Youth Educators
Jonathan Marchal
Director of Education
Jonathan joined the Youth Education program at its inception in 2005 and began serving as the Director of Education early in 2020. He holds a master’s degree in park, recreation and tourism management, a bachelor’s of arts in ecology and an associate of applied science in recreation and wildlife management. Previously, Jonathan worked for the National Park Service, North Carolina State Parks, Trout Unlimited and several Boy Scout summer camps. A certified Environmental Educator and Eagle Scout, Jonathan has been recognized by the North Carolina Science Teachers Association for his exceptional service to science education. He has also served on the board of the Environmental Educators of North Carolina as President, and received the organization’s Outstanding Newcomer award for his service. Jonathan has been honored as the 2019 Blue Ridge Naturalist of the Year and also as the 2021 Environmental Educator of the Year from the NC Wildlife Federation.
“One of my favorite summer moments is participants return year after year. We’re now working with high school volunteers who began coming to the Arboretum for programs as second graders and even have former campers work with us as staff. I’m very proud we’re able to offer experiences that families look forward to year after year.”
Trudie Henninger
Outreach Education Manager
With over a decade of experience taking students outside to track box turtles, identify wild edibles, and get covered in mud for the ultimate outdoor hide-and-go-seek, Trudie is committed to cultivating meaningful experiences outdoors for youth and adults alike. Trudie completed their Masters in Leadership for Sustainability with a focus on equity in education from the University of Vermont. They also visit schools to lead teachers and students in doing science in their schoolyard as part of our Project EXPLORE program! Trudie believes that everyone has ideas to share, connections to make, and curiosity to grow. If she’s not at the Arboretum or a nearby school, you can find her with binoculars watching the birds and sipping on some sassafras tea. Trudie is looking forward to meeting you on the trail and learning more about you!
“There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child’s eyes light up with excitement after discovering a bug and that they actually like it!”
Rich Preyer
On-site Youth Education Coordinator
Rich hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he grew up fly fishing, backpacking, and playing outside. Through college and beyond, he has worked conservation jobs, led backpacking trips, and taught environmental education across the US. Most recently, he graduated with a Master’s in Environmental Studies from Antioch University, focusing on place-based learning and environmental education. He worked at the Arboretum in 2014 and could not be more excited to be back!
Joshua Perkins
Community Engagement Specialist
Joshua is an advocate in educating others about the characteristics and benefits of the environment and how people should cherish the environment in which they live in. Joshua attained a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Education from Warren Wilson College located in Swannanoa, Asheville. Besides serving as a CTNC AmeriCorps member for the NC Arboretum, Joshua has also served in AmeriCorps as an assistant teacher and counselor engaging and ensuring well-being of youth members through core and artistic classes. He has also served in CitiSquare AmeriCorps: Food on the Move as a Community Server where he traveled around East Dallas and provided free nutritious meals along with engaging with youth of diverse cultures and backgrounds in summer activities. These activities focused in taking advantage of the outdoor environments while gaining an appreciation of the outdoor environments with which the children thrive in.
“I love being able to teach youth students of color, including those that look like me, about the outdoors. It gives me true jubilation that I can bestow youth of color a sense of belonging and a hands-on learning experience of outdoor environments. I believe that all youth deserve an opportunity to have an engaging learning experience of the outdoors, especially those in marginalized and underserved communities”
Charles Zimmerman
ecoEXPLORE Coordinator
A native to New York City, Charles first developed a passion for nature through walks in Central Park and visits to the American Museum of Natural History. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Environmental Science from Grinnell College in Iowa, Charles spent 10 years supporting botanical research, directing community science projects, and managing public outreach at the New York Botanical Garden. Since 2021, Charles has been part of the education team at The North Carolina Arboretum and now coordinates the ecoEXPLORE statewide community program. In his spare time, Charles enjoys hiking, playing board games, submitting observations to iNaturalist, and creating realistic sculptures of flowers and plants out of paper.
“My favorite thing is helping kids discover the young scientists within themselves! Whether noticing something new just for them, or making groundbreaking observations, these experiences are unforgettable and inspire so much wonder, confidence, and joy!”
Karen D. Chapman
Environmental Education Specialist
Karen has served on the youth education team for over ten years. During the academic year she works as an assistant teacher at W.D. Williams Elementary School and is working on her dance certification with 5Rythms Global Organization. Karen holds a masters degree in art therapy and a North Carolina teaching license. Her work has included experiences in Outward Bound and several public school systems. Apart from sharing the outdoors with young people, she enjoys hiking, listening to music and exploring the beauty of the mountains.
“Everyday is different. Every group is different. The one thing they all have in common is that a kid gets to experience nature in a way they probably never have before. And I just love seeing the switch that happens when students go from feeling like nature’s not for them to wanting to tell everyone they know what they just learned about it!”
Benjamin Bafaloukos
Environmental Education Specialist
Born and raised outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ben moved to North Carolina to earn his B.S. in Environmental Sciences at NC State University. After graduating in 2020, Ben spent a year researching and writing interpretive signage in West Virginia before moving to Asheville. With two AmeriCorps terms under his belt and years of passionate environmental education, Ben’s love for this mountain community has only grown. In his free time, Ben enjoys creating art, photographing wildlife (especially birds and bugs), writing, and playing boardgames.
“As a kid I had my nose buried in countless animal encyclopedias, amazed at all the diversity I could find there. When I realized that many of these species were in trouble, it became my personal mission to inspire a love for nature in anyone who will listen.”
Molly Larmie
ecoEXPLORE Specialist
Molly grew up on the northeast coast of Florida, where she spent most of her time in the ocean. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and worked as a general assignment reporter at a local newspaper. In 2013 she switched gears and moved to the rural south side of Hawai‘i Island to teach sixth grade at an elementary school. During her time as a classroom teacher, she earned a master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University. After witnessing the power of nature to inspire student learning and wonder, she took a position as a park ranger in western Colorado at Curecanti National Recreation Area and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. In 2016 she moved to Anchorage, Alaska, to work at the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center, where she provided opportunities for youth and adults to connect to natural and cultural resources and supported education initiatives across the state. In 2022, she relocated back to the Southeast to be closer to family and joined The Arboretum’s wonderful ecoEXPLORE team. In her free time, Molly enjoys surfing, biking, cross-country skiing, and hiking with her husband and dogs.
Sara Seng
Project EXPLORE & Outreach Education Coordinator
Sara grew up in rural Maryland, lucky to have a large pond in their backyard, where they spent their days catching tadpoles and crayfish, fishing off of the side of a paddle boat, and helping tend to the family garden. They quickly realized the importance of the outdoors and knew they wanted to keep “playing” in it into adulthood. Sara graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Studies with a focus on environmental education. As a Community Engagement & Project Explore Specialist, Sara spends their days focused on community outreach, in and outside of the classroom. Outside of work, they enjoy thrifting vintage knick knacks, cooking lots of new foods, and playing with their cats.
“I love getting to connect with all sorts of people from different places, backgrounds, and communities, while getting to share a joint love (or spark of love) for the outdoors!”
Andrew Dundas
Creative Engagement Specialist
Andrew moved from a career in journalism to one in environmental education to help create for others the educational experiences that inspired him as a child. He uses the communication and design skills he learned at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media to create educational videos, graphics, and exhibits. He also plans educational events, such as The NC Arboretum’s annual Mountain Science Expo, and leads animal care for the Education Department’s interpretive critters. In his free time, Andrew enjoys traveling, board gaming and watching documentaries.
“My favorite memory while working at the Arboretum was made on Bald Head Island, producing a video for the ecoEXPLORE program that highlighted a scientist doing conservation and research on North Carolina’s nesting sea turtles.”
Freya Bairdsen
AmeriCorps Environmental Educator
Freya was born in South Carolina, and spent her childhood making weekend forays up to the mountains to explore places like the Pisgah National Forest with her family. After a few years living in Pennsylvania, she was called back to the mountains of Western North Carolina for college, where she studied Conservation Biology and Outdoor Leadership at Warren Wilson. There, she cultivated a passion for environmental education, and deepened her love for southern Appalachian ecosystems. Anything having to do with fungi, fossils, reptiles and amphibians holds an extra special place in her heart. She is now a member of the Arboretum’s AmeriCorps Project Conserve Program, and loves getting to connect people with the natural world through the Arboretum’s programs.
Sarah Gleason
Environmental Educator and Systems Specialist
Sarah grew up in the suburbs of D.C. with a pond in her backyard that sparked her love for nature. Whether she was watching turtles lay eggs in her yard, getting as close to Geese as possible, or searching for salamanders under garden logs; her curiousity and care for the natural world grew immensly. This passion followed her to the Chesapeake Bay, where she studied Environmental Studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and then to the mountains of Western Carolina where she has settled as an Environemntal Educator. Through her work she hopes to create a space where people can develop the same curiousity and passion the natural world that she was able to.
Shane Myers
Adult Education Specialist
Shane is originally from northwest Ohio where he watched birds, collected insects, and hunted for fossils. He graduated from the University of Findlay with a degree in wildlife biology and worked primarily with dragonflies and damselflies and wetlands mitigation and restoration. He moved to the Asheville area in 2023 and has been getting familiar with a totally different set of plants, animals, and topography! Over the years he has been involved with Ohio Odonata Society, Dragonfly Society of the Americas, Ohio Ornithological Society, Ohio Biological Survey, the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership, and most recently the Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter.
Gretchen Castelloe
Project EXPLORE Specialist
A native to the state, Gretchen spent her childhood exploring the forests, coasts, and mountains of North Carolina. Since graduating from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Environmental Science, Gretchen has had some awesome experiences in the field of Environmental Education. From conserving sea turtle nests in South Carolina, to leading book-themed summer camps in Colorado, to teaching squid dissections at a coastal education camp in New Bern, she feels so fortunate to do her dream job and help youth connect with nature. Gretchen is so excited to finally live in Western NC and be a part of the amazing team at the Arboretum where she works with Project EXPLORE to help teachers and students get outside and do science! In her free time, Gretchen enjoys hiking, dancing, and experiencing the unique ecosystems, culture, and beauty of the mountains!