Educator

Judith Arnce

Born and raised in Burlington County, NJ; Judith grew up with a love for animals. Her first dream job was to work for the ASPCA. Throughout the years, her aspirations shifted and changed—from English professor to fighter pilot. Ultimately, though, she went back to her roots. She graduated from Delaware Valley University as a Conservation and Wildlife Management major in 2022, where she discovered her knack for educating others. 

Judith has worn many hats along her journey to Fernbrook—Small Animal Lab Technician/Lead/Supervisor, Environmental Education Intern, Lead Scientist, Nanny, and so many others. In fact, she often gets bored wearing just one hat! Look out for her if you ever stop by the Kohl’s in Hamilton Marketplace, where she works as a Beauty Advisor in Sephora. Her multifaceted personality has made her an advocate for being authentic. Having a diverse tool kit, be it a love for the outdoors and makeup or a passion for education and fashion, can make life all the more rewarding. Judith believes that you should not have to choose only one aspect of yourself to present to the world. 

Homeschool Director, Young Stewards Director

Jenna Collins

A South Jersey local, Jenna has a combination of book smarts from Rowan University and natural knowledge from a life in the outdoors. Graduated with a B.A. in Health and Exercise Science, certified to teach K-12, Health and Physical Education in New Jersey as well as certified in Adventure and Experiential Learning. She is the future of the education field combining her classroom teaching experience with her love for the outdoors. She has grown up in a family that excels in the outdoors, from skiing and hiking Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains to fishing and exploring the Jersey Pine Barrens. Jenna wishes to educate and share the experience of hands-on environmental education with as many children as she can.

President, Fernbrook Nursery

Kevin Fenning

Kevin’s Horticulture career began in 1975, working summers as a maintenance employee for a local landscape company. After a number of years and moving up the ranks to become a supervisor, he was hired by The Williamson College of The Trades in Media, PA, to manage the 200-acre grounds of their campus.

During his tenure at Williamson, he decided to attain a Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Temple University in Ambler, PA. Upon graduation, he was hired by Cumberland County College as an Associate Professor for the Ornamental Horticulture Associate Degree. Kevin was responsible for the entire contents of the curriculum, as well as student advisement. Over the years he also helped develop articulation agreements with four-year universities in order for the students at Cumberland County to make a smooth transition to pursue a Bachelor Degree.

In 2002, Kevin was hired by Ehrich & Ehrich Nursery in Chesterfield, NJ to head their ball and burlap operation. Although he lacked experience in the nursery industry, with determination and hard work, Kevin grew the nursery into a successful operation.

Eventually, Kevin was wooed by Larry Kuser, owner of Fernbrook Nursery, to become the nursery field manager. In 2022, Kevin was named President of the company.

Kevin enjoys life outside of Fernbrook Farms with his wife Michele and daughters Caitlin and Emma. When any free time presents itself, you may find Kevin fishing, golfing, and or reading.

Educator

Carlee Driscoll

Carlee is a New Jersey native and loves all things nature. From a young age she loved to be outdoors, from climbing trees and building forts, to swimming and making mud potions. This love for nature turned into passion to conserve it in high school. After taking a marine science class and learning about the affects of climate change, she knew she wanted to keep following that path. Four years later, she graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. From there, she worked for Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space as a Land Steward Intern where she restored meadows and forests by tackling invasive plant species. Her next adventure took her all the way to Maine where she worked as an Ecology Educator at The Ecology School. This position awakened her to the world of outdoor education, in which she fell in love with. Now working as an educator at Fernbrook Farms, she is so excited to continue her teaching career, explore a new place, and meet new people! 

Carlee is extremely passionate about conservation and educating about the importance of nature. In her free time she can be found on a hike in the woods, cooking a plant based meal, snuggling with her two cats, or on her hammock reading a book.

Saplings Director

Lauren Flesher

Ms. Lauren is a lifelong nature lover who first realized her passion for environmental education while leading nature hikes for other students at Cornell University. She soon joined Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology and began educating people of all ages about birds and the natural world. After graduating with her degree in sustainable agriculture, Lauren spent several years as a field ecologist, travelling the country to assist scientists with their conservation research in forests, prairies, and farm ecosystems.

By 2020, Lauren was ready to put down roots and return to environmental education full-time. She moved to Jersey and co-established the Saplings program at Fernbrook that fall, eventually taking over as director in summer 2022. She is certified nature-based educator through the Eastern Regional Association of Forest and Nature Schools.

Lauren adores working with the preschool age. She uses her own nature knowledge and sense of playfulness to unlock wonder and curiosity in her students. She loves seeing them challenge themselves and start to make those learning connections. Her favorite things to do outside are birdwatching and insect catching.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys cooking, contradance, and relaxing at home with her cat, Max.

Educator/Animal Barn Manager

Lydia Francis

Born in Morocco as the daughter of a Navy veteran, Lydia came to New Jersey as a toddler. She spent her childhood raising animals and riding horses in Cream Ridge, NJ. After attending Ocean County College, Lydia accepted a position in the banking industry where she managed Money Markets and Certificates for over 14 years.

As an officer in the Pinellas County Homeschool Association, she assisted in the selection of curriculum, the teaching of children from grades K – 7, and the managing of finance for that association.

For the past 23 years, she has been active in various county 4H programs to include:

• Pinellas County Cooperative Extension
• Burlington County Farm Fair Volunteer Recruiter
• Burlington County Sheep Club
• Burlington County Goat Club
• Hunderton County Sheep Club
• Hunderton County Veterinary Club

Lydia maintains a volunteer leadership position with the Burlington County 4-H program, where she holds a seat on the Leaders Council as Treasurer, provides out of school educational experiences for Burlington County youth in grades K through 13, teaching members to learn life skills, explore their world, and learn more about themselves.   Thus, becoming competent, caring, and contributing citizens.

She came to Fernbrook Farms 13 years ago as a Shepherd to the animals. In addition to caring for each of their diverse needs, Lydia also attends to the animal’s varied and individual health requirements, including diet, threat of disease, animal handling, and human – animal contact on a daily basis.

Lydia, also tends the Children’s Garden, assists in educating in the garden and simply enjoys being part of the Fernbrook family.

Nursery Sales & Office Manager

Tanya Gregory

Tanya’s love for the outdoors sparked her interest in ornamental horticulture at a very young age. When it was time to decide a career path, well let’s just say it was decided without a question or doubt. Her ornamental horticulture education was obtained from Mercer County Community College and Rutgers University. Where she graduated with an associate’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Tanya continued to gain knowledge in this industry from past employers, Princeton Nurseries, Rappleyea’s Nursery and at Fernbrook Nursery since 2008. In 2015 she became a CNLP and in 2016 she was named the ‘Young Professional of the Year’ from the NJNLA. Tanya has been married to her best friend, Robert, since May 2002 and they have 2 kids (the 4 legged kind) Sitka and Cooper, Alaskan Malamutes. They love to get out and go kayaking, quad riding, bicycling and walking in their free time.

Educator

Patty Gurgul

Miss Patty has been teaching environmental education for the last 20 years.  In addition to Fernbrook Farms, she has worked at Cedar Run Wildlife Center and Paws Farm Nature Center.   She is a certified teacher in special education and early childhood education.  Miss Patty has recently finished her masters degree as a Teacher of Biological Sciences.

While pursuing that degree, she was able to study and participate in conservation efforts in Baja, Thailand and Borneo.  During those trips, she swam with whale sharks and sea lions, studied coastal, desert and rainforest ecology, planted trees in a disturbed rainforest, went scorpion hunting in the desert, participated in studies of orangutans and proboscis monkeys, slow loris and frogs in Borneo, and planted an organic rice paddy in Thailand.

Patty has also participated in an Earthwatch Project in Ecuador studying tropical birds in the cloud forest and using a mist net to catch and tag them for future population studies. During another educational trip to the Amazon, she visited remote villages where she studied the rainforest, saw pink dolphins and poison arrow frogs, went piranha fishing, learned about plant and herbal remedies from the local shaman and tried a blow gun used by native tribes.

Her love of animals and nature also found Miss Patty on an African safari where she observed and learned about a whole array of animals on the African plains in Kenya and Tanzania.  She has a hard time naming her favorite animal which might be a giraffe one week and cheetah the next.

Miss Patty came to Fernbrook Farms in 2013 and has been teaching field trips, homeschool classes and the occasional summer camp week.  She currently is the lead upper level (ages 12 to 14) homeschool teacher.

Business Administrator

Yvonne Itchmoney

Yvonne Itchmoney joined Fernbrook Farms in 2015 and handles many of the day-to-day administrative and financial aspects of operating each of the farms’ businesses.

Yvonne’s background is in journalism. She spent many years in the print journalism industry before taking time off to be with her family. Upon going back to work, Yvonne channeled her management skills into business administration. Yvonne discovered Fernbrook Farms in 2013, when her son began attending the Education Center’s Fiddlehead summer camp program. When an opportunity to become part of Fernbrook Farms presented itself, Yvonne didn’t waste any time! The farm has since become her home away from home.

When she’s not at the farm, Yvonne enjoys spending time with her family. In addition to her coworkers, Yvonne adores her husband, son and Batman. Yvonne’s hobbies include discovering new movies and music, nagging her kid to do his homework and/or chores, macro and nature photography, reading anything and everything, hiking with her dogs, taking long bike rides, celebrating all things Halloween, and caring for her own flock of assorted critters.

Education Director, Summer Camp Director

Brian Kuser

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Brian Kuser, son of Larry ‘Farmer Q’ & Susie Kuser, has been involved in outdoor education since 1996. During his years at Bates College in Maine, Brian spent his summers working at Keewaydin Camps in Vermont where his love of experiential environmental education was founded.

After graduating Bates with a degree in mathematics, Brian started teaching at New England boarding schools while continuing to spend his summers at camp in Vermont. Brian took a couple winters off from the indoor classroom and spent several seasons teaching in the outdoor classroom at Keewaydin Environmental Education Center and Hulbert Outdoor Center where he focused on environmental education and teambuilding activities. He then married Tracy and they moved to Thailand to teach at an international school.

Brian and Tracy returned to the US in 2007 where they began teaching at the Montclair Kimberley Academy. Brian spent 6 years teaching high school math at MKA while spending his summers as the Summer Camp Director at Fernbrook Farms. In 2013, Brian left the indoor classroom for good and joined the year-round staff at Fernbrook as the Director of Education. He truly enjoys being able to share his love of his childhood backyard with the kids as they get to experience the joys of the outdoor classroom at Fernbrook Farms.

Brian and Tracy moved to the farm in 2015 and have introduced two more Kusers to the farm, Mikala (born 2008) and Gemma (born 2011) who can both be seen around campus during camp, after school programs, and more!

Owners

Larry “Farmer Q” & Susie Kuser

Larry ‘Farmer Q’ & Susie Kuser moved to the farm in 1974 and have been actively running the farm since 1982. They have been married for over 40 years, have three grown children and eight grandchildren. Their vocation and avocation are the same: to live close to the earth and share the farm with as many people as possible.

Prior to farming, Farmer Q was a high school math and science teacher and coach. From 1976-1981 he served as Dean of Students for Princeton Day School in Princeton, NJ. Farmer Q has never given up his love of teaching or his involvement in the community. He has been an adjunct teacher at Mercer County Community College, Rutgers University School of Continuing Education and the New York Botanical Gardens. He has given lectures for the Master Gardeners programs and the New Jersey Association of Landscape Architects. In 2014, he was inducted into the NJ Nursery & Landscape Association’s Hall of Fame.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Community Forestry Council, a past member of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association Board, the Burlington County Board of Agriculture, and past president of the Chesterfield Township Environmental Commission. Farmer Q is a graduate of Cornell University and has a Masters degree in Education from Fordham University.

Prior to running The Inn, Susie ran Wit & Whimsy, a boutique gift store in Bordentown, NJ from 1983-1987 and Princeton, NJ from 1988-1994. Her love, passion, and gift for hospitality have transformed The Inn from ‘Farmer Q’s’ boyhood home into a beautiful place for family and friends to come together to celebrate special occasions.

School Programs Director

Stacy LaMell

Stacy hasn’t always been a nature lover. According to her mom, her first response to the outdoors was to cry. She quickly moved from tears to mud pies, plant mash concoctions, and roaming the ravines and forest preserves.

Stacy spent hours reading the “Little House” Books, fascinated with the history of the first people to live on this land. She always wanted to live on a farm, close to nature in a simple way, and sought out the opportunity to live and work on a sheep farm in Olympia, WA caring for a small flock of sheep, chickens, turkeys, a small fruit orchard, and a prolific garden.

It was there that Stacy began to make the oft-lost connection between farms and food, and spent many hours trying recipes and herbal teas reminiscent of her childhood concoctions. Nowadays Stacy is known at Fernbrook for her famous “Tea Parties” and “Pesto Eggs” as many summer campers can attest!

After five years of farm life, two years with AmeriCorps Youth in Service, and a year of internships in NYC, Stacy graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

After taking time after graduation to live abroad teaching English in Chengdu, China, Stacy returned to the USA. Country life beckoned, and in early 2006 she found a new opportunity as “Farm Educator” at Pennypack Farm in Horsham, PA. Connecting her experience in classroom teaching with her knowledge of farming, love of the outdoors, and an unquenchable thirst for interdisciplinary intersection, a career path was born. So was her son, Diego, who spent many days bundled on her back while she led field trips, camper visits, and community classes on the farm.

Following a field trip from a Montessori School near Pennypack, Stacy became intrigued by the Montessori philosophy and methods of teaching. Becoming a Montessori Guide in 2008 brought new inspiration for creating lessons and activities that borrow their educational themes from farming and the natural cycles of life. During this time, she noticed that today’s young children are often full of stress, anxiety and disconnection from the natural world,. Stacy started bringing yoga into her classroom to help combat the effects of modern life stress on children and their families.

Stacy became a certified 200RYT Yoga teacher in 2014, offers a variety of yoga based summer and school break camp activities.  Certified to teach both floor yoga as well as aerial yoga, campers benefit from these stress busting moves with her much loved “Hammock Hangout” and “Nature Yoga Scavenger Hunt” all over Fernbrook’s grounds are a camper favorite! Yoga not only helps children cope with stress and social anxiety, but it also lends itself to our work as nature educators by offering a perspective centered in compassion extending to all living things.

General Manager @ The Inn

Teri Lands-Caspo

Teri Lands is one of New Jersey’s premier catering and event specialists. With a comprehensive background in event planning and many years of relevant hospitality experience, Teri is widely recognized for creating and executing some of the most beautiful weddings on the East Coast. Supported by a qualified, detail-oriented team, she has most recently led Main Street Fine Catering’s special events division (currently Fenwick Hospitality Group), establishing it as The Knot’s Best of Weddings Hall of Fame, the only caterer in NJ to earn this distinction. Teri has perfected the art of executing spectacular events, focusing on an authentic approach to planning. Her creativity and artistic nature allow her to find the perfect way to achieve each client’s singular vision.

Having planned hundreds of unique weddings and events from offbeat to intimate exclusive locations, Teri and her events have been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty, TheKnot, NJ Bride, Bucks County Magazine, Town & Country Weddings, and many other publications and blogs.

With a firm belief in providing her clients with the very best organic and sustainable foods, Teri is excited to take on her newest role as part of the Fernbrook Farm family as the General Manager at the Inn at Fernbrook Farm helping to continue to host truly amazing, one-of-a-kind events.  Teri has consulted and catered at Fernbrook Farm for over 18 years and is back to work with the team to elevate the on-site events to the next level.

Saplings Teacher

Martine LaPorta

Martine is a New Jersey native who has always had a thirst for adventure and the outdoors. This desire for new and exciting experiences has led her on many different paths, but the constant has always been working with children and wanting to be outside.

After completing her B.A. in Media Studies and Communications at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., Martine embarked on an independent backpacking trip spanning 5 months and 22 countries beginning in Singapore and ending in Barcelona. This trip solidified her belief in the value of making up your own adventure, pushing your comfort zone, and self-directed learning.

Upon returning, Martine began a certification in Clinical Nutrition and Holistic Health. After graduation she married her love of communication and the natural world by becoming a Marketing Manager for an organic farm.

After being cooped up in an office all day for years, Martine knew she needed to fully dedicate herself to a life of movement outside. When deciding on her next move she reflected on her love of her work in summer and marine discovery camps, as well as the tutoring she has done continuously since college. Her campers and tutoring students made her realize how little time her students had outside each day and how most of that time was spent on scheduled adult-led activities. She knew she wanted to foster a more experiential learning environment and when she found the TimberNook program that centered on child-directed play centered in nature, she knew she needed to become a provider.

After becoming a certified TimberNook Provider Martine began looking for programs that embraced an outdoor philosophy centered on developing the whole child. When she found Fernbrook in 2023, she could not have been more excited! Martine is thrilled to be a part of the Fernbrook team and can’t wait to see all the incredible adventures life at the farm has in store!

Greenhouse Manager

Carmen Mondelli

Having a deep love and appreciation for the natural world since a very young age, Carmen is very much at home on the farm. Since 2007 he has raised alpacas, cared for horses, picked crops, and was part of the management team for an agritourism business. At age 17, he interned at a CSA in Sergeantsville, living in a barn loft while learning organic farming practices.

In 2014 Carmen left New Jersey and agriculture to serve his country as an active duty soldier. Following infantry training and Airborne School in Georgia, he spent the next two years in North Carolina in the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

Carmen arrived at Fernbrook in the spring of 2018, and has enjoyed support from Larry, Kevin, and Tanya in further developing his knowledge of horticulture. Following study at Rutgers for landscape plant identification, selection, and application, he officially took on the role of Greenhouse Manager in January of 2020.

He can often be found with his camera in hand, capturing the native plants and wildlife that inhabit Fernbrook Farms as well as photos for the Nursery’s Instagram page. When not on the property, he greatly enjoys time with his partner Anna, maintaining his garden, and annual solo hikes into the mountains of Central Idaho.

Educator

Noah Myers

Noah is a NJ native, and grew up exploring all that New Jersey has to offer. It is where his passion for the outdoors grew from a young age. He traveled to the Midwest for his Bachelor’s degree in Biology which he received at Saint Mary’s in Indiana. That passion for the outdoors continued through college. He learned about the wildlife in Indiana while hiking and exploring. Noah has a special affinity for owls whose sounds he can mimic.

School wasn’t easy for Noah with his ADHD, but he learned to cope with it, by being outside in nature. The great outdoors helped him learn focus, how to slow down, and how to appreciate the world around him. He hopes to bring that knowledge, understanding, and adaptability to the children he teaches here at Fernbrook Farms along with the fun adventures, games, and science experiments he’s picked up through his years of working with kids and his own education.

Saplings Lead Teacher

Tracy Patton

Tracy grew up in Indiana as a country girl, spending her summers playing in the woods with her siblings and staying busy with her many 4-H projects. While in the Midwest, she got a BS in Biology from Purdue University, where she met her husband. After they moved to the East Coast and raised their two kids, she taught preschool at the Princeton Waldorf School, where she learned the art of nature-based education. From there, she moved on to Princeton Friends School where she ran the learning support program as well as the gardening program. During the pandemic, Tracy established a partnership with the local food bank in Princeton to donate the weekly harvest from the school garden.

Tracy’s happy place is tending to her vegetable garden, or reading or sketching on a quiet afternoon in her flower garden. She joined the Saplings team in 2022 to bring her passion for teaching young students the love of gardening as well as the wonder of nature.

Saplings Lead Teacher

Leigh Zink

Leigh has been in the education field in a variety of iterations over that past 30+ years. Originally from the mountains of Maryland, Leigh came to New Jersey for college, graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in Political Science. Upon realizing that she’d rather be spending her days with children, she returned to college and received her teacher certification in Early Childhood Education – Preschool through Grade 6. Her journey in education began as a second grade teacher in Brooklyn, NY. Leigh says it’s one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs she’s ever had! She then moved on to teaching and eventually running several preschools over the years. To get a taste of working with the “big kids” again, Leigh transitioned to managing after school programs and educationally-focused summer camp programs among other youth activities.

As a lover of the outdoors, Leigh has had a longstanding love of outdoor education. Although, she never thought she’d see it in action. After finding the movement growing, she decided it was time to chase the dream of combining her love of the outdoors with her love of education. This is what brought her to Fernbrook! Leigh is very excited to spur the children’s love and wonderment of nature and see what blossoms.

In her spare time, Leigh loves spending time with her husband and daughters. She can also usually be found kayaking (usually in the Pine Barrens) or hiking in the Adirondacks.

Afterschool Director

Christine Zielinski

Christine “Chris” has always been a book worm, reading tales of magic and mystery even as a child. She read these books in the comfort of the outdoors, sitting on a tree by a river, leaning against a rock on a mountain, or even lying in the grass with the clouds overhead. Between the pages, she noticed how the world around her was as mysterious and magical as what she was reading. She began to explore the outdoors, finding little pieces of nature that inspired her imagination like her books did. These magical moments elicited excitement and adventure in her heart which she carried into adulthood.

Chris studied creative writing at Ramapo College in the Mountains, hiking and writing her days away. She focused her studies in child and young adult fiction where she learned how to engage children with reading. Christine graduated with her BA in 2019 and decided to continue her education.  In June 2021, Chris finished her MA in Creative writing for MacQuarie University in Australia where she did an online accelerated program.

Chris joined Fernbrook Farms in the summer of 2021. In the fall of 2021, Chris stayed at Fernbrook and joined the Saplings teaching team.  In the fall of 2023, Chis began her current role as the Afterschool Director.  No matter what age student she works with, she hopes to elicit the same magical wonder she felt as a child when she was outside. She hopes to cultivate their adventurous spirit through exploring the farm and its magical moments, and the children’s own stories about what they see, hear, and experience while adventuring across the farm.