People

I have been working as a Nurse Practitioner since 2018. Before becoming a Nurse Practitioner I was an ICU Nurse working in the Cardiac ICU for 14 year. During Covid I needed to find a way to keep myself sane and someone introduced me to hiking. Hiking during covid allowed me to step away from all the chaos and sadness to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Before 2020 I had never stepped foot on a trail but once I did I instantly fell in love with being outside in nature. I now enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing and kayaking. My hopes are to leave the medical field and get a position as a park ranger so that I can work in the outdoors and share my love for the outdoors with others. I currently lead small backpacking and hiking trips with friends and family. I want to learn about trees, vegetation and wildlife so that when I lead these trips I can share my knowledge with my group. My goals for 2026 are to do some trails on the west coast including John Muir trail and then in 2027 I plan to hike the AT.

I work with kids outdoors helping them build respect, understanding & connection to the outdoors. I enjoy watching their fear turn into fascination as they learn more about our natural world. 

I've been involved in environmental education through community organizing since 2003.  I have a minor in environmental science with a concentration in community organizing and a minor in anthropology/sociology from Warren Wilson College in 2009. Last year, I completed the Master Naturalist program, and this year I've registered for the Environmental Education Certfication program.

Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. The Project has drawn on the insights of literally thousands of educators across the United States and around the world to craft guidelines for top-quality environmental education.

I am cofounder of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival (PAFF) pafireflyevents.org.  We are in our 14th year of providing non-formal Environmental Education to people of all ages who come to the festival in Forest County to learn about fireflies. I am a retired school based Speech Language Therapist, but am now fully committed to fireflies, environmental education and conservation. I am also a certified level 1, Leave No Trace instructor.  We apply these principles to our Firefly Eco Tours and Outdoor Educational programs. I am seeking PAEE certification to demonstrate PAFF’s level of commitment to building a rigorous curriculum about fireflies throughout the Commonwealth.