Meet Our Chapter Members

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 

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.

 Kim Andrews moved to Arizona in 2018 when she fell in love with the Sonoran Desert with its many mysteries. Having been a Texas Master Naturalist, she sought answers through the Arizona Master Naturalist program. Kim and her husband attended the first Master Naturalist course provided in the county in Spring 2019. She has supported the chapter in many capacities as it continues to grow each year. Serving on numerous chapter committees prepared her for the chapter president position.  Now Kim feels she has put down new roots into the Sonoran Desert as she learned about its secrets while meeting like-minded people through the Master Naturalist program.

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. 

 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. 

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.
 

Karen Schedler

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 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 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