STAFF

​Nancy H. DeStefanis

Founder and Executive Director

​Nancy is an environmental educator, field ornithologist and lecturer. She discovered the first documented nesting of great blue herons in the city of San Francisco in 1993 and monitored the colony for the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

She is a firm believer in the philosophy of Mrs. Elizabeth Terwilliger, renowned founder of Marin County environmental education programs for youth: "Teach a child to love nature because adults take care of the things they love." With these words in mind, Nancy created environmental education programs for kindergarten through 5th grades in San Francisco schools, starting in year 2000.

Nancy has lectured on natural history and wildlife throughout the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Botanical Garden (Strybing Arboretum), Randall Science Museum (San Francisco) California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Public Library and Oakland Museum.
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​She has taught Adult and Junior Academy classes at the California Academy of Sciences and Audubon Canyon Ranch.

She is the narrator of the DVD "Heron Island" (1998-IDG films) directed by Emmy award winner Judy Irving. She also narrarates and co-stars in the new short film "Great Blue Herons of Golden Gate Park, directed by Rick Bacigalupi for Bay Nature Magazine on the Air. She is the director and producer of the short film "Above the Nests," the story of a Marin Audubon Society volunteer, Helen Pratt's 30 year study of the egrets and herons at Audubon Canyon Ranch. Nancy is the co-author of the song (with Sharon Walters) "My Blue Herons."

Nancy was named outstanding volunteer by San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory and in 2005, received the Jefferson Award for Public Service.

Nancy was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1980. Her experience also includes serving as a community organizer for the United Farm Workers Union and as Executive Director of California Women's Lawyers.

Sarah Shafer

Volunteer Coordinator. Adult and Family Field Trip Planner

Sarah Shafer is a former Strategic Project Manager for the private sector. She received her Bachelor's in Science from the University of Missouri and subsequently earned her Masters in Business Administration. She has spent time as a Naturalist and Field Researcher which has helped to strengthen her love for nature. As the Volunteer Coordinator for SF Nature, Sarah will work closely with Nancy DeStefanis and the many volunteers to facilitate communication, field trip organizing, and new volunteer training. 

Sam Bertken

Newsletter Layout and Graphics

Sam Bertken is a multi-faceted creative based in the Inner Sunset of San Francisco. Ever since he was a kid, he's had a great appreciation for the natural beauty of Golden Gate Park and is happy to be supporting the mission of SFNE. You can see more of his work at sambertken.com.

Ariel Heinicke

Newsletter Editor

Ariel Heinicke is a Bay Area native who graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in linguistics. She loves spending time in nature and hiking, and she is currently taking courses in graphic design. She is passionate about animal advocacy and runs a social media campaign to raise awareness about fish welfare.

Joy Chang

Social Media Consultant

More information is coming soon.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jennie Yoon

President

Jennie is President of the Board of SF Nature Education. When she is not birding, Jennie leads an Enterprise Account Management team within Amazon Publisher Services, an organization that delivers digital advertising technology for global web and mobile app publishers. She has a deep love and appreciation for nature (especially birds) and spends much of her time talking about birds with friends, family, and anyone who will listen.
 
Having volunteered with SFNE since 2018, Jennie is passionate about the youth-oriented educational programs which she has participated in firsthand- Youth Internships every Spring, Heron Watch every Spring and Summer Birding for Families- and inspiring young people to tune into nature more in this digital age, even within the bustling urban metropolis of San Francisco.

Janel Schulenberg

Treasurer

Janel has over 30 years of working in finance which is beneficial to her new role as Treasurer of San Francisco Nature Education.
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Janel has volunteered for the SFNE Heron Watch since 2014, introducing children and adults to our programs. She loves working with the interns, learning from them, and then watching them graduate at the end of each Heron Watch. Her favorite time during Heron Watch is seeing the faces of people while she shows them the nest with chicks close up via our scopes. Their eyes light up with excitement as they view the chicks in the nest. Most people don't know about the wonders of Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park. Janel also leads groups for Birding for Families and trains new volunteers.
With Nancy's help, we can show the public nature at its finest, and it's in their own backyard!

Nancy H. DeStefanis

Executive Director

Nancy first discovered the Great Blue Herons in 1993 and it became her mission to share her passion for the birds with school children as well as the broader community.

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Advisory Board

Mary Rose Cassa - Board Member Emeritus
Kit Durgin - Board Member Emeritus, former Executive Director The Women's Foundation
John P. Kelly, Ph.D. - Director of Research, Audubon Canyon Ranch
Joseph Kinyon - Board Member Emeritus
Kathleen Purcell - Board Member Emeritus, partner Remcho, Johanson, and Purcell