We are a consortium of professional naturalists, teachers, historians, and artists who come together to teach and learn. Our instructors are selected for their love of nature and their ability to relate to students of all ages. We are lifelong learners who seek to learn directly from the natural world.
Wendy Tonker
Wendy Tonker has 15 years experience as a nonprofit director and organizational development consultant. She joined the Schoolhouse staff in August 2011, after one year of service on the Board of Directors and three years as a camp parent. Wendy holds a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Appalachian State University and is a Master of Public Administration candidate at North Carolina Central University (2012).
The real deal: Loving partner, Mom, daughter and friend, curious, irreverent, persuasive, demanding, trustworthy, ethical, mission-driven, quick-witted, selective reality show watcher (there, I said it), scuba diver, playful, pile method filing enthusiast, systems thinker, lives to explore unquestioned assumptions, attentionally-challenged, avid hunter, fisher, outdoors woman, Duke basketball fan, organizational development junkie, believes in the golden rule, calls it like she see it.
Eli Carleyolsen
Program Director
Eli has a very young and playful soul. He is goofy, chatty, rambunctious, hyperactive, responsible, boisterous, shy, outgoing, competitive, loving, and silly. Mentoring and teaching children to accept and care for themselves is his passion and life’s work. Eli comes originally from Wisconsin where he studied sculpture and friendship at Lawrence University. He considers working at Schoolhouse to be an honor almost beyond words and stands in awe of the strength and depth of his co-workers and students. He is also very good at skipping rocks.
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
— Roald Dahl
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Administrative Coordinator
Mary brings skills in office administration and customer service to Schoolhouse of Wonder. She has a degree in Economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mary likes to roam in the 400+ acre West Point on the Eno Park and studies tree identification. On the weekends she stays busy with the Wood Spirit Carvers of Durham, The Women with Knives, and the North Carolina Woodcarving Association. Her hobbies include pyrography, wood carving, hand drumming, and hiking and paddling around the rivers and streams of North Carolina.
Carrie Fields
Teacher
Carrie grew up in Greensboro, NC. She graduated from Pomona College in 2006 with a degree in Environmental Analysis. She has since worked in archaeology research, environmental health, youth and community development, and environmental education. Carrie loves to explore the natural and cultural ecology of the places she inhabits, and is particularly interested in the Native histories and cultures of North America. She is passionate about studying local plants and their medicinal uses, and hopes to expand her skills as a naturalist. She is fluent in Spanish, and her other interests include writing, art, psychology, and cross-cultural communication.
Wayne Poole
Teacher
Wayne Poole, co-founder of Schoolhouse of Wonder, has been a storyteller, naturalist, and cultural interpreter for more than two decades. His tales, taken from the legendary and the personal are drawn from his love of nature and local culture. He also performs annually at the Festival for the Eno, Haw River Festival, Durham Earth Day, and Green River Preserve as well as the Durham and Raleigh Arts Councils.
Board of Directors
Michael Gulley
Co-Chairperson
Michael Gulley has more than ten years of non-profit fundraising experience and joined the Schoolhouse of Wonder Board of Directors because of the organization’s compelling impact on the development in children. He is currently the Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship for the WakeMed Foundation, an affiliate of the WakeMed Health & Hospitals system in Raleigh. Michael has held several leadership positions within the nonprofit sector including Senior Development Officer for the N.C. State University Libraries and Director of Development for Curamericas in Raleigh. Before moving to North Carolina seven years ago, he served as a Campaign Manager at the United Way of the Bay Area in San Francisco, California and was a Senior Counselor at Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc., a wilderness based at-risk youth counseling organization. Michael is a native of Naples, Florida and earned a B.A. in history and sociology from the University of South Florida. He is very involved in his community which also includes serving on the Board of Directors for the Executive Service Corps and as a member of the Rotary Club of Raleigh. Michael enjoys mountain biking, hiking, cooking and photography.
Steve Cameron
Co-Chairperson
Steve is a lifelong native of eastern North Carolina. A graduate of Duke University with a B.A. in English Literature, he has lived at times in a lean-to, a log cabin, and a tipi, but is now utilizing more conventional means of shelter. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa from 1989-1991. Currently he supervises a wholesale bakery facility for Whole Foods Market. His favorite pastimes are hiking, gardening, and being outside with his wife, Barbara, and daughters Maggie and Anna. He has been a Board member since 1998.
Kay Bond
Secretary
Kay joined the Board because of her strong interest in being involved with an organization dedicated to igniting children’s curiosity about nature and community. Growing up, Kay had the great fortune of being involved with a program very similar to the Schoolhouse of Wonder’s summer camps. Through her participation and additional motivation to get outside provided by a television-hogging older sister, Kay developed an appreciation for nature and became dedicated to protecting it. She is a public interest environmental attorney and worked to protect the environment through law for six years. Kay recently left fulltime law practice to study law and social movements in the UNC Sociology Department’s PhD program. She is excited to put her legal expertise to good use in service to Schoolhouse of Wonder. Kay and her husband, Ryan live in Chapel Hill with their dogs, Okra, Abita, and Eno and their cat, Turtle.
Beverly Murray
As president of R+M – an agency that creates brand experiences for those who positively impact our mind, body and social responsibility – serving on the board of directors for Schoolhouse of Wonder was a natural fit. Her life-long passion for learning, love of all things outdoors and ability to see the forest and the trees at the same time make her a value-add to the board. If she’s not at work you are likely to find her kayaking at the lake, catching a lap of freestyle at home or sticking her head out the car window (assuming her dog doesn’t beat her there first). A North Carolina native, she makes her home in Wake County with her husband, Eugene, and four-legged friend, Dawson.
Irene Dwinnell
Bio Follows.
Jonas Monast
Jonas Monast directs the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Jonas’s work focuses on the interaction of energy policies at various levels of government, regulatory options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and outreach to policymakers and stakeholders. Jonas has also worked as an attorney in the Corporate Social Responsibility Practice at Foley Hoag LLP where he advised clients on emerging legal and reputational risks regarding social, environmental, and ethical issues. Prior to starting his current career path, Jonas worked as an outdoor educator at the Haw River Festival, an environmental education program for fourth graders in central North Carolina, and Turtle Island Preserve. He joined the Schoolhouse of Wonder board to once again support efforts that help local children of all backgrounds experience the great outdoors.
Sujata Mody
Sujata’s personal commitment to education and the environment inspired her to join the Board of Directors for Schoolhouse of Wonder in 2010. She is an Assistant Professor of Hindi-Urdu Language & Literature at North Carolina State University and holds a PhD in South & Southeast Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is looking forward to empowering local youth and communities through active engagement with the natural world. In her spare time, she enjoys baking (and devouring) gourmet vegan pastries and exploring local art & music.