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      • About Us
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Maricopa County Parks Master Naturalists

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Meet Our Chapter Members

Board
Cohort 1
Cohort 2
Cohort 3
Cohort 4 

Board

Chapter Advisor

Vice President - Cohort 1

President - Cohort 1

Juanita Armstrong is the Natural Resource Specialist  for Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department. She has more than  20 years’ experience planning and managing high quality natural areas  and open space; from developing plans to implementing projects that  improve the biodiversity and health of our natural open space public  lands. She enjoys mentoring, teaching, and working with environmental  and natural resource-minded volunteers. She is passionate about natural  resource management and maintaining the natural biodiversity within the  county for current and future generations 

President - Cohort 1

Vice President - Cohort 1

President - Cohort 1

 Kathy Balman is a homeschool mom, wife, naturalist,  chronic pain warrior, artist, wanderluster, writer, fieldtrip expert,  community science addict, homeschool group leader, literacy advocate,  and technology wizard. She is the founder of and educator of an environmental education program called Educating Children Outdoors.

Volunteer Commitments:
-Maricopa  County Parks Master Naturalist (President, Technology Wizard,  Curriculum Committee, Timekeeper, Communications Committee)
-Tucson Audubon, Desert Rivers Audubon (Vice President, Technology Committee), Rio Salado Audubon
-AZ Association for Environmental Education (Professional Development Committee)
-The Native Plant Society (Board Secretary)
-And….Watershed  Management Group, Sky Island Alliance, Friends of the Tonto, South  Mountain, Keep Nature Wild, Forestry Service, Maricopa County Parks,  Desert Defenders, NASA Develop, SciStarter Projects, EarthEcho Water  Monitoring, US National Phenology Network, Wild Wonder Nature  Journaling, GLOBE Observer, CoCoRahs, AZ Fish and Game


Certifications:
-AZ Certified Environmental Educator
-Outdoor Wildlife Leader
-Conservation Leader
-National Geographic Certified Educator
-Certified Phenology Leader
-Project Wet , Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, Aquatic Wild, GLOBE
-CPR/First Aid Certified

-NAI Certified Interpretive Guide

Projects:
-Greater Phoenix City Nature Challenge Co-organizer

-Metro Phoenix Christmas Bird Count Leader
-Frog Watch Chapter Coordinator
-Pollinator BioBliltz Co-organizer


Volunteer Interests and Knowledge Areas:

-Working With Youth

-Working With Those With Special Needs  and/or Accessibility Challenges

-Community Science (Phenology, BioBlitzes, Surveys)

-Family Events

-Tabling Events

-Program/Curriculum Development

-Professional Development

-Birds, Frogs, Invasive Species, Plants

-Technology (Website Design, Data Managment, Newsletters)

Vice President - Cohort 1

Vice President - Cohort 1

Vice President - Cohort 1

 Kim Andrews 

Treasurer - Cohort 2

Curriculum Chair - Cohort 3

Vice President - Cohort 1

Alexis Woods is originally from Houston, Texas, and  moved to Arizona in 2005. She lives with her husband and two grade  school-aged boys in Ahwatukee. Alexis currently works as an internal  medicine physician in a private practice in Ahwatukee and as a  hospitalist at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Hospital. She earned her  Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School at San  Antonio, and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Texas  Houston School of Public Health.  Alexis completed the Maricopa County  Master Naturalist Program in Spring 2020 with Cohort 2.  She serves as  the current Vice President, and has served on the former Recruitment and  Outreach Committee, as well as the Volunteer Projects Committee.   Alexis and her family also have a home in the White Mountains of Arizona  in Heber-Overgaard.  She has completed both the University of Arizona’s  Maricopa County Master Gardener Program and the Northern Arizona Home  Horticulture Program in Spring 2021.  She volunteers with Friends of the  Tonto, participating in the Riparian Photopoint Program and the  Milkweed Watering Program.  She also participates in the Desert  Botanical Garden’s Tonto Rare Plant Program.  Her primary interests are  riparian areas, native plants, pollinator plants, and birds. 

Curriculum Chair - Cohort 3

Curriculum Chair - Cohort 3

Curriculum Chair - Cohort 3

Dr. Molina Walters known as Dr. Mo, is a Clinical Professor in the Mary Lou  Fulton Teacher College.  Prior to entering higher education, Mo spent  twenty-four years teaching  elementary, middle school and high school in Northern California. Since  coming to Arizona State University, she is well-known for her dedication to teaching educators and children about scientific inquiry, Environmental Education and STEM.  Mo currently teaches elementary and secondary  science method courses and environmental education courses in the  Environmental Education Program of Distinction program. In addition to teaching, Mo is the  program coordinator for the Elementary STEM program, course coordinator  for elementary science methods and the environmental education program,  runs Family Science Night events in East  Valley schools, and is involved in many collaboration projects with  Fulton Engineering.  Mo was the first university professor to receive the Educator of  the Year award from the Arizona Game and Fish Department; awarded for her work in environmental education for integrating wildlife programming  into her Science Methods class and partnering  in field activities.


Mo is the creator/lead  teacher consultant for Teaching Inquiry Based Science, a professional  development for educators. She is a Life member of NAAEE, an AZ  Certified Environmental Educator, an AZ Master Naturalist,  a NAI Certified Guide and soon to be Master Gardener. She is certified in Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, Aquatic WILD, Flying WILD and GLOBE.


Previously  she has served in positions, such as the co-chair of the Professional  Development and Teaching group for the North America Association for  Environmental Education, the Project  Learning Tree and Project Wild CDO-State Coordinator, Secretary for the  Arizona Association for Environmental Education, a Council member on  both the Audubon Education Committee and the AZventure Advisory Council for Arizona Foundation for Resources in Science Education.

Secretary - Cohort 1

Curriculum Chair - Cohort 3

Curriculum Chair - Cohort 3

 Tawsha Trahan has a passion for projects and a love of  farmers, food, and promoting equitable opportunities. Organizations  invested in climate action are my interest, and being a Master  Naturalist provides another layer of knowledge and understanding, to  assist in those efforts. 

Advanced Training Chair - Cohort 4

Advanced Training Chair - Cohort 4

Advanced Training Chair - Cohort 4

Sharon Beal  is a snowbird who has been coming to Arizona since  2015.  A retired RCAF, Flight Nurse, she now divides her time between  Arizona and a lakeside home in Ontario, Canada. She feel in love with  the Sonoran Desert and has worked to increase her knowledge ever since  her very first hike in the White Tanks. In 2017 she took that Master  Gardener course and has volunteered with Citrus Clinics, Mentoring, and  course development. Sharon enjoys group work,  research and sharing. She has been the Advanced Training Chair  since  Jan 2022. She is a Steward for the White Tank Mountains Conservancy,  participating in Desert Defenders, Budding Botanist, Wildflower hikes  and the White Tank Floristic survey. When not out and about, she can be  found either behind her sewing machine or a good book.
 

Partnership Chair - Cohort 4

Advanced Training Chair - Cohort 4

Advanced Training Chair - Cohort 4

Karen Schedler

Cohort 1 - 2019

Don Begley

Rebeca Rodriquez

Rebeca Rodriquez

Rebeca Rodriquez

Rebeca Rodriquez

Rebeca Rodriquez

 (Rebeca serves on the MCPMN Communications Committee) 

Jess White

Rebeca Rodriquez

Jess White

Jess White is a wildlife biologist working with the military  to protect the endangered Sonoran Pronghorn. She has a passion for the  natural world and enjoys using her enthusiasm to bring ecological  understanding and appreciation to others. As a transplant from Delaware  in 2017, she is constantly learning more about the Arizona landscape and  especially enjoys learning about native plants and pollinators. (Jess serves on the MCPMN Communications Committee) 

Cohort 2 - 2020

Dayan Anderson

Dayan Anderson

Dayan Anderson

Suzanne Hetts

Dayan Anderson

Dayan Anderson

Kathleen McCoy

Dayan Anderson

Kathleen McCoy

 (Kathleen serves on the MCPMN Communications Committee and heads up the newsletter) 

Pam McMillie

Emily Williams

Kathleen McCoy

Jodie Snyder

Emily Williams

Emily Williams

Jodie Snyder is a native Arizonan, Jodie Snyder has spent most of her life writing about the state’s triumphs and challenges. A former reporter with The Arizona  Republic, she now works for Banner Health. She has two energetic  beagles and has written “Happy Dog Phoenix,’’ which benefited Phoenix  area animal rescues. She enjoys hiking and hopes to finish the Maricopa Trail one of these days. As a master naturalist, she helped create the county’s natural resource plan, harvested and grew native seeds and kept  track of the beetle population in Phoenix. 

Emily Williams

Emily Williams

Emily Williams

Emily Williams moved to Arizona in 2017 from  Indiana.  She lives in Tempe with her husband, three sons, and her very  loud dog.  Emily loves spring ephemeral wildflowers. aquatic ecology,  and geology.  She has an MS in Environmental Science and works at ASU as  a Laboratory Coordinator.Emily currently volunteers with the Beetle  Brigade and No More Deaths Phoenix. (Emily serves on the MCPMN Communications Committee and Curriculum Committee) 

Rachel Hewitt

Rachel Hewitt

Rachel Hewitt

Rachel Hewitt is an Army Logistics Officer, Biologist, and Biomimicry Professional Rachel is a certified Master Naturalist who obtained her certification in 2020. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation Biology and Ecological Sustainability and a Master of Science degree in Biomimicry. She serves in the military as a logistics officer with the Arizona Army National Guard with a current total of twenty-three years of service. Rachel brings her passion for natural sciences and community stewardship to both professional and volunteer career paths with an emphasis on exploring and researching biomimetic approaches to solving everyday challenges. Her science interests include entomology, biochemistry, astrobiology, and biophysics. Rachel aspires to

be a thought-leader and change-agent through the lens of biomimicry. In her free time, Rachel loves to research and learn more about nature, hike, and especially enjoys exploring the gifts of nature with her family.

Contact: rb4freedom@gmail.com

Cohort 3 - 2021

Pablo Cazares

Monique Franco

Pablo Cazares

Pablo Cazares moved to Arizona in winter of 2019.  Coming from the Pacific Northwest, he fell in love with the alien desert  landscape and surprising diversity of species. Pablo is a freelance  illustrator and designer, and is an instructor with The University Of  Fashion. He is also a Master Gardener and is always looking to learn  something new. He lives near Lake Pleasant, where he gardens, drives  around tractors, and makes structures out of stone and concrete. (Pablo serves on the MCPMN Communications Committee and handles our graphic design needs)

Rachel Davis

Monique Franco

Pablo Cazares

Monique Franco

Monique Franco

Monique Franco

Matthew Fox

Edward Gonzalez

Monique Franco

Edward Gonzalez

Edward Gonzalez

Edward Gonzalez

Diana Luscher

Edward Gonzalez

Edward Gonzalez

Tim Parker

Beatrice Perry

Beatrice Perry

Beatrice Perry

Beatrice Perry

Beatrice Perry

Amy Peterson

Beatrice Perry

Amy Peterson

Donna Price

Donna Price

Amy Peterson

Rachel Stringham

Rachel Stringham

Rachel Stringham

Kevin Thorson

Rachel Stringham

Rachel Stringham

Kevin was transplanted to the Sonoran desert at age 11 from the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Forty-some years of living here has taught him a profound appreciation and respect for the toughnessand resilience of desert life. His passion is connecting people and nature, protecting all things wild, and being a curious human. When he’s not working as an Educator at the Phoenix Zoo, you might find him volunteering with Liberty Wildlife, Friends of the Tonto National Forest, or the Maricopa County Parks and Rec Department. He received a B.A. in English from ASU, a M.Ed. in Secondary Education from

Grand Canyon University, and is certified as an Interpretive Guide through NAI. His home is in Peoria, where he lives with his wife, two daughters, two dogs (both female), and a guinea pig (you guessed it – female!) named Chocolate. He encourages everyone to become a curious human, and to get started today wherever you are, even if it’s just your own backyard. In fact, if you’re curious to see an assortment of plants and critters he has found in his own backyard, check out iNaturalist. Look for the house in Peoria covered in green, red and a few blue dots.

COhort 4 - 2022

Karen Hajek

Karen Hajek

Karen Hajek

Karen Hajek - Devoted to the outdoors and learning from individual experience and from those with more knowledge about the flora and fauna that inhabit the land--especially the Sonoran desert. I would like to contribute time and effort to preserve, protect and enjoy those experiences along the way. 

John Jung

Karen Hajek

Karen Hajek

   John Jung retired in June 2018 from teaching Environmental Science at Mesa High School. His 36 years as a successful Arizona secondary school science and math teacher were recognized numerous times with the 2017 North American Association of Environmental Education K-12 Educator of the Year Award, 2014 Scadden Teacher of the Year, 2011 NAAEE Columbia Scholarship, 2004 AAEE Educator Award, and others. He's been highlighted in the Arizona Republic, the East Valley Tribune, and ABC15 News. John initiated and led the development of a 1-acre Sonoran desert garden on Mesa High's campus. Established in 2015, the Garden of the B's has been awarded $33,000 in grants and donations, and received multiple recognitions including the Phoenix Sun's "Green Team Award" and Arizona Diamondbacks' School Challenge.     John joined Maricopa Master Naturalists Cohort 4 in January 2022 in order to connect with volunteering and educational opportunities in natural history. His retirement years have already been filled by volunteering (at the Garden, Tempe Community Action Agency, and his son's fix-er-upper duplex), traveling with his wife (Wendy) of 38 years, birding during their travels (see photo of least tern in Pensacola FL dropping a bio-bomb), golfing, cooking for friends and family, and yoga. 


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