ecology (both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison) lend a perfect blend of biological and social science understanding (and questioning) for work in the field of environmental education.

CJ Ryan – She/Her

CJ Ryan has been in the parks and recreation industry for over 15 years. CJ is currently the assistant park superintendent at the City of Madison Parks Division, where she has overseen the operations, community services and public information office sections of the agency since 2022. Prior to her position at the City of Madison, CJ served at the City of San José as the administrative officer for the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department. Throughout her career, CJ has led large and small teams with a focus on leadership development and staff empowerment. CJ has been active in the City of Madison’s efforts to advance racial equity and ensure that parks are a place that everyone can access and enjoy. CJ has a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese with a certificate in environmental studies from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a master of arts in kinesiology from San Jose State University.

Courtney Schultz – She/Her

Dr. Courtney Schultz, Ph.D., is a leader and researcher at the intersection of health, outdoor recreation and community well-being. She is the executive director of Health & Technology Partners (HTP), a leading social science research consultancy devoted to enhancing wellbeing through collaborative partnerships with communities and natural resources. With a Ph.D. from North Carolina State and over a decade of experience, Dr. Schultz has spearheaded research initiatives for entities such as The Nature Conservancy, the US National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and the National Association of State Park Directors. Driven by a commitment to the health benefits of nature-based activity, she directs applied research and evaluations that benefit people, communities and environments. In addition to her role as executive director, Dr. Schultz serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri, and as the senior researcher & evaluator for OutGrown.

Terri Strong – Terri Strong is a childcare specialist for the City of Madison.

Justin Svingen – He/Him

Justin Svingen is a public health planner at Public Health Madison & Dane County and has a lifelong passion for increasing equitable access to parks, open spaces and natural areas. With a background in psychology, transportation coordination and environmental planning, Justin specializes in the convergence of the built environment and public health. At Public Health Madison & Dane County, he contributes to the Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan, leverages GIS for mapping and program improvements, and integrates the public health viewpoint into collaborative efforts with planning and parks entities. Justin has played a key role in the Madison Connecting Children to Nature Initiative since its inception in 2016, strategizing, coordinating and spearheading city-wide initiatives to increase equitable access to nature.

Tanya Zastrow

Tanya Zastrow is the executive director of Olbrich Botanical Gardens, which is a public/private partnership between Madison Parks and the Olbrich Botanical Society. Prior to coming to Olbrich Gardens, Tanya served as the director of programs at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas-Austin, overseeing the education and volunteer programs and staff. In addition, Tanya’s previous experience includes positions as the supervisory education specialist and volunteer/intern program coordinator at the U.S. National Arboretum; the first center director for Welty Environmental Center in Beloit, Wisconsin; and service as an environmental education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Tanya has a Master of Science in Parks and Recreation Resource Management from Frostburg State University and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Nick Zouski 

Nick Zouski is the accessibility coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He’s been with the Department for about six years and worked for an Independent Living Center before that. Nick acquired a disability over 25 years ago due to a spinal cord injury. He’s been an avid outdoorsman since childhood and uses that acquired knowledge along with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to make the outdoors a more accessible place.

The Children & Nature Network’s annual international conference brings together leaders from a broad range of disciplines, all committed to the health and well-being of children and communities. Click here to learn more and register for the 2024 Nature Everywhere Conference, which will take place May 28-31 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin.

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