OUR people

We honor all our mentors, who, directly and indirectly, have enlivened and challenged us to grow as individuals and as an organization, and we are grateful for our instructors, past and present, for showing up with their heart, bright minds, and playful bodies in all weather to help make a difference in the lives of so many children and adults. And we also offer gratitude to our staff past and present who work behind the scenes to ensure that this living breathing community is nourished and nourishing to one and all.

STAFF & mentors

Stacey Hinden, Executive Director
Embodied Leader, Joyful Tender of Connection, Body-Mind-Nature Explorer

 Stacey’s ancestral roots trace back to Eastern Europe (Russia and Poland); she and three previous generations of relatives were born in Lenape and Wappinger territory (Bronx, New York). Her Nana says she came dancing out of her mother’s womb, and she’s been exploring movement and body awareness ever since - especially body-mind connections between inner and outer ecology. She fell in love with deep nature connection mentoring and nature-based leadership after she and her family moved to Puyallup territory (Vashon Island) in 2003. She trained with the Wilderness Awareness School, enrolled her three children in their programs on Vashon, and helped found VWP and it’s Wind Gatherer program. Stacey has worn many hats at VWP including founder, board member, consultant, instructor, Program Director, and, since 2010, Executive Director. She still remembers all of those NYC subway commutes to her various non-profit management jobs, and much prefers her current “office” which includes cedar trees and wild meadows, bird language and children’s laughter. When she’s not at work (and sometimes when she is) you’ll find her singing, dancing, and speaking in foreign accents.

Amy Kitchener, Administrator/Bookkeeper
Bird-loving Bookkeeper, Numbers Whisperer, Awesome Chicken Mom

 Amy’s interest in the natural world awakened when she moved from the suburbs of Long Island (territories of Rockaway and Merrick) to attend college in the rural surrounds of beautiful upstate New York, on the traditional land of the Onondaga and Haudenosaunee. There she earned a B.A. in Environmental Science and later an MPH at Columbia University. No stranger to VWP, her son attended the Wilderness Awareness School back in 2003 during the early years of its Vashon-based program. Along with her son, she became an avid birdwatcher and served for several years as Membership Chair of the Vashon Maury Island Audubon Society and with their Fourth Grade Birding Program. In recent years she has been earning her living helping several Island businesses keep track of their finances and is thrilled to stay connected to her roots working with the Vashon Wilderness Program.

Vanessa Williams, Operations/Marketing Coordinator

Vanessa grew up in the foothills of California between lakes, creeks and rolling hills - playing outside until dark, bike rides on windy roads, and living in solitude among acres of long, dry grass on the land of the Northern Sierra Miwok. She moved to the PNW, Puyallup territory, in 2013 after quickly falling in love with the greenery, community and the overwhelming sensation of home (in this case both a feeling and place). Reconnection has been a continuing theme in her life whether it be in nature, community or with body and mind. She practices reconnection with barefoot walks, foraging, gardening and in yoga/meditation. She also enjoys creativity in photography, editing, filming, writing, pottery and other crafts that captivate presence.

Kristy Friend, Field Director/Mentor

grew up in the deciduous woods of northeastern Vermont, where  moose and black bear may have been more numerous than humans.  She spent her childhood wandering the traditional Abenaki land swatting black flies and mosquitoes, picking berries, playing in the brook near her house, and building snow forts and sledding in the winter. She attended the University of Vermont and obtained her degree in  Secondary Education and Biology, then promptly moved to the more  temperate climate of Seattle in 2008. She fell in love with all the  ecosystems of Washington from the ocean to the Cascades to the islands in-between and quickly set roots. She worked at a Montessori  school for several years before pursuing continued education/training in outdoor education including Pacific Northwest native medicinal and edible plants, animal tracking and survival skills. She is passionate about connecting to all nature and inspiring nature  connection in children. She currently lives in Seattle with her daughter and partner.

Adrian Moonwood, Mentor

Adrian's ancestors hail from England and Denmark. He was raised in occupied Ohlone land of the east bay area of California, where he discovered his deep sense of love for the natural world playing in the oak-studded foothills. He completed a BA at the University of Oregon in Environmental Education, while volunteering with a half-dozen non-profits leading hundreds of kids into nature. Prior to working with VWP for three years, he worked with Whole Earth Nature School in Eugene. As a self-proclaimed deep ecologist, he loves sharing his passion for ethnobotany, bird language, natural processes, ecology, actually-sustainable living, growing food, geology, permaculture and deep-nature connection with youth!

Jane Valencia, Mentor/Field Director

Jane is a founder and instructor who has served many roles in VWP, Jane is happy to be back on the land with the children. Jane brings her love of who we are when we experience the wonder and magic of nature into all our adventures out in the field.

Joanne Jewell, Mentor
Foodie, Newt Tracker, Bird Lady, Child and Nature Lover

Joanne is the great great granddaughter of white settlers from the Celtic regions of Western Europe. She grew up in Kirkland, on the traditional lands of the Salish people. She is awed by young children, and is passionate about reconnecting the young wise ones to the forests, meadows, mountains and beaches. Previously she worked with adults in the Environmental Policy field until her children drew her into VWP in 2004, and she became an Early Childhood teacher and a VWP instructor in 2008.With her husband Rob Peterson she feeds many happy Vashon families from the land at Plum Forest Farm, on the traditional lands of the sx̌ʷəbabspeople

 Jacqui Lown, Mentor
Wild Artist, Playful Guide, and Faithful Friend of the Mystery

The Gichi-Gami feeds a rootbeer colored river that may have been called the Chippewa (St.Croix). This then meets the Muddy Mississippi. It is the land of the Dakota, Ojibwa and Sioux. These waterways were a strong pulse in Jacqui’s early life, both on the waters and the shores. Jacqui’s known physical ancestry is mostly from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Germany and Northern Europe, with a healthy mix of ocean and stars. Always up for an adventure, especially out in the natural world, Jacqui embodies her elder/child with joy, tender strength, and dedication. Holding the space for others to experience the natural world’s cauldron of magic is her happy place.

Steph Etley, Field Director

Steph, whose heritage traces back to Northern Ireland and Hungary, was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, territory of the Lenape, and raised in Seattle, Duamish territory. Her passion for nature ignited in the Pacific Northwest's urban wilderness, where she spent her childhood catching frogs, climbing trees, and enjoying camping and sailing trips with her father. With a commitment spanning over 30 years, Steph has dedicated herself to the wellbeing of children and families. Her journey in nature education began at Quiet Heart Wilderness School and continued for eight years at the Wilderness Awareness School, where she held various roles. Most recently, Steph has spent over five years as Field Director at Vashon Wilderness Program. She finds joy in wandering through forests, listening to the voices of the birds, spending time with her adult children, dancing, and exploring the nature of consciousness.

Rhonda Hobgood, Assistant Mentor

Rhonda grew up on forested Athabaskan land in the Alaskan wilderness with 60 sled dogs under the reprieve of the Aurora Borealis. A childhood filled with puppies and untouched wilderness as far as the eye could see gave Rhonda a bond with water, forest, and animals that she strives to provide to others. Rhonda believes vast swaths of untouched wilderness are perhaps the greatest treasures on earth.

Board of Directors

Jeff Stevenson (Treasurer and Founding Member) grew up in New York City and has explored the wilds of nature his whole life, including living in a tree house, rock climbing, night diving with manta rays, ski racing, and surviving in the Scottish Highlands for 4 days with nothing but some fishing line and a knife. He is a lover of story, family, myth, singing, cooking for friends and family, playing music and the power of community. Jeff holds a B.S in Biochemistry from McGill University and has worked in the field of imaging research and MRI for over 30 years at New York University Medical Center and the University of Washington. VWP has been a foundational component of his three children’s learning and growth.

Laura DiZazzo (Secretary) began daydreaming about living among the orchard trees during childhood visits to her grandmother’s village in the Turkish hillsides. The smell of the dry dirt, the sway of the olive tree leaves, and clinking of goats’ bells stirred a desire to root into the earth and connect with nature in every possible way. Laura moved to the United States as a young girl and grew up on ancestral Choptank land on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She started hiking in the Appalachian mountains and soon after felt the wild of the PNW calling. In 2007 she moved to Duwamish land (Seattle) and then to Vashon in 2019. She works in the movement for educational justice and brings that lens with her in all spaces. She, her spouse, and seven year-old (Fire Tender) spend as much time as possible paddling, camping, hiking, biking, and gardening.

Elder Council

Estavan Roache – bio coming soon

Mary Shackelford is honored to serve as an elder with VWP since the first years. Coming from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Manahoac territory, Mary is grateful for the welcome she has received in Duwamish land, 40 years her home now on the Island. Mary has several decades of leadership experience exploring creative collaboration, learning and working with others to bring forward what really matters. In all her various activities, Mary shares her capacity to connect in service to life, aligning from the heart to cultivate awareness through listening, witnessing and sharing.

Mark Smythe – pic and bio coming soon

Mark P. Timken, MA, LMHCA has been a part of the Vashon Wilderness Program community for more than 14 years as a founding member, stakeholder, and now as an Elder. He graduated from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2015 with a Masters in Counseling with an emphasis in depth psychology, and is currently in private practice as a nature-based psychotherapist. Mark is passionate about VWP’s mission to connect people more deeply with themselves, each other, and the natural world.