Meet Your Instructors

Phoebe Atkinson, Education Director
(216) 321-5935 ext. 224
atkinson@shakerlakes.org

Phoebe serves as the Education Director for the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. Before coming to the Nature Center, she worked in Geauga County for three years as a naturalist with the Geauga Park District. She has also held naturalist positions with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Columbus Zoo. She has a B.S. in Zoology and a Masters in Environmental Communications, Education and Interpretation, both from The Ohio State University.

 

Justin Evans, Early Childhood Naturalist
(216) 321-5935 ext.225
evans@shakerlakes.org

Justin, an identical twin who hails from Berea, Ohio, earned a B.A. degree from Hiram College in Environmental Studies with a focus on Wildlife Management and Education. He has worked as a Graduate Intern Field Instructor for the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He has also worked with the Ohio Environmental Council on Lobby Day, educating elected officials on environmental issues facing Ohio. He interned in the summer of 2007 at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center and lived at Hiram College's James H. Barrow Field Station for two years working as a feeding manager and performing research in entomology and organic gardening. His interests include entomology, hiking in the national park, rock wall climbing, tennis, line, salsa and swing dancing, long walks on the beach and traveling.

 

Raja Byrnside Roa, OAC Director and Naturalist
(216) 321-5935 ext. 243
byrnside@shakerlakes.org

Raja (pronounced RYE-ah) inherited her Russian name from her mother. A native Ohioan, she received a bachelor's degree in marine science from the University of South Carolina. She spent four years within the education department at Sea World of Ohio through its transition to Six Flags. She has also enjoyed working as a garden educator at the Cleveland Botanical gardens, while tutoring math and reading for after school programs. In her down time she enjoys walking, sailing, volleyball, and partaking of all types of coffee.

 

David Wright, Outreach & Audience Development
(216) 321-5935 ext. 233
wright@shakerlakes.org

David Wright is the immediate past president of the Board of Directors for the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, serves on the Board of Directors for Audubon Ohio, the Board of Trustees of the Earth Day Coalition, and the Board of Directors of the Green Triangle Project (permaculture design).  He also serves as the Interim Director or Education for Sustainability for Educators and Environment in Kent, Ohio. He was the former Camp Director for the Phyllis Wheatley Association's Camp Mueller in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He is a consultant for Camp Mueller, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association and the Cleveland Botanical Garden in Staff Development and Organizational Behavior.  David enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and spending time with his daughter, Rachyl.