Our Team

Teacher Allegra has shared the magic of nature with students since her first semester at Bard College, where she taught gardening to pre-K students. A lifelong seed planter, she balanced agriculture work and adjunct instruction with a career in the fashion industry as a textile development technician until starting her family. Since then, she has focused her career on teaching environmental education and gardening, focusing on permaculture, restorative practice, and seed stewardship.

Allegra loves a whole-child approach to education, including emergent, student-led, hands-on learning. She is trained in Quaker pedagogy, place-based education, and nature-based teaching. In her free time, Allegra loves hiking, foraging, thrifting, herbology, and farm-to-table cooking. Allegra finds her joy in experiencing nature with others, especially young people. She is a proud mom to a teenager, rescue cats, and an ever-growing collection of houseplants.

Zach is a South Jersey native from a small town in southern Burlington County along the Delaware River near Philadelphia. Growing up with two brothers and a sister, he spent much of his childhood outdoors — playing baseball, fishing, and exploring nearby parks. Those early experiences cultivated a lifelong appreciation and respect for nature that continues to shape his day-to-day life.

After graduating from high school, Zach attended Slippery Rock University in western Pennsylvania, wanting to branch away from New Jersey and eager to explore new places. While earning his degree in Anthropology and Archaeology, with minors in Literature and Environmental Studies, he immersed himself in outdoor adventures, spending his free time backpacking, hiking, and discovering local parks. Originally planning to pursue archaeology abroad, he shifted course after volunteering at The Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education & Research.  Working at tabling events at Earth Day festivities and other interpretive events. That experience sparked a passion for environmental education, sustainability, and conservation.

Zach went on to become a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation and earned his Part 107 UAS drone license. After graduation, he joined the South Carolina State Park Service, where he worked at one of the South’s top fishing lakes. There, he developed skills in environmental interpretation, fire safety, and arboriculture while helping visitors build meaningful connections with the natural world. However, Zach quickly learned that he prefers the cold to the heat and moved back north to New Jersey.

When not at Fernbrook, you can often find Zach at the comic shop or record exchange, adding to his collections, or on the road visiting friends all over the East Coast.

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.

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.

Jessie is a lifelong New Jersey resident with a deep appreciation for the state’s diverse landscapes–from the Pine Barrens and coastal marshes to the more hilly region up north. Their love for exploring these natural spaces has fueled a passion for environmental stewardship, conservation, and community-based learning.

They graduated from Drew University with a double major in Environmental Studies and Sustainability and Political Science, along with a minor in Environmental Justice. Their studies focused on the intersection of environmental policy, equity, and community-based stewardship, laying the foundation for a career rooted in both education and advocacy.

Jessie recently served as a Watershed Ambassador in the Assicunk, Crosswicks, and Doctors Creek Watershed through AmeriCorps and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. They led watershed education programs for students, conducted stream monitoring, and organized community cleanups and environmental stewardship trainings. Prior to that, they worked with Branch Brook Park Alliance in Newark, researching and writing an environmental education curriculum for the park. Additionally, they volunteered with Grow it Green in Morristown, where they harvested organic vegetables and assisted with soil health research–deepening their understanding of food systems and sustainable agriculture.

Now, Jessie is excited to bring their energy and experience to Fernbrook Farms where they look forward to inspiring young learners to connect with nature and feel empowered as stewards of the land.

When they are not teaching, Jessie loves hiking new trails across New Jersey, going to concerts, geocaching, and trying out new coffee shops.

Lin has always felt most at home outdoors, happiest when she is exploring somewhere new. Whether surfing at the shore, snowboarding in the mountains, or wandering through the woods, she is always ready for her next adventure.

She first pursued marine biology and environmental policy before discovering her passion for teaching while working at a learning center. This led her to earn a degree in Education.

At Fernbrook Farms, Lin loves following wherever the day and the kids’ curiosity takes her. She can often be found with a chicken tucked under her arm, a frog or bug in her hand, or stopping along the trail to investigate a snake. She especially loves foraging and discovering ways the plants growing around the farm can be used, made into something new, or shared with her students.

Outside of work, Lin enjoys reading, gardening, spending time outdoors, and being home with her husband and their six pets, two dogs and four cats.

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.

Krystal is a New Jersey native with local roots. Growing up in a small town, she spent most of her time outside where she played and explored within the flora and fauna of her local section of the Rancocas Creek. With this being her childhood, Krystal was groomed to become the nature advocate that she is today.

Following a passion for nature, she has a 10 year career in animal education. Her start in educating dog owners/families on how to understand and nurture such a primitive relationship to humankind, led to a more unique experience working and building relationships with various other species of animals. From hoofstock, to birds, to reptiles, to mammals, even to large predators, Krystal has a unique background in teaching the public about animals and their habitats.

Currently, her love for building relationships with the natural world has led her to her newest role in engaging children to learn how to do the same. Being a kinesthetic learner herself, she aims to teach through hands-on interactions no matter the lesson. She also enjoys seeing the benefits of play-based learning and can be quite the storyteller to pique children’s imagination.

In her spare time, you can find Krystal somewhere in Brendan T Byrne State Forest where she hikes with her dog, husband and newest addition, their daughter Beverley.

My name is Ana Maria Paz, and I am originally from Colombia, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Education. After moving to the United States, I continued my education and became certified as a Montessori teacher.

I have always loved working with children and helping them discover the world around them, especially in non-traditional learning environments where curiosity, independence, and hands-on experiences are encouraged.

I consider myself an adventurous person, and I absolutely love camping and exploring the outdoors! I am very excited to be part of a community where both children and teachers have the opportunity to learn, explore, and experience new adventures every day. I look forward to creating meaningful experiences with the children and growing alongside them as we discover and learn together.

Anna is world explorer who only recently moved to New Jersey. She has always been drawn to nature, and has grown a huge appreciation for it in her experiences around the world. Her biggest passion is teaching those around her about how to be a steward for creation, taking care of the world we live in. Anna has a kind heart, and is very patient and thoughtful. She has a passion for working with kids, and loves to see how they grow and learn and experience the world in different ways!

Anna lived in NY as she got her Bachelor’s in Psychology, and hopes to pursue further education in Environmental Education.

When Anna is not teaching, she enjoys reading a good book, playing an instrument, and spending time with her family! She also loves spending time with her cat!

Anna is so excited for the upcoming school year, and she can’t wait to learn alongside her students the joy of being in nature!