Team EverWild

At EverWild, our 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio ensures a personalized, holistic learning experience. Our diverse team includes credentialed teachers, biologists, childcare specialists, wilderness guides, and more – all with extensive child-related experience and CPR/First Aid training. Come rain or shine, we prioritize role modeling kindness, curiosity, and optimism, grounded in an in-depth understanding of child development.

Erica Hermsen

  • Erica was born in Washington and from a young age, she loved spending time outside, exploring the forests, and discovering new adventures. Her love for nature continued to grow as she got older and she knew that she wanted to share this passion with others.

    After completing her BA in Environmental Education and MS in Conservation Biology, Erica set out to create a space where children could learn, grow, and play in the natural environment. She established EverWild Forest School in Boise, Idaho, where she serves as the executive director. Under Erica's leadership, EverWild Forest School has grown to become one of the largest and most successful forest schools in the country!

    In her free time, Erica can often be found exploring the area with her husband and two young girls, hiking, riding horses, painting, dancing, and singing.

    Email Erica

Ilyse Sakamoto

  • Ilyse grew up in Boise, and after studying Public and Community Service Studies in Rhode Island, she returned to her hometown with a refreshed sense of respect for the city. She served two terms with AmeriCorps through Bogus Basin's Mountain Discovery Camp and SnowSchool programs where she was introduced to environmental education.

    Ilyse went on to study Outdoor Education at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Upon her return home she once again joined Bogus Basin's outdoor education programs, eventually taking over and serving as the Outdoor Education Coordinator for five years.

    After starting her family in 2019, she became even more impassioned to share nature with her child and other children in her community. To do this, Ilyse manages EverWild’s scholarship program as well as admissions.

    Email Ilyse or call at (208) 996-3539

Amy Petersen

  • Amy was born and raised in Idaho. For college, she ventured west to attend Western Oregon University. Having grown up in a family of teachers, Amy had always known she wanted to be a teacher! At WOU she obtained her Bachelors degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education followed by a Masters Degree in Information Technology for Education. 

    Amy taught for 7 years in Oregon. During this time she also completed her National Board Certification. She loved teaching and learning from her students! After having kids, Amy decided to move back to the Boise area to be closer to family. 

    She now enjoys working part time at Rediscovered Books and spending time outdoors with her two boys, husband, and dog DirtyBear. 

    Email: Amy@EverWildForestSchool.org

Kari Martinez

  • Kari grew up in the Treasure Valley and has always loved being outdoors playing sports and exploring. Kari studies Art and Education at the College of Western Idaho, and continues to create meaningful pieces inspired by the natural wonders around her. Kari loves working with children and implementing alternative models of early education to nurture well-adapted and empathetic global citizens. Kari has experience in conventional academic-based childcare settings as well as those that implement an inquiry-led model. She enjoys implementing a gentle caregiving approach akin to Reggio Emilia and Magda Gerber philosophies.

Annastasia Waters

  • Annastasia was born in east Idaho, but spent most of her life in Boise. Currently she is a student at Boise State studying Biology with an emphasis in ecological studies. She has loved the outdoors her entire life, and grew up canoeing, camping, and hiking. This last winter she even started snowboarding! Annastasia hopes to eventually work in wildlife conservation, but for now is assisting in raptor research at BSU. She started working in childcare as a teacher assistant in a small Montessori preschool. From that experience, she learned how much she adores working with kids, and how much of a privilege it is to watch their curiosity grow.

McKenzie Serna

  • McKenzie was born and raised here in Idaho. She found a love for the outdoors at a young age. In her free time she loves to go hiking, biking, paddle boarding , and she enjoys exploring new areas around Idaho. Mckenzie’s love for education began when she was 17 years old. She worked at a daycare for 2 years while in high school.

    After high school she earned her associates degree in elementary education from the College of Western Idaho. From there she has continued her education at Boise State University, where she is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. McKenzie looks forward to expanding her teaching journey while being at Everwild Forest School!

Adra Lobdell

  • Adra grew up in northeast Florida but headed west to the mountains after receiving her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Guilford College. She spent the next several years building trails and leading conservation corps, where she experienced firsthand the transformative power of spending time in nature. This inspired Adra to go back to school and receive her master's degree from the University of Idaho's McCall Outdoor Science School. She is excited to bring her passion and expertise to Everwild Forest School. When not teaching, you can typically find her exploring outside with her husband, dog, and two young sons.

Emily Becar

  • Emily was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. She has always enjoyed anything involving the outdoors, mostly camping, swimming, and traveling to new places.

    Emily is currently going to school at the University of Idaho studying Engineering, but loves being able to spend her summers exploring the outdoors and helping kids learn to love it just as much as she does!

Heather Walkup

  • Born and raised in Northern California, Heather brings over a decade of experience in early childhood education, specializing in the development and care of children from infancy through age five. A passionate outdoor enthusiast, she loves spending time exploring nature with her three children—whether it’s swimming in the river, going on forest walks, or discovering local trails. Heather combines her deep connection to the outdoors with her educational expertise to create meaningful, nature-based learning experiences that nurture curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

Aaron Senderowicz

  • Aaron grew up playing in the foothills and mountains of Boise and all around Idaho. Working in various parts of the outdoor industry, he developed a passion for sharing the outdoors with others. Some of his favorite activities are running, cycling, rock climbing, skiing and playing music. He loves working with kids and plans to attend Boise State to study social work and child development.

Lauresta Welty

  • Lauresta has been working in Environmental Education since the fall of 2016. She was part of the team that started the Outdoor Preschool program at the Foothills Learning Center and taught Outdoor Preschool there for 6 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at a small college in northern Indiana, where she also worked at the local Environmental Learning Center, Merry Lea. Lauresta is a Boise native and often spends time in the beautiful nature areas found here. She is passionate about nature and teaching students about the natural world around them. Unstructured time outdoors is also very important to her. When students have nature as their playground, and they learn a natural respect for the outdoors, they are more likely to be involved as adults in advocating for environmental policies to better the future. Lauresta is married, has two children, and also a cat and a dog. Her favorite animals are the big wild cats, especially the cougar and the cheetah. She loves birding, mountain biking, camping, and backpacking. 

Jessica McFarlane

  • Jess grew up on the shores of Lake Washington north of Seattle, and spent her childhood swimming, biking, skiing and exploring the PacNW. She earned her BA in English (Writing Concentration) at Western Washington University in Bellingham. After 20 years in business administration, Jess ventured into nonprofit development, fundraising, and special events planning, most recently working at the Idaho Outfitters & Guides Association (IOGA) & the Idaho Conservation League (ICL). 


    Jess loves yoga, hiking & walking, travel & exploring new places, skiing, outdoor concerts, swimming, road & river trips, reading in cozy places, and spending time outdoors with family and friends!

    Jess has 3 children, ages 22, 18, and 15 years old, and is happiest when the family is outside together, exploring and enjoying the natural world. She is honored to work at EverWild and support children's innate curiosity and enthusiasm with experiential learning and adventures in natural settings in the beautiful Treasure Valley!

Savannah Gallalee

  • Savannah grew up in a small ski resort town called Massanutten, Virginia. She move to Boise, Idaho in November of 2023 with her husband and 14 year old dog, Karma. Savannah is a certified Outdoor Emergency Care Technician and a studying EMT. She has worked in outdoor rescue as a Ski Patroller for the past three years.

    In addition to practicing emergency medicine, Savannah is also a certified Yoga Instructor. She enjoys working with children and brings a unique combination of practical rescue skills and mindfulness practices to her role as an Outdoor Educator.

Cara Quie

  • Cara was born and raised in the flat lands of Minnesota, and at a young age, was often outside climbing trees with her brothers, making ski jumps in her backyard, and dirt biking. She soon discovered the joys of the mountains upon moving to Colorado Springs for a summer during college, where climbing 14ers became an every weekend hobby. Her love of the mountains then took her to Nepal for a month, where she lived in a local village, nestled not far from the mountain of Annapurna. She has since backpacked in the Tetons, enjoyed running multiple marathons, and continues to find ways to be outside at every opportunity, amidst a busy medical school schedule.

    Cara is passionate about creating opportunities for all people to get outside, especially kids, so that all can experience the healing and restorative qualities of time in nature, and the confidence that comes with problem solving, risk taking, and leadership in an outdoor setting.

Demitria Martello

  • Demitria (Demi) was born and raised in Boise. She earned her BA in English Literature and MA in Education before spending two years teaching Kindergarten in Seattle. While in Washington, Demi and her husband were able to spent lots of time hiking, camping, and kayaking through the Puget Sound area. She is so excited to be back in Boise and continuing to work with children, and getting to embrace more time outside while doing it! Demi loves to trail run, and spends lots of time in the Boise Foothills exploring and creating new running routes. She believes that spending time outside, playing in nature, and breathing in fresh air make a profound difference in everyone's life, and help strengthen our connections to one another. 

    In her free time you will usually find her reading, baking, practicing yoga, or on a neighborhood walk. Demi just married her husband last August, and has a sweet cat named Canoe!

Brett Powell

  • Brett grew up on the coast of Washington and moved to Texas after graduating high school. After earning a BS in Elementary Education, his first job was teaching outdoor science classes to 5th graders on school field trips at a summer camp in East Texas. He had a blast sharing the outdoors with kids, and eventually transitioned to teaching in a local public school. After a few years of classroom teaching, Brett moved to Boise to be near family and returned to college. He  recently graduated from Boise State with a BS in Biology (Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical emphasis).

    In his free time Brett likes to write, play video games, and participate in D&D with his friends--and now that he's out of college he's looking forward to getting back into reading for enjoyment as opposed to studying or research. Outdoor education has always been at the top of Brett's favorite jobs, and he's excited to be back at it with EverWild!

Lizzy Meisenbacher

  • Lizzy grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina.  As a young teen she channeled her love of winter sports into coaching young skiers and snowboarders at her local ski area.  From tiny tots to teens, she shared technical skills, perseverance, patience, and confidence building for those under her wing.  After graduating high school, Lizzy worked as a camp counselor in Colorado.  Her nurturing support and fun-loving attitude helped her campers create life-long memories.  She also spent the past winter earning her certifications instructing at Copper Mountain.  Her love of the west coast mountains kept her exploring Colorado and its neighboring states, landing her in Idaho where she now resides as she completes her B.A. in Psychology.

Danielle Quast

  • Danielle was born and raised in Boise, ID. She has been teaching preschool for the last 2 years while working to finish her bachelor's degree in Educational Studies through Western Governor's University. She believes in letting kids learn through exploration and experiences, while being there to guide them toward new discoveries and a desire to learn. Her favorite outdoor past times are paddle boarding, running, dog walking and biking with her son and husband.

Juliet McKee

  • Juliet grew up in California, where her deep-rooted passion for adventure and the outdoors began with camping, skiing, scuba diving, and tree climbing with her three younger brothers. She is currently pursuing a Marketing degree at Boise State University, and in her free time, enjoys skiing at Bogus Basin and country swing and line dancing.

    Juliet has spent several summers working as a camp counselor at camps in Texas and Catalina Island, California, where she mentored children, fostered a fun and safe environment, and led outdoor activities. Her global perspective was expanded during a semester abroad in Thailand, where she traveled throughout Southeast Asia, hiked, chased waterfalls, and worked with children in hill tribes. This experience deepened her understanding of diverse environments and further ignited her passion for working with children in nature-based settings.

    With her adventurous spirit, experience in mentorship, and background in marketing, Juliet is excited to contribute her skills and enthusiasm to EverWild Forest School, where she hopes to inspire the next generation of nature explorers and lifelong learners.

Alexis Stiles

  • Alexis grew up in Central NY in a rural area with lots of farmland and forests. Throughout her childhood, she spent lots of time exploring in nature and playing sports. She attended college receiving a BS in Recreation Management with a Minor in Outdoor Education and Interpretation. Alexis has enjoyed traveling in the states and also abroad.

    She has a background in childcare and a deep love for the outdoors. Whether it’s hiking, nature crafts, or leading team-building games, she’s passionate about helping kids build confidence and curiosity through outdoor experiences. In her free time, Alexis enjoys activities such as hiking, kayaking, camping, riding dirt bike, skiing, and finding the perfect hammock spot to read.