Educators and Guides
Get to know the educators and guides that help to deliver our unique, nature-rich programming. We couldn’t do what we do without them.
Tina Brouwer kraska
Full-time Educator and guide for Adventures, STEAM, Birding Club, Conservation Club, Forest Families. and Taking Flight Next Level
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, but I spent summers and holidays coming to Kentucky. I loved everything about animals and being outside as a kid. In the summers and holidays, I came to my mamaw’s house on the hill in Eastern Kentucky. As soon as I could drive, I would wander old savannas and prairies in Illinois and spent hours in the Morton Arboretum. I eagerly took off for Kentucky as soon as I turned 18. From the climbing and camping in the Red River Gorge to painting with my papaw in Carter Caves, I knew Kentucky would become my home.
Tina has a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation and Management and a Master's Degree in Peregrine Falcon behavior and ecology from the University of Kentucky. She spent over 1,000 hours in the field observing Peregrine Falcons and was dubbed locally as the Peregrine lady. She earned the only Teaching Assistantship in Graduate School and taught Dendrology (the study of trees) to undergraduate students. Tina is especially interested in ecology and how all things are connected. Tina has also completed her Southeastern Appalachian Naturalist Certification through the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. Tina is also a professional photographer and enjoys teaching students how to capture the world around them with photography.
Stephanie Fritz
Lead Teacher for STEAM
I spent many childhood hours playing in the woods, pretending I was Sam from My Side of the Mountain or Karana from Island of the Blue Dolphins. Through most of my life, I have returned to nature to reconnect and find peace.
Stephanie studied Special Education at Vanderbilt University, winning the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence. After teaching for several years in public school just outside of Nashville, Stephanie moved and began teaching for the flagship charter school Success Academy Harlem 1 in New York City. A couple of years later, she helped open a new charter school with the network, Success Academy Union Square. Stephanie was awarded their inaugural Teacher Excellence Award. Now, she uses her knowledge to breathe magic, wonder, and academic rigor into her homeschool instruction with her three children.
Rachael Dupree
Lead Teacher for STEAM in Frankfort
I grew up in Ohio and came to Kentucky in 2009 to pursue a career in magazine journalism. I fell in love with the Bluegrass State while exploring the trails of the Red River Gorge and have grown deeper in appreciation for the natural world and the way it fosters a wholeness of being through my studies in herbalism.
Rachael, her husband and her two small children live on 50 forested acres in Stamping Ground, where they spend lots of time foraging for wild plants and mushrooms, bird watching, exploring the newts and frogs in their pond, and chasing the occasional raccoon off their front porch.
Becoming a mother has given Rachael a newfound appreciation for the outdoors, often causing her to take it slower and explore a small piece of earth more thoroughly than her previous hiking expeditions allowed her. She is dedicated to giving her children the opportunities to know the plants, mosses and creatures of the forest more intimately than her childhood in the suburbs afforded. It’s her passion to create opportunities for their community join in in exploring the natural world.
annie griggs
Lead Educator for Taking Flight Next Level and STEAM
From early days catching crawdads and climbing trees to more recent years birdwatching and hiking, I have been a nature lover my entire life. I grew up in Lexington with lots of encouragement from my parents to explore my natural surroundings. Their influence certainly paid off – as an adult, everything I've done professionally has been centered around the natural world in some way! I adore working with children and helping them nurture their love for nature too!
At the University of Kentucky, Annie researched foraging behaviors of House Sparrows while earning her degree in biology. She spent a summer studying hummingbird behavior in Costa Rica and falling ever more in love with the world around her. She graduated in 2016 and set off to rural Georgia where she taught a variety of environmental education classes at the Rock Eagle 4H Center and began working with birds of prey. She continued her work with raptors at the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin and the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri.
In 2019 she moved back to Lexington to begin pursuing a Master of Biology degree at Eastern Kentucky University. During that time, she has worked at Red Oaks assisting with the Mighty Acorns class, Neighborhood Nature, and Taking Flight.
Russ turpin
Facilitator for Forest Bathing and Nature Wellness Days
I had a “free-range childhood” with access to play in nature, time to explore greenways, and neighborhood kids running in packs. Adventure was only a short bike ride away. While growing up inspired by the beauty and wonder of East Tennessee, I also learned to recognize the health and safety warnings along creeks and waterways. I knew from an early age that my life would have to address some of the legacy issues my parents, grandparents, and hometown community had a role in creating.
For the past 19 years, Russ has been involved with Lexington ecological projects through conception, design, installation, stewardship, and community engagement. As a graduate of the Kentucky Professional Environmental Educator Certification Course, Russ conducts educational programs and stakeholder participation events to engage the community with his projects. Russ helped establish a local branch of Wild Ones (a nation-wide education and advocacy organization supporting native plants and ecological landscaping) and served as the Lexington chapter’s first president. Russ has a passion for connecting people to nature in a meaningful and intentional way that engages all the senses and taps into the wonder and joy that resides in us.
KAITLIN BULLOCK
Lead Teacher for STEAM and Facilitator for Nature-Wellness Days
I grew up in a very small town named Waco, Kentucky. I spent my days as a child outside walking barefoot, learning about and admiring her mother’s flower garden, eating garden grown food from my grandmother, frolicking through farms, and going with my dad on fishing adventures. I enjoyed playing explorers, Little House On The Prairie, nature wilderness survival, and more out in the open fields of my home. As an adult, once I had children of my own, I found herself being called back to the ways of my childhood, which lead me to rediscover gardening and the peace of walking through the grass barefoot. I also took interest in self sustainability and conservation. This led to more time in nature and when I was out there I found the kind of peace I had been missing and seeking for years as I slowed down enough to connect with my true self. I continue to expose myself to these practices and love to spread the word of how healing being out in nature can be.
Kaitlin is a certified yoga teacher who spends most of her time teaching yoga, meditation, and breathwork to veterans and others who want a trauma-informed yoga experience. Her biggest passion in life is helping others find peace, balance, and relief from stress. She also homeschools her two children and enjoys teaching them about birds, conservation, the importance of the earth, and how to respect it.
Christina Bruno
Full-time Educator and guide for STEAM, Humanities, Mighty Acorns, Art Club, and Adventures
I was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, where many of my fondest early memories were made during summers spent in the woods at day camp. My appreciation and aptitude for childcare were realized at age 14 when I became a camp counselor. At 17, I began teaching art classes and fell in love with the opportunity to share my passion for creative expression and the creative process with young students.
Christina attended the University of Vermont, graduating with high honors for her Bachelor’s degrees in Art Education and Psychology. She was awarded Most Outstanding in the department of Art Education. During college and shortly after graduating she worked in prek, elementary, and middle schools, art centers and schools, and as a nanny specializing in individualized creative instruction and outdoor adventures.
In 2019, inspired to experience more of the natural world and live immersed in nature, she moved from the Green Mountains to the Appalachians. She purchased and moved to a relatively untouched, secluded, and wooded 20 acres outside of the Red River Gorge. Since then, she has been learning the ways of outdoor, off-grid living and self-sustainability, as she slowly creates a simple mountain Homestead with her partner, where others may come to unplug, unwind, and allow the beauty of the natural world to inspire their unique creative expressions.
Jordan FortenbohEr
Lead Teacher for STEAM and Mighty Acorns in Frankfort
I was born in Kentucky, but the bulk of my life was spent in northern Cincinnati, Ohio. I have fond memories of spending my early childhood outdoors: collecting bugs, nature journaling (before I knew what it was), and rolling in the grass. Everything fascinated me. I recently moved with my husband and two children to 53 beautiful acres of forest near Frankfort, Kentucky, to learn to homestead and immerse ourselves in nature. I continue to be fascinated by the natural world and hope to pass that sense of wonder to my own children.
Jordan graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Miami University in Ohio. After many years of experience working as a nanny, math and reading tutor, and teacher in childcare centers and YMCA programs, she enjoyed using her degree as an ESL teacher in a local public school, supporting English Language Learners.Jordan now homeschools her two young children who inspire her to seek wonder every day. Her passion is sharing the beauty of nature with the community, inspiring lifelong learners, and being a witness to wonder and discovery for each child she meets.
Cora Weer
Assistant Teacher for Mighty Acorns and Lead Teacher for STEAM
Connection with the green spaces is the thing that I value most in life; whether that’s hiking through forests or caring for my houseplants. My happiest childhood memories are usually made up of catching critters in the creek or reading books about my favorite animals. As I got older, protecting these wild spaces that I love so much became my main goal. By helping younger generations learn about and love nature, I hope to give back to the the natural world I so love and make it a better place for all of us.
Cora started her journey with Red Oaks as a student at Homeschool Days when she was 14. She has always had an interest in childhood education and started teaching Mighty Acorns with the first group in 2018. She has also helped teach other programs such as Taking Flight, Homeschool Days, and Weekend Wonderings. Cora absolutely loves the space that Red Oaks creates to meet each child where they are, and cultivate their interests and curiosities. Cora is currently pursuing her degree at Eastern Kentucky University in Animal Studies, with Minors in both Biology and Women and Gender Studies.