Our Team
Leadership and Administration Team
Kendra Penry
Executive Director
director@logannature.org
Kendra Penry joined Stokes Nature Center as the Executive Director in 2019. Prior to this role, she has worked in the nonprofit field for many years, most recently as the Community Engagement Coordinator in Houston for Heifer International, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and poverty and caring for our earth. Kendra’s formal education includes a B.A. in International Studies from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, and an M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. Outside the classroom, she was privileged to work for a variety of organizations, including Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition, the Mississippi Consortium for International Development, and a year as an Americorps Service Fellow with the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation in Denver, CO. She loves to get outdoors with her husband, Allen, and adorable terrier mix dog named Kiko. Kendra enjoys just about all things outdoors, including long distance running, cycling, hiking, and camping. In addition, she is a certified yoga teacher for all ages and abilities.
Kendra is also the recipient of the Nat Frazer Environmental Education Leadership Award from the Utah Society of Environmental Education for her outstanding work at Stokes.
Kate Hunter
Director of Education
education@logannature.org
Kate Hunter is currently a PhD candidate at USU, specializing in bee health and behavior, with an expected graduation in Spring 2024. She earned her B.S. in Animal Ecology/Biology from Iowa State in 2014 and grew up in beautiful Golden, Colorado. During her time at Utah State, Kate has actively sought opportunities to integrate research and teaching in curriculum development. She is extremely excited to bring these skills to the Stokes as Director of Education.
In 2020, she co-authored a paper investigating the impact of lab-based research experiences on student attitudes toward STEM careers. Recognizing the importance of curriculum development, Kate served as the lead instructor for the Organismal Biology/Physiology lab course at USU in 2021. In this she honed her ability to foster critical thinking skills in the classroom. Her dedication to education recently led her to an internship with the Smithsonian Science Education Center, where she crafted life and earth science curriculum for 3rd and 4th graders. She found each of these experiences immensely rewarding, especially when she got to work with a team towards a common goal of creating an enriching classroom experience.
Her hobbies are numerous (how could they not be, here in Logan?!). She likes to hike, ski, mountain bike, run, backpack, rock climb. Her first love, however, will always be Ultimate Frisbee. When she's either nursing an injury or too exhausted, she likes to knit, crochet, and sew. She finds great joy in turning unlikely objects into useful clothing. Her greatest achievements are a wind breaker she made from a tent her friend found in Right Hand Fork and a shirt she made for a friend from a bedsheet she found on the side of the road in Crested Butte, Colorado. As the daughter of an engineer and a project manager, she loves connecting to people through their projects and goals.
She has a personal website detailing some of these projects and hobbies if you're keen to learn more: https://sites.google.com/view/kate-hunter/home
Sadie Enright
Nature Preschool Director sadie@logannature.org
Sadie has been our Nature Preschool Director since starting the program in the fall of 2013. She is currently the program director and one of the lead teachers. Her credentials include a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in elementary education, both from Utah State University. She has also earned a CDA (Child Development Associates credential) through the Council for Professional Recognition.
Sadie has lived in Cache Valley for twenty years. She has a husband, two daughters, an orange cat, a black dog, lots of chickens and a great big garden. Her favorite activities include spending time outdoors with her family, running, biking, hiking, camping, cooking, fishing and cross-country skiing. And teaching preschool, of course!
Sadie’s fascination with the natural world has inspired her to find a career in which she is able to share her love of nature with her preschool students, preschool families and her own family and friends as well.
Patrick Kelly
Facilities Director
Patrick joined Stokes as Director of Education in 2018. He became Facilities Director in 2023. Before coming to Stokes, he was Youth Programs Manager at the Denali Education Center in Denali National Park in Alaska, a professional naturalist, an educator specializing in working with indigenous Alaska Native youth, a summer camp adventure trips director in Maine, and a professional backpacking guide in New Mexico. He is also an adjunct professor at Utah State University specializing in experiential and environmental education, nonprofit management, and science communication. He is former Chair for the Northwest Region for the Association for Experiential Education, representing educators and education professionals from Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. He is a former elected borough assembly member for the Denali Borough and an Eagle Scout. He earned his BA in Middle Eastern Studies from Florida State University, his MS in Outdoor and Environmental Education from Alaska Pacific University specializing in hope education in teaching climate change, and is a current PhD student in Environment and Society at Utah State University. His hobbies include going on hikes with his partner, Kat, and their three crazy dogs in Logan Canyon, snowboarding in the trees at Beaver Mountain, gardening native wildflowers, hunting ducks, and playing the mandolin. He is also a regular contributor to Utah Public Radio’s Wild About Utah show.
Edward Allen
Bookkeeper
Edward Allen is our Stokes Nature Center bookkeeper. He has worked in bookkeeping and accounting for more than 7 years for companies across Utah. He is a native of Utah with a background in physics and mathematics.
Nature Preschool Team
Kathy Campanella
Nature Preschool Lead Teacher
kathy@logannature.org
Kathy Campanella has been a Lead Preschool Teacher at Stokes Nature Preschool since 2015. She brings Montessori experience and Early Literacy to the nature-based program. She loves working with young children and is passionate about nature. Kathy obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University in 1991. She went on to raise two boys, work as a Reading Tutor for Cache County School District, and has over ten years of preschool teaching experience from Valley Montessori School in Logan, UT where she was also the Assistant Director. Kathy is originally from Sault Ste. Marie, MI. She resides in Nibley, UT with her husband and cats and enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, gardening, and cross-country skiing.
Talor Hall
Nature Preschool Teacher
talor@logannature.org
Talor is happy to be part of the team at Stokes Nature Center. Born and raised in Utah, her family took many opportunities to go hiking and camping all across the state (and many others, too).
Talor is a four seasons girl who loves to get outside no matter the weather. She rediscovered her passion for sharing her love of science and nature when she became a mom. She loves hiking, camping, paddle boarding, and swimming with her husband and 3 kids.
Stacy Banks
Nature Preschool Teacher
stacy@logannature.org
Stacy Banks is starting with Stokes Nature Center this year as a new Nature Preschool Teacher. She earned a B.S. in Health Sciences from Brigham Young University and a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Seattle Pacific University. She was introduced to Stokes through its community snowshoeing program and enjoyed it so much that she signed up her Girl Scout troop for it the next two years.
Stacy grew up in Bountiful, UT and has lived in Cache Valley for a total of 9 years. She currently lives in North Logan with her husband, three children, and cat. Her hobbies include finding great children’s books, learning self-defense, and tapping her maple trees. She serves on her local CERT team, leads two Girl Scout troops, and helps in her children’s schools. She enjoys road trips and traveling with her family and extended family.
Stacy got her start working outdoors as a camp counselor for Clemson University’s Outdoor Lab in South Carolina as a college sophomore. She introduced children to outdoor experiences like canoeing, campfire building, lake activities, and tent camping. She has continued to teach children in a variety of settings since then. She enjoys planning activities that encourage natural curiosity and learning. Her goal is to help other hesitant nature-goers gain more positive experiences in the outdoors, starting with the youngest generation.
Ewa Wilczynski
Nature Preschool Music Teacher
Ewa Wilczynski has a Masters degree in Music Education from Marie Curie University in Poland. She has obtained Orff-Schulwerk Teachers Training Certification (Levels 1-3) from Utah State University and completed the International Summer Course 2014 in Carl Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. Ewa is an experienced preschool music teacher and has taught flute, piano, and music theory for over 30 years in Poland, New Jersey, and Utah. She is currently on the faculty of the Youth Conservatory at Utah State University and serves as director of the Cadenza Choir at Cache Children’s Choir. Ewa teaches music classes in the Stokes Nature Preschool and offers private lessons in her studio. She is also a founder of the program “Music for the Small and Tall” where she teaches early childhood music and movement classes. Ewa is a member of the Utah Flute Association and serves on the board of the Utah Chapter of the American Orff Schulwerk Association.
School and Community Programs Team
Greta Wilkening (she/her)
Naturalist Educator - Schools and Outreach
schools@logannature.org
Greta Wilkening joined the Stokes Nature Center team in 2022 as the Naturalist Educator for School Programs. Greta is a midwest native from Minnesota, and a graduate from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI with a BA in Environmental Studies. Previously, Greta has worked as a land manager in Two Rivers, WI, a program assistant for Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, and an educator/naturalist for the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center in Austin, MN, where she also learned how to handle and care for raptors.
She enjoys birdwatching, camping, hiking, and anything that will get her outdoors, as well as drawing and painting in her spare time. In her undergrad, she had the chance to study climate change in Dakar, Senegal in West Africa and collaborated with the Senegalese Ministry of the Environment to explore sustainable waste management systems in Dakar.
Avi Hernandez (she/they/ella)
Community Engagement Specialist
community@logannature.org
Avi is excited to be part of the Stokes team. Born and raised in Cache Valley, she feels blessed to have grown up in such a beautiful area after exploring different parts of the world.
She graduated from Utah State in 2019 with a BA in Global Communications as well a dual minor in Spanish and Linguistics. She cares deeply about inclusivity in the outdoors and wants to continue to help foster a space at Stokes for everyone to feel welcome.
Avi’s outdoor passions include backpacking and hiking, rock climbing, and practicing primitive outdoor skills.