Kay Carlson, Executive Director
(216) 321-5935 ext. 227
Kay Carlson was appointed Executive Director of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes in January 2009 after serving as Interim Executive Director since June of 2008. Kay comes to the Center with a vast background of experience and passion for the environment. She has a Master's degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor's degree in Human Ecology from Connecticut College. She most recently served as the Director of the Lake Erie Watershed Program for The Nature Conservancy's Ohio Chapter and has also served as Executive Director of the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization. Kay has been an active Board Trustee with the Nature Center for the past 4 years, serving on the Executive Committee, Governance Committee, and as Chair of the Natural Resources Management Committee. She is also a Partner with the Cleveland Social Venture Partners and enjoys sailing and swimming in Lake Erie, skiing, hiking/walking, and fly-fishing. Kay is a native of Cleveland Heights and now resides in Chagrin Falls.
Phoebe Atkinson, Education Director
(216) 321-5935 ext. 224
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.
Beverly Barr, Welcome Desk Manager
(216) 321-5935 ext. 235
Beverly serves the Nature Center at the Welcome Desk wearing a number of different hats. She is the first person to greet visitors, answer the telephone, and field numerous questions about the Nature Center and its environs. Beverly is also our Rental Coordinator and is the person to contact for any event you are planning with the Nature Center in mind. She is our Outdoor Adventure Class registrar and registers folks for all one-day events. Beverly is a co-founder and former teacher of a pre-school that is now in its 28th year of operation. She is very happy to be working with children again and greeting visitors who literally come from all over the world.
Nate Beccue, Natural Resources Manager
(216) 321-5935 ext. 240
Nate comes to The Nature Center from the prairies of Illinois; he earned both a B.S. in Natural Resources and a M.S. in Forest Ecology form the University of Illinois. For the last four years Nate worked for the University of Illinois as a Natural Areas Manager at Allerton Park and Retreat Center where he specialized in ecological restoration, exotic species management and white-tailed deer management. Nate enjoys spending time with his wife Lexie, hiking, hunting and kayaking with his dog Lucy and he is also an artist. Nate enjoys drawing and painting native flora and fauna. Nate and his wife live in Cleveland Heights.
Raja Roa, OAC Director and Naturalist
(216) 321-5935 ext. 243
Raja (pronounced Ri.ya) 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.
Jessica Davis, Annual Fund and Membership Manager
Jessica is responsible for managing the Nature Center's membership program and annual Nature Fund campaign. She maintains our database and is primarily responsible for donor communications. She received her Bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in May of 2006. Before coming to the Nature Center she served two years as an Americorps member in Cleveland. In her spare time she loves to read, try new foods, spend time with friends and family and take her dog for walks.
Justin Evans, Early Childhood Naturalist
(216) 321-5935 ext.225
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.
Katrina Heinzen, Seasonal Naturalist
Katrina is enjoying her second year as a Seasonal Naturalist at NCSL. Last summer she had a great time teaching camp and is looking forward to sharing another summer of adventures with campers - until her baby is born in August! Though her formal education is in psychology and music, she has maintained a life-long passion for learning all things nature-related, thanks to an early start with her science teacher mom. She believes even complex science can be taught to the very young if approached correctly... and the hands-on fun at the Nature Center is the perfect vehicle for doing this! She has lived in Cleveland for 16 years and is an avid bird watcher, hiker and trail runner.
Jan Larson,
Part-time Naturalist(216) 321-5935
Jan has worked with the Center's Big/Little and preschool Outdoor Adventure Classes on a part-time basis since 1997. She has a degree in American Studies from Bowling Green State University and is a Master Gardener through the Ohio State University Extension Service. Jan particularly enjoys exploring art and nature with our youngest program participants and loves introducing young families to the Nature Center. Jan also does costuming for a local youth theater. She, her husband and two teenage daughters live in Shaker Heights.
Victoria Mills, Executive Director, Doan Brook Watershed Partnership
(216) 321-5935 ext. 234
Tori graduated from St. Lawrence University with a degree in Environmental Studies and History, with a Fine Arts minor. Since then, she has worked as an environmental planner and educator. Before returning to Cleveland, Tori worked for the Oceanarium of Maine, the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), both domestically and abroad. Her focus since returning home to Cleveland has been on watersheds, first working at the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan and now with the Nature Center and the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership.
Beverly "BJ" Peterson, Volunteer Coordinator
(216) 321-5935 ext. 237
Beverly, "BJ," Peterson, who joined us in early September '08 as the new Volunteer Coordinator, has worked with a variety of companies that include major manufacturers, medical institutions and community critical nonprofits. She has certificates in Computer Programming & Management and Technical Communications. A member of Toastmasters for many years, BJ is also a member of the Forum for Volunteer Administrators and is a past president of Black Data Processing Associates, Cleveland Chapter. She has also contributed several technology articles for the Call and Post newspaper. For the last three years BJ has developed and managed a corps of volunteer programs for the small African American organization CAAO (Consortium of African American Organizations) and in her role at the Nature Center she plans to increase volunteer numbers and enhance volunteer experiences. BJ lives in S. Euclid with her husband, Ralph. She has one daughter, Tamara, and a granddaughter, Hannah.
Joan Spoerl, Part-time Naturalist
(216) 321-5935
Joan received her bachelor's degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago and her master of arts in teaching in early childhood education from Tufts University. She moved to Cleveland Heights in 2004, from Chicago, where she taught kindergarten and preschool, and where nature, science and art collided in the interdisciplinary curricula of her classrooms. Volunteer work at the Nature Center led to her current stint leading nature walks for birthday parties and teaching Outdoor Adventure Classes on the weekends as needed. Joan is also the Program Development Coordinator at the Shaker Family Center and is an independent consultant for Usborne Books. She loves the Nature Center and Cleveland, and enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, reading, learning and most importantly, spending time with her husband and son.
Kellie Tayer, Administrative Assistant/ Bookkeeper
(216) 321-5935 ext. 222
Kellie Tayer, a Northeastern Ohio native, is an administrative assistant/bookkeeper at the Nature Center. She has an Associate in Arts degree from Ohio Valley College in Parkersburg, WV, and studied journalism and foreign languages at Kent State University. She worked twice for the Des Moines Register newspaper in Des Moines, Iowa, as a features staff writer and book/theater/music reviewer. In the mid 1980's she served in the United States Marine Corps. Kellie is the author of three romance novels and the mother of three children, one of whom currently serves in the U.S. Air Force.
Molly Walsh, Development Director
(216) 321-5935 ext. 223
Molly is the Nature Center's Director of Development. Introduced to the Nature Center through her children's participation in summer camps, she is now responsible for building relationships with individuals, corporations and foundations in support of the Nature Center, while raising the Nature Center's awareness in the community. A resident of Northeast Ohio since 1996, Molly has worked to raise money for non-profits of all sizes. She is a current member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and in her free time enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children.
David Wright, Naturalist/Community Outreach Coordinator
(216) 321-5935 ext. 233
David returned to Shaker Heights after attending Arizona State University, where he pursued Political Science and Philosophy. He has worked for a variety of organizations, ranging from the Boy Scouts to the School Camping Project of the Cleveland Board of Education, and the Earth Day Coalition. He has worked with Nature's Classroom/Project Reach in Carrollton, OH, and as a Unit Supervisor with the State of Ohio Adult Parole Authority, and was the Associate Director of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP. David also was the former Program Director for the Phyllis Wheatley Association's Camp Mueller in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He now serves Camp Mueller as a consultant.
David is currently president of the Board of Directors of the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, and serves on the Board of Directors for Audubon Ohio as well as Earth Day Coalition. David enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and spending time with his daughter, Rachyl.
Jan Zorman, Facilities Director
(216) 321-5935 ext. 229
Jan received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Ohio State University and a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Central Africa and has worked in a variety of jobs while maintaining a studio as a visual artist. She began working at the Nature Center in 1998. She is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the building and trails for the Nature Center. She is involved in the coordination of a land management plan and also oversees the computer network.
