Heartwood Staff
Teacher 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.
Teacher 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.
Teacher Denise
Salmonberries, Summer Camp, After-School
Denise, a native of California, was raised bi-culturally and bi-lingually, regularly visiting family in Mexico. She loves sharing her rich cultural heritage, including language, food, and traditions.
Growing up, Denise’s family would camp along the coast, diving for abalone. This deep connection to the ocean inspired her to pursue a degree in Marine Science where she trained as a SCUBA diver while working in outdoor education. She continues to enjoy leading guided nature hikes and participating in native plant restoration and research.
Now residing in the Pacific Northwest, Denise is excited to share her passion for the environment with students at Heartwood. In her free time, she enjoys cooking—fresh salsa is her favorite—writing letters, and listening to live music.
Teacher Kristin
Huckleberries, Thimbleberries
Kristin was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest where there was no such thing as bad weather. Hiking and outdoor sports were important to her family and living within walking distance of Saint Edward State Park made for easy daily trail access. Being outdoors brought her peace, joy, calm, healing, and grounding to weather all the storms in life through elementary school, homeschooling, college and beyond to present. Kristin received her B.A. in Language Arts, Elementary Teaching Certification and later on a Masters in Teacher Leadership. Kristin has taught 3yr olds through 8th graders in a variety of settings for over 15 years from traditional classroom education to outdoors. She enjoys being outside almost daily, camping, backpacking, learning, exploring, and hiking.
Teacher Kyla
Salmonberries, Summer Camp
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.
Teacher Syd
Wildlings, Huckleberries, 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.
Teacher 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.
_JPG.jpg)
Teacher Sam
Huckleberries
Sam was raised in Maryland in a tight-knit family. She spent many hours getting to know the forest near her home with her family dog, developing a deep reverence for the ecosystems she was in relationship with. At the same time, she was supporting early childhood development as a theater teacher and swim instructor. She moved to Washington seeking access to a city that lives with the forest and is currently pursuing a Masters in Counseling. She is an advocate for the authentic expression of children as they learn self-reliance, communication, and resourcing skills within their lived context. Sam is a lifelong student of nature and is honored to co-provide containers for children to become joyful stewards of the lands we live with. In her daily life, she spends time playing the flute, making art, and adventuring outside with loved ones.
Photo coming soon...
Teacher Drey
Huckleberries, Salmonberries
Bio coming soon...
Photo coming soon...