Executive Director/Founder

Environmental Ambassador Program Lead

Cultural Pathways co-instructor

As a secondary school educator for eighteen years and a land-based educator

for twelve, Sarah holds transatlantic educational experience in the United Kingdom, Ireland, California and north east, Washington

with multi-faceted positions ranging from ELA Department Chair, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Intervention Specialist, and Instructional Coach. She is a certified ELA

and ELD teacher in the state of Washington, California, and the United Kingdom and holds a BA in English Literature from Loyola Marymount University. In April 2024 she completed her MEd at the University of British Columbia

Okanagan with an emphasis in decolonial and culturally responsive praxis.

She grew up in Southern California and is the proud daughter and granddaughter of Mexican and Irish immigrants from Jalisco and Kerry.

She is the Founder, Executive Director, and an instructor for Cultural Pathways and Environmental Ambassadors Program.

Board Chair

Cultural Pathways Program Lead

Environmental Ambassador co-instructor

way’ isquist n'mtitkw, My name is Morgan Moomaw. I was born and raised in Okanogan county and on the Colville reservation. My paternal family is Okanogan and Smelqmix and my maternal lineage is of Irish and European descent. My work is rooted in the ancestral relations between our plant relatives and syilx (okanogan) people. My work is  rooted in the restoration of access to traditional gathering sites on and off the reservation to replant first foods and medicines with the youth and community.I have been an outdoor educator for 5 years, currently serve as board chair for the Nature Immersion Program and lead coordinator of our Cultural Pathways program.

Lim limt 

Environmental Ambassadors Program instructor

Tribal forestry liason

Philip Wapato comes to Nature Immersion as a forester with over 25 years of experience. Philip graduated from University of Idaho in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Resources - Ecosystem Management. Commencing work for the tribe in 1998. He was the Lead Forester of the Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) Team for the Colville Agency, the Assistant Forest Manager for the Colville Agency. Philip is a tribal member and retired from tribal forestry in January 2023. Phillip has been with the Nature Immersion program since 2023 instructing students in the Environmental Ambassador Program.

Board member

Micki BearCub-Hudson is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes as well as a descendant of the

Lakota, Dakota, and Nakoda people of the Plains. She is currently employed with the Colville Tribes

History and Archaeology Program. Revitalizing nxaʔamxčín Language and culture has been her passion

for the past several years.

Vice chair

Julie is a basket weaver from Keller, WA, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes (Wenatchi/MosesColumbia/Chelan/Nez Perce Bands). Julie in the United States Marine Corps. She also served as a Natural Resource Enforcement Officer, and a Colville Tribal Police Officer. She retired from the Colville Tribal Police as the Assistant Chief of Police and is currently employed as a Language apprentice for the Colville Tribe.

Board member

Livia Millard is a former faculty member and Wenatchee Valley College at Omak (WVCO) Multicultural Coordinator and Academic Advisor. Livia has years of experience in coordinating events and empowering students to be successful towards their academic goals. Born and raised in the Omak area and on the Colville Indian Reservation, she descends from the Umatilla and Colville tribes(Wenatchi and Entiat Bands). She received her Bachelor's of Education from Eastern Washington University and a Master’s in Education from Gonzaga University.

Secretary

Former Native Youth Grantmaker, NRCS intern, and Native Environmental Science student at Northwest Indian College. Passionate about environmental stewardship and Indigenous leadership. Gaining skills in conservation, grantmaking, and traditional ecological knowledge. Eager to grow and contribute to sustainable solutions for communities and the land.

Treasurer

Kelli Palmanteer is an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated Tribe and currently serves as the treasurer on the Nature Immersion Board. She has been working in accounting since 1999 and was the full time accountant at Paschal Sherman Indian School for several years.

Board member

Margaret is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes (Wenatchi, Chelan, Entiat, Methow, Okanogan) and a descendant of Nanaimo, BC. She has worked as an nsəlxcin intern and co-teacher at Waterfall Immersion school with the Hearts Gathered non-profit organization. She is currently the nsəlxcin Senior Instructor for the Colville Tribal Language Program.

Board member

Enrolled member of the Colville Reservation Tribes. Graduate of Lake Roosevelt High School, B.S. degrees from Salish Kootenai College in Forestry and Environmental Science, a M.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington. 18+ years’ forestry/ natural resource management experience/education working with numerous Tribes, state and federal agencies, academic institutions, and non-government organizations. In 2017, started working for CTCR/BIA Forestry as SilvicultureForester, Management, Inventory & Planning-Forester,Wildland Firefighter, and Forest Manager.