Heartwood Staff
Tess
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Tess was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where camping, hiking, and fishing were central to her family life, instilling in her a deep reverence for the natural world. Tess joined Camp Roots in 2015 after running her own outdoor nature immersion and recreation programs, and then co-founded Heartwood in 2020. She is dedicated to inspiring families to cultivate a deep love and stewardship of the environment. She believes that nurturing children’s connection to nature and eachother—through joy, exploration, and mindfulness—is essential for the well-being of both people and the planet.
Erin
Co-Founder, Program Developer
Erin has a Master's Degree in Teaching and 20 years of teaching experience in a variety of types of programs. From her first teaching job 2001 as a day camp naturalist to teaching Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade in public school, all of her work deepened and confirmed her belief that the best teaching and learning takes place outside. As a child she spent many happy summers attending outdoor and nature camps at local Seattle parks and many family vacations camping and backpacking around the PNW.
Erin has a particular affinity for working with ages 1-3 and loves silly songs, puppets and picture books. Erin is also a gardener and believes firmly in the therapeutic power of working outside and connecting physically with the earth.
Syd M
Wildlings, Salmonberries, After-School
Syd was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where they developed a deep love of the outdoors, in both rain and shine.
Being a part of environmental education from a young age, she brought her love of the outdoors into their higher education and studied Environmental Science and Political Science. With 10 years of experience working in childcare, including working at multiple outdoor camps including planning and leading countless multi-night human-powered boat (canoe, kayak, sailboat & rowboat) expeditions Heartwood felt like a natural extension of her love of working with children in the outdoors. Syd believes firmly in imparting the value of stewardship from a young age, being integral to the health of our planet.
When not working, Syd loves to play guitar and sing, play trivia, go camping and spend lots of time on the water.
Missy
Parent/Child Educator: Thimbleberries
Missy Cornwell was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Camping, travel and team sports were a large part of her childhood. She received her Bachelors degree in Business administration and worked in the tech industry for several years. In addition to teaching, she enjoys hiking and golfing. Missy is passionate about the importance of relationships in the early parenting years and encourages curiosity in learning.
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Beth
Huckleberries
Beth is from England and grew up hiking and exploring in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. She has a background in museum education in the UK, and taught at nature programs in the Shoreline area before joining the Heartwood team. She loves to travel and worked as a preschool and kindergarten teacher in Japan and Thailand. As she has traveled, her favorite way to connect to each location has been through the natural environment, learning about the landscapes and wildlife around her. She is passionate about getting children outdoors and fostering a connection with nature. In class she loves to sing, dance and get messy with crafts and sensory play. In her free time she enjoys baking and playing at the beach with her two young children.
Emily
Salmonberries, After-School
Emily grew up in Washington, moving around quite a bit, but whether she was finding deer nests in the woods or digging for worms in the backyard, she always found connections to the natural world around her.
Following her passions to Washington State University, she studied wildlife ecology and conservation science, along with forestry. While at college she fell in love with environmental education and connecting with community members of all ages and backgrounds to educate, excite, and connect people to their local environment and each other.
She has 6 years of experience working in childcare as well as experience leading other local environmental education programs to create curriculum for all age groups on water quality, plant and animal identification, ecology, succession, restoration, and more. Emily believes that creativity and art are foundational to creating these connections and tries to incorporate them as much as possible.
Outside of environmental education her other interests include bird watching, art, crochet, board games, and exploring with her dog, Stormy.
Photo coming soon!
Syd L
Salmonberries, Thimbleberries, Cedar Seekers, After-School
Syd grew up in the suburbs of D.C. but lived for weekends when they explored local parks and canoed on the Potomac River with their family. They moved to Washington in 2021, with a deep desire to explore the one-of-a-kind forests, lakes, and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Syd received their B.A. in International Affairs and Environmental Science and is currently working on a Master’s in Humane Education.
Syd loves gardening, animal care, and yoga, and brings their passion for connecting children with the natural world and empowering them to advocate for what they care about. Syd has spent the last 12 summers working at children’s outdoor camps. These experiences have shaped their style of teaching which prioritizes adventure, compassion, and stewardship.
Mariah
Huckleberries, After-School
Mariah is a self- proclaimed bird nerd and naturalist, passionate about connecting people of all ages to nature. Mariah has a Masters in Teaching and has been working in varying contexts in K-12 education since 2019 and enjoys incorporating their cross-disciplinary studies from history and illustration into how they think and teach about the natural world. Mariah believes that building access and connection to nature for children with the planet and its' diverse and beautiful life is key to building fulfilling communities and sustainable environmental stewardship. When not at work, Mariah enjoys printmaking, painting, and cuddling with their cats.
Rachel
Wildlings, Huckleberries
Rachel is from Southern California, where she taught English at community college for many years, until the pandemic brought her attention to her backyard. There, together with her two young children, she began the process of re-wilding her yard with California native plants. Sharing her love of gardening with her children inspired her to switch subjects and age groups, so she returned to teaching as an elementary school garden educator. Seeking a more outdoor life, she moved to Washington in 2025. When not teaching at Heartwood, Rachel loves learning about the local native plants, gardening with more distinct seasons, spending time with her kids and cats, and birdwatching.
Photo coming soon!
Teacher Kyla
Substitute
Kyla grew up on a farm in Massachusetts, where her backyard was bursting with fruits and vegetables of every color. She fell in love with plants while gardening alongside her grandma, often sneaking bites of sun-warmed cherry tomatoes and wild strawberries. Her curiosity about nature only grew as she foraged for mushrooms in Maine and spent summers camping under the stars.
She studied Herbal Sciences in college and moved to the Pacific Northwest.
Kyla enjoys hiking, cold plunge at the glacial lakes, painting, paddle boarding, and recreating her favorite family recipes with a healthy herbal twist. She’s passionate about helping kids build strong connections with nature, just like she did, through play, exploration, and a little bit of dirt under the fingernails.
