Want to join the Tennessee Naturalist Program? Do you have questions about our organization or any of our projects? Please contact us for further information, we would love to hear from you!
I started with TNP as a grad student looking to work with a local non-profit while getting a Master’s in Environmental Education. I loved the program so much that I wanted to participate in a more direct and influential way, serving on the board to help with this all volunteer effort. This program is truly special, it is independent and driven by people of passion who are willing to work hard towards change. I’ve loved meeting and working with our students and chapter coordinators and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish over the next few years.
Dan has been serving on the TNP Board as Director-at-Large and currently serves on the TNP Continuing Education Committee as lead for TN2. Dan DeFigio is an amateur naturalist in Nashville, Tennessee. Dan is a wellness practitioner by trade, and over his 30-year career he has grown to incorporate his love of the natural world and nature spirituality into his wellness work and teachings.
He regularly volunteers and teaches at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary, and currently serves on the TNP Continuing Education Committee.
Dan’s ultimate vision is to help create things that change the culture of how humans relate to and interact with the natural world.
Margie Hunter is a writer and author of Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place. She gives presentations on native plants and natural history, is a member of Tennessee Native Plant Society and Tennessee Invasive Plant Council, and volunteers with the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Smokies. A founding board member of the Tennessee Naturalist Program, Margie helped develop the course curriculum and teaches some of the classes.
TNP graduate Michael holds a BA in Economics from Williams College in Economics and an MBA from Harvard University. He is an owner and manager of a packaging and label business which maintains an arboretum on its grounds. He is a past chair of The American Chestnut Foundation and has served in multiple other environmental capacities. Michael is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, oil painter, photographer, and author of the book The Mystical Naturalist. He loves learning about the natural world and sharing it with others.
Deborah Adams earned her TNP certification at Owl’s Hill chapter. She is a regular volunteer at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, where she thoroughly enjoys leading hikes for students on field trips. An award-winning author of novels, short fiction, CNF, and poetry, she often incorporates her experiences with nature into her written works. She is a little too passionate about sustainable living and the five Rs.
Tom Blanchard is a professor of biology at the University of Tennessee at Martin and is the director of the university’s Reelfoot Lake Environmental Field Station. He teaches courses in ichthyology, herpetology, and ecological methodology. Tom received his doctoral degree in zoology and physiology from Louisiana State University and has been teaching at UTM since 2001. His research at UTM is focused on stream restoration in West Tennessee and its effects on biodiversity of fishes and other aquatic organisms. He teaches the “Tennessee Living Waters” and “Amphibian and Reptile” courses for the Discovery Park of America chapter of the Tennessee Naturalist Program.
Jenny is a Tennessee Naturalist Program graduate with a Bachelor of Science and a background as a Respiratory Therapist. Her passion for the natural world led her to the TNP in 2016, significantly enhancing her understanding of the natural world. She is also a member of the Tennessee Trails Association, Jenny thrives in leading hikes and crafting educational experiences for her community. Her commitment extends beyond the trails; Jenny is a member of the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Trails Association and has previously served as the local Chapter president. Her dedication to service continues in her role as a Reserve Sergeant with the Police Department in Hendersonville, TN, where she takes pride in engaging with the public and her colleagues. She firmly believes in lifelong learning, continually seeking to enrich her knowledge through books, courses and experiences in the great outdoors.
Richard has a Ph.D. in mathematics and spent his career as a professor at the University of South Alabama. After retiring and relocating to Franklin, TN, he became a student in the Tennessee Naturalist Program in 2011 and was certified in 2013. Since then, Richard has enjoyed leading hundreds of interpretive hikes mostly at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary. He also has taught classes and given presentations on several topics from the TNP curriculum. In 2018, he helped found the Wild Ones Middle Tennessee chapter where he serves as President. He is also a member of the Tennessee Native Plant Society and the North American Butterfly Association.
Since completing the Tennessee Naturalist Program at Owl’s Hill in 2016, Cori has been serving on the board as a Director-at-Large for the past few years. “I am honored to volunteer with this great organization and love seeing the terrific contributions our students are making across the state. My naturalist path, and background in education, have led me to one of the best jobs on earth – teaching children at an outdoor nature school! Becoming a certified naturalist could open doors for you that you never imagined.” Cori has a background in Education, Animal Rescue and Rehab, and enjoys hiking the backwoods of Tennessee with her family and dogs. In addition to serving on the TNP Board of Directors, Cori is a 2023 Ambassador for the Tennessee Environmental Council.
Favorite quote – “We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” -Charlotte Mason
Shawn has been part of the program since the inaugural class in 2010. Prior to moving to Tennessee, he was a Certified Volunteer Naturalist in Ohio and a Certified Master Naturalist in Texas. Additionally, he has served as a Tennessee State Park Seasonal Interpretive Ranger at Cedars of Lebanon and Old Stone Fort State Parks. His education includes a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from American Military University in West Virginia. He currently serves as the Installation Support Agreement and Base Support Planning manager at Arnold AFB in Tullahoma TN after completing a 20-year active duty career in the United States Air Force.
Nancy Garden, TNP State Chapter Coordinator, joined the TNP staff in August of 2015. She has over 18 years of experience working as a nature center education director and volunteer coordinator at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary, and was part of the Owl’s Hill staff that hosted the first chapter of TNP. Nancy is a member of the North American Butterfly Association and is the count coordinator for the NABA Nashville South count circle. During her years at Owl’s Hill, she was part of the institutional membership of the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) and attended several national meetings. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular Biology from Vanderbilt University. She has worked as a lab technician in an immunopathology lab at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA; and in a hard tissue studies lab at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Claire joined the TNP staff in February 2024 as the Operations Coordinator. She has been with the Discovery Park Chapter since August 2023 and loved the program so much that she decided to work here, too! Claire obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing from UT Martin and her Master of Arts in Public Administration from Lipscomb University. She has always enjoyed the outdoors, learning about nature, and exploring state and national parks, so the TNP is a perfect fit!
Pandy Upchurch has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a master’s degree in biology from Austin Peay State University. She has been an interpretive naturalist for over 35 years at such places as the Woodlands Nature Center at Land Between the Lakes, Dunbar Cave State Natural Area, the Warner Parks Nature Center, MTSU’s Center for Environmental Education, and the Tennessee Naturalist Program. She was the Middle Tennessee Biodiversity Coordinator, the Instream Flow Coordinator and the Assistant Chief of Biodiversity in her 17 years at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. She also taught biology at Columbia State Community College for two years. She currently owns Tennessee Healthy Habitats, LLC, a consulting service that helps Tennesseans increase the biodiversity on their land.
David Hill earned a doctoral degree in botany and retired after 30 years as Professor of Biology at Belmont University in Nashville. The David R Hill Environmental Service Award for a worthy student of Belmont is now awarded annually in his name. David worked for Tennessee State Parks on the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory for 7 years before retiring a second time. While working at State Parks he joined with Pandy Upchurch (TWRA) and Linn Ann Welch (State Parks) to plan the formation of the Tennessee Naturalist Program. He had heard about the exciting South Carolina Naturalist Program from his brother, Dr. Otis Hill and felt it would be a good fit for Tennessee as well. He became a founding member of the Tennessee Naturalist Program and served as President for the first six years of TNPs existence. David secured TNPs legal footprint with a charter, tax status as a non-profit, a small revenue stream of products with logo, flash drives to replace course binders, and a website to inform the growing group of naturalists. When not riding his motorcycle, David now “manages” a patch of native growth and enjoys photographing the wild creatures that inhabit the area.