Our Team

Dan Prince, Associate Director

Born and raised in Alaska, Dan gained a love and appreciation for the outdoors. He earned a BA in Philosophy at Whitman College in Washington State, with a thesis exploring the relationships between humans and nature.  He spent three years after college as an instructor at MESD Outdoor School, then received his teaching certificate at University of Alaska Fairbanks and taught junior high and high school. He returned to Oregon to begin supervising in the Outdoor School program in 1994. After a one-year stint at Metro supporting schools with resource conservation projects, Dan received an MS in Education Leadership at Portland State University, and served as coordinator of MESD Outdoor School from 2005 to 2017.

Dan has had the honor of serving on the board of directors for the Environmental Education Association of Oregon; the conservation education leadership council of the Intertwine; the board of the Multnomah 4H Association; the steering committee of the Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition; the planning committee of Youth Mentoring Collaborative; and as Secretary of the board of directors for Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors (ECO).

Recently, he co-facilitated a six-month diversity, equity and inclusion cohort of emerging leaders as an associate with Center for Diversity and the Environment. Dan lives in the Columbia Gorge with his family, a dog, and two cats.

Email Dan

Board of Directors

Carla Coleman

Carla Coleman is the Administrative Assistant for Gray Family Foundation. Carla’s primary expertise is in development and communications and has more than 17 years’ experience in the non-profit space working with organizations such as the March of Dimes, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Trust for Public Land and most recently The San Francisco Education Fund as their Development Associate.

Raised in Texas, Carla moved to Oregon from San Francisco, CA in 2019.  Carla loves the outdoors and when she is not tending to her garden, you can find her taking hikes or walking trails with her dog.

Dave Eshbaugh, Treasurer

Dave is committed to helping Friends of Outdoor School provide Oregon students with high-quality, hands-on learning experiences in nature. He has 25+ years of experience working and volunteering for nonprofits, including managing organizations, developing community and donor support, and raising funds. Dave is a Development Officer for the American Bird Conservancy. He was formerly director of donor relations for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, director of philanthropy for Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, chief development officer at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, individual partnership officer for the Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation, executive director of the Oregon State Parks Trust, executive director and vice president of Audubon Oregon (the Oregon state office of the National Audubon Society),  and executive director of Audubon Society of Portland. Previously, he worked as a consultant, college instructor, research assistant, and archaeologist. He received his M.A. (anthropology/archaeology) from Arizona State University and B.A. (anthropology) from Miami University in Ohio.

An Oregon resident from 1995 to 2018, Dave grew up in Ohio, where his formative Outdoor School-like experience was at the Glen Helen Nature Preserve near Yellow Springs, Ohio. He is a lifelong nature enthusiast and an avid birder. He enjoys traveling: getting to know new people and cultures, and has visited all 50 states, 34 other countries, and Antarctica. He also likes activities that require strategy and concentration, from chess to flyfishing. Now living in Tucson, Arizona, he loves spending time with his wife, Dawn-Starr, and two Labrador Retrievers, Katie (a “repurposed” guide dog for the blind) and Sadie (a rescue dog).

Jennifer Grube

Jen Grube is director of Philomath Outdoor School. Jen attended the program as a sixth-grader, served as a high school cabin leader, taught lessons as a college staff field leader, and was hired to direct the program in 2001. Her love of Outdoor School Programming is boundless.

Amy Kepler

Amy Kepler is a marketing leader with expertise in brand building, communications, and growth. She’s currently the VP of Marketing at Future, a fitness technology company, and previously held senior roles at Cruise, Visa, and Goldman Sachs. 

Amy was born in Portland, attended Camp Howard Outdoor School as a sixth grader, and returned to Howard as a six+ time student leader during her high school years at St Mary’s Academy. Amy graduated from Middlebury College, and holds an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She lives in NW Portland with her husband and two daughters.

Andy Lindberg, Secretary

Andy is the Executive Director at the Westwind Stewardship Group which owns and operates the 529-acre Westwind site on the Oregon Coast. His love of the outdoors began at Westwind in the summer of 1974 and he is proud to lead the team that cares for such an important natural area. Andy helped open the Namanu site for MESD Outdoor School in the fall of 1999 as Site Supervisor. He has served as Junior Counselor, Senior Counselor, Resource Specialist, and Site Supervisor for MESD ODS.  A native Oregonian, he was a sixth-grader at the Howard ODS site with Duniway Elementary School. Andy is partner to Kelli and father to Elliott.

Gary Myers

Gary Myers is the Director of Outreach and Business Development for Vernier Software & Technology in Beaverton, Oregon. Gary attended Outdoor School in the spring of 1972 at Camp Colton and has been hooked on science/environmental education ever since. He volunteered as a Junior Counselor through high school and upon graduating a half year early, in February of 1978, got his first "real job" that spring as a Senior Counselor at Multnomah County ESD's Outdoor School at Camp Howard. Gary went on to earn a BS in Science Education from Oregon State University and ultimately a Masters in Educational Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University. He led science education programs at OMSI and came back to Outdoor School as a site supervisor and eventually director of the Northwest Regional ESD Outdoor Science Schools. In an effort to diversify offerings at NWRESD, Gary founded Terra Nova High School in 2005. He went on to lead educational programming for a global online school and a small, community education program for at-risk youth in Portland before joining Vernier in 2015. Gary has served on several non-profit boards including the past 17 years with Adventures Without Limits, an inclusive outdoor adventure program in Washington County.

Paige Richardson

A life-long advocate, Paige Richardson is the owner of Springwater Partners, an Oregon political strategy firm. Paige has over 20 years running numerous political campaigns, including leading our very own Measure 99: Outdoor School for All campaign to succession 2016. She's also run statewide and regional initiatives to safeguard Medicare, Social Security, environmental justice, and women's rights, and to battle off-reservation gaming measures.

Jennifer Satalino, Chair

Jennifer Satalino is the director of The College Place Oregon, a nonprofit resource for students of all ages to get help planning for college. Jenn has worked in higher education for 30 years, and advocates for providing all students the opportunity to participate in and complete a post-high school degree or credential.

Jenn’s daughters have both loved their Outdoor School experiences, and her sister is the legendary Suki, who counseled Outdoor School students in the late 1980s. Jenn’s youngest, Cheese Whiz, has finally surpassed the number of weeks Suki served as a student leader, and hopes to add a few more to the family record. Jenn’s passion to provide Outdoor School for all students stems from her firsthand witness to sixth graders’ transformational experience while spending time away from the city and deep in the heart of Oregon’s wild lands.

GARY TAYLOR

Gary is currently the Associate Executive Director of the Rogue Valley Family YMCA in Medford, Oregon. He will tell you himself that ODS shifted and steered his life trajectory. As a native Oregonian he attended ODS as a sixth grader at the Eagle Fern site and returned to be a 9-time high school student leader at the Namanu site. It was during his time as a high school student leader that he realized he wanted to work with youth in a camp setting. Since that experience, he has served in every role the camp world offers including the cook and camp director. In his current role he is overseeing the development of a former rural school into an Outdoor Education Center to host Outdoor School in Southern Oregon.

Those closest to him will tell you he runs a camp program at home too, as a father of a blended family of 8 there is plenty to keep them busy. He currently has enjoyed watching his own children start to become the leaders of tomorrow as they volunteer and work in all levels of programming. Only 2 of his children have gotten to experience ODS as a student and because of this it is what inspires him to be a part of this board. Gary, his wife, and 6 children live in Southern Oregon and spend much of their free time in the outdoors or getting ready for their next adventure.

Mary Thomas

Mary Thomas is an Assistant Principal and the Mock Trial coach at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon. Before she became an administrator, she was a classroom teacher for 17 years, in a variety of subject areas and schools from independent to international, middle school to high school. As a fifth-generation Oregonian, Mary grew up loving and playing in the out of doors with her passion leading her to environmental education. Before entering the classroom, she spent 10 years teaching around Oregon with various environmental education programs: OMSI, MESD, NW Regional ESD, Campfire, Caldera, etc. Her love of travel led her to teach overseas in Bali, Indonesia and become a board member with Ten Friends, a local non-profit based in Sisters, sponsoring Nepali students to become teachers. She is grateful for her family and Central Oregon community.

Board Emeritus

Rex Burkholder

Trained as a biologist, Rex Burkholder worked as a science teacher and in the Northwestern forests. He started the bicycling revolution in Portland, Oregon as a founder and policy director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. An early leader in sustainability and equity, Burkholder also co-founded the Coalition for a Livable Future, bringing together over 100 diverse NGOs in the greater Portland region.

He was elected to the Metro Council in 2000, where he led efforts to reform regional transportation policy and to integrate climate change into the decisions of all levels of government in Oregon. He has served on key task forces as well as national boards, including Rail~volution and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Recipient of numerous local awards, his work has been recognized internationally as well, being invited to speak in countries throughout Latin America on sustainable transportation and climate change. He was honored in 2010 as a Global Ambassador for Ciclovia, an international movement to reclaim cities from the automobile.

Liz Fouts

Liz has a lengthy background in law, obtaining her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and previously working for several law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. Liz currently works for The Standard here in Portland and spends her free time with her family, husband and son (who attended Outdoor School as a sixth grader)!

Katie Newcomb

Katie works for the U.S. Forest Service as a Sustainable Operations Coordinator, and has been with the Forest Service ever since she received her Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Environmental Science. Katie is a native Oregonian who credits attending Outdoor School with providing her motivation to pursue a career in science.

Jen Newlin

Jen is a director on the environmental team for Metropolitan Group—a creative agency dedicated to social change. Before that, she shaped content strategy for businesses at an advertising agency. For over a decade she worked exclusively in conservation as a nonprofit consultant and senior writer/creative director for The Nature Conservancy and Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Jen’s a native Oregonian and attributes her love of the natural world to her own Outdoor School experiences—both as a student and a counselor. She’s passionate about wildlife, literacy, cancer research and the arts. Jen has a BA in journalism and graphic design.

Amy Thomas

Amy works for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regions of the US Forest Service as a civil engineer. In her role as the Federal Highway Administration program manager, she oversees multiple transportation programs intended to improve and/or maintain access for the public to National Forest System lands. Prior to working at the Forest Service, Amy spent nine years with the Department of Defense, both  as a US Army engineer officer and as a civilian project manager for the Navy. Amy completed her master's degree in civil engineering at the University of Hawaii. She graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in civil engineering.

Amy has lived in various places across the United States and overseas while growing up in a military family. She moved to Oregon in 2010  and fell in love with all the Pacific Northwest has to offer. She is an avid outdoorsperson and enjoys hiking, backpacking, mountaineering     and running.

Kelly Wilson

Kelly currently works as a program manager at the Wildlife Conservation Network in the San  Francisco Bay Area. Previously, she worked at both the San Francisco Zoo and the Oregon Coast Aquarium as an education supervisor and  donor relations & special events associate, respectively. Kelly's background with Outdoor School began at Camp Howard as a sixth-grader.   Her life-long commitment was cemented when she began volunteering as a Student Leader (then known as a Junior Counselor).  Kelly also has volunteered as a one-on-one aide, and became a staff member for many sessions at Howard. Kelly earned her bachelor's degree in environmental science from the University of Oregon and her master's of public administration in nonprofit management at Portland State University.