Michelle Fox
Founder & Executive Director
Michelle Fox is the Founder and Executive Director of TreeSong. She has been an early childhood educator for over 30 years. After procuring a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Spanish at the University of California at Davis, she earned an Elementary School Teaching Credential from the Multi-cultural/Bilingual Program at Sacramento State University. She has had teaching experiences in bilingual (Spanish/English) Elementary classrooms, Spanish immersion Kindergarten, Pre-school, as well as teaching Art to Elementary students.
Michelle has mentored children in nature awareness through a program she created called Roots and Wings, as well as taught yoga for kids for 10 years. She was also a mentor in a program called Maiden Spirit for 6 years. This beautiful program is designed to empower girls 9-13 and prepare them for a rite of passage ceremony.
In summer 2013, Michelle attended a week-long training in the Art of Mentoring at the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, WA. This inspiring week gave her a wonderful foundation in mentoring children in nature awareness. The last 10 years have also given her rich experiences and deepened her devotion to wholeness and the mind/body/spirit connection, through her practices of yoga and massage therapy.
Having had the opportunity to live on the Washougal River with her children for 4 years has also gifted her greatly. Through the day to day relationship with the forest, animals, river, she further opened to the powerful healing and learning that nature offers. Michelle was able to witness first-hand children (her own two) learning, growing, and returning to their own true nature as a result of their consistent contact with the natural world.
It is her most sincere wish to pass along what she has discovered and to support others in developing a life-changing relationship with the wilderness both outside and within.
laura Whittemore
board of directors
president
Instructor Laura Whittemore has been teaching classes in beginning birding and birding by ear for the Audubon Society of Portland since 2000. She loves to teach people about birds and open the door to learning more about their fascinating and interesting lives. Her goal as a teacher is to help students raise their awareness of the natural world around them. Laura finds that taking just five minutes to slow down and watch birds creates a meaningful and inspiring connection with creatures other people might pass by.
sam jennings
Board OF DIRECTORS
community outreach / marketing coordinator
For the past 20 years Sam has traveled and worked internationally as a Midwife (previously with Doctors Without Borders). For the last 10 years Sam and her family have lived in India and Canada, and three years ago bought their first home in rural Washougal. Sam has chosen to stay home and raise and homeschool her four children ages 8, 7, 5 and 3. It was her husband Jonathan's new job working with Health in Harmony, a not-for-profit NGO working in Indonesia, Madagascar and Brazil to reverse tropical deforestation in an effort to combat the climate crisis and protect the habitat of endangered animals, which brought them to the Portland area. The family has always loved spending time in nature and feels passionate about protecting ecosystem integrity. Sam woks hard to ensure that her family’s life is enjoyed while creating a minimal environmental impact—producing minimal waste, growing an organic vegetable garden, recycling, composting, and creating a 10 acre permaculture homestead. Sam documents her family’s life on her blog littlegreenlives.com. Sam's kiddies have participated in the homeschool Circle Keepers activities at TreeSong for the past 2 years, and her family is committed to supporting TreeSong in achieving its goals and growing as a community resource . Sam is the creator of a homeschool nature Co-op, which seeks to connect families, build community, and immerse kids in nature.
Susan Bettis
board of directors
Susan Bettis is a native Pacific Northwestern. A graduate of the University of Oregon, she holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus on the neurophysiology of the brain and immune system. A retired supervisor and professor, she spent 40 years in the field. She received her Volcano Naturalist Certification from the Mt. St. Helen's Institute.
nicole banta
operations director
For more than 15 years Nicole Banta has been working with nonprofit organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Nicole began her career in public relations and quickly realized her heart was in working with the nonprofit sector. After earning her MPA, she began working primarily with nonprofit organizations in the education, healthcare, and social services industries. She has spent more than a decade leading the marketing, communications, and development initiatives of various organizations. She has a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion work and has completed the Center for Equity & Inclusion’s Reframing Racism course. She is a graduate of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Eugene Springfield course and has served on the board of several nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest. In her free time, she loves kayaking, hiking, and taking in a beautiful view with her husband and three children.
morgaine Baumann
administrative assistant / social media coordinator
Morgaine received her MFA in poetry from Portland State University. During graduate school, she served as Poetry Editor for Portland Review, and later worked as an intern for The Accomplices and Entropy Magazine in Portland, where she worked on recent books and accepted submissions for a series called Fog or a Cloud. Later she interned for Copper Canyon Press. Morgaine lives in Portland, OR but grew up on the Washougal River not far from TreeSong’s beautiful slice of land.
