Little Shepherds Nature Lab loves its staff.
If you feel called to join us, please reach out!
If you feel called to join us, please reach out!
OUR GROUND CREW
Gina TangGina is a mother, writer, and activist deeply focused on regenerative education. Prior to starting Little Shepherds Nature Lab, she helped launch an award-winning student wellness center at UCSD, the nature preschool at Mindful Ways Eco-Village, and various other programs focused on socio-environmental health. Her publishing arm, The Regenerative Writing Institute, cultivates eco-literacy for people of all ages. Gina also shares music therapy and spoken word poetry with her handpan drum.
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Matthew SabloveMatthew has a Master's Degree in education from UCLA, and is a credentialed Special Educator for K-12th grade. After working in the public school district for 12 years, he now helps to coordinate our animal husbandry modules and assists with our world music program. In early 2021, he co-founded The Good Shepherds land management group. With a herd of more than 150 sheep and goats, Matthew and his team provide targeted grazing and ecological brush clearing services throughout San Diego County.
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Bonnie MorgalBonnie has over 30 years of experience working with the ecosystems of Southern California in her career as an environmental consultant. She received her Master’s Degree in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology from San Diego State University and a graduate certificate in Early Childhood Education & Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. She loves to spend time with children in nature, inspiring them toward deeper understandings of permaculture, wild-crafting, and native habitats.
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Raina BerhaneRaina has 14 years of experience as a Behavioral Therapist specializing in kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She also served as a bilingual Spanish preschool teacher, and a special education substitute teacher for grades 4-7 in public schools for four years. Raina has certifications in Violent Crisis Prevention and Intervention, Intercultural Relations and Communications, and Infact and Adult CPR. She is also a certified Drum Circle facilitator, a prolific visual artist, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter-storyteller.
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Janelle CataldoJanelle has been a shepherd of children for over two decades. She is also a storyteller and a creative artist. Janelle previously ran nature-based summer camps up in Palos Verdes, California. She loves all the sweet things life has to offer, from guiding young ones in yoga, teaching children how to tend to chickens, and how to be mindful of the earth. Janelle loves seeing kids develop care and compassion for their peers and surroundings, and finds so much beauty in learning through intentional play.
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AB NevarezAB has 35 years of experience producing community events with a focus on music, art, and education. With Duomo Gardens as an example, he teaches kids and adults from all walks of life about "terrain tending" and "soil stewarding," while promoting urban farms and gardens. AB also works with kids’ fundamental motor skills to improve physical literacy and coordination. His goal is to create environments that propel health and wellness, while having lots of fun!
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OUR SUPPORT TEAM
Evon MucekEvon Mucek is a certified Life Empowerment Coach and credentialed Developmental Therapist/Child Development Specialist with a passion for supporting families through education. Evon helps humans to develop emotionally safe, secure, and healthy relationships within themselves and with others. Her expertise is in relationship-based therapy approaches, specifically relating to attachment and emotional regulation, combined with her special ability to integrate energy healing, spirituality, and intuitive practices.
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Katie DoveKatie Dove is a somatic therapist, intuitive guide, healer, and mystic with over two decades of experience working with individuals and groups. She is a keeper of ancient wisdom, exploring new paths for the preservation of human nature through connection to mother nature. Katie draws upon modalities she has personally cultivated, and extensive studies in transpersonal psychology and craniosacral therapy. As mother to a young son, Katie is also passionate about food and medicine sovereignty.
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OUR ADVISORS
Bernie MacFarlandBernie MacFarland has worked in childhood education for the past 20 years and is the current vice-principle of San Diego Cooperative Charter School. She has a Master’s Degree in Education, undergraduate degree in Child Development, K-8 multiple subject credential, and an education specialist credential. Bernie spent 10 years teaching at a coop preschool and is an outspoken proponent of play-based outdoor exploration, neurodivergent inclusivity, and mindfulness-based practices.
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Jennifer JeffcoatJennifer has over 28 years of facilitating and guiding mindful education. Founder of The Awakened Method, Jennifer fuses her expertise in local ecology, pre and perinatal birth psychology, polyvagal theory, and somatic studies with her Waldorf teaching background to support individuals all the way from preconception to their professional stage in life. She earned her Master's in Public Health from Everglades University, and is currently working on her Ph.D in Depth Psychology.
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