Our Staff

Our staff are our greatest strength.  All BNC leaders are innovative, creative, and competent people who enjoy children and provide excellent instruction, leadership, and guidance.

Camper to Counselor ratio is 4:1.

Dr. Taylor Brown MD will be the official physician on call for both weeks.

Every counselor has:

• Current Criminal Background Check
• Current American Red Cross Certification in Adult/Child First Aid & CPR
• All swimming, rafting, and canoeing activities are supervised by American Lifeguarding Association Certified staff

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Staff Profiles Summer 2011

Cath Conlon

When I visited my grandmother, Lillian Blackwood, I could relax, laugh and be a kid on the land. This feeling of connectedness with the outdoors has been one of the overarching themes of my life, and it’s been my mission to share it every chance I’ve had.

You might know me from Eco-Ology, the radio show I co-host with Patricia Greer. We highlight what people are doing to create a positive influence in our communities with regards to environmental and social justice issues, health, and spirit. I’ve built 28 straw bale houses (one of which is on the Blackwood property). I’ve been a wilderness and survival instructor, and I’ve educated communities in Third World countries about sustainable development. In addition, I took the point position in bringing a satellite feed of the Bioneers Conference to Texas.

In 1990, I converted a piece of family land into Blackwood Educational Land Institute, and one of my hopes was that the land would be used to educate both children and adults about the beauty and fragility of the outdoors, how we and nature are interdependent, and how we can be better stewards of this planet.

We are proud to be the home to Blackwood Nature Camp, and all the children who come to us to immerse themselves in what the natural world has to offer. Here’s to many more years of helping kids find their way in the dirt!

With gratitude,
Cath Conlon
Executive director, Blackwood Educational Land Institute, the home of Blackwood Nature Camp

Katy, Atkiss, MPH, Camp Director

Katy moved to Houston from Los Angeles in March 2010 and is enjoying learning about the incredible ecosystems that converge in this humongous state. Katy fell in love with the outdoors in New Jersey, exploring the woods behind her house. Since then she has traversed marble gorges in Taiwan, hiked volcanoes in Indonesia, and backpacked through the Amazon in Bolivia. She has also explored the varied terrain of California including backcountry Yosemite and Joshua Tree, and was amazed by the mountains in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Katy is most interested in working with youth to help them experience the interconnections between humans and our environment, and how the well-being of each is inextricably linked, whether one lives in the city or country. She has mostly worked with urban youth in Los Angeles, building gardens and cooking good food from them. Field trips include visits to a local family farm and exploring Mono Lake, the source of much of LA’s water, to understand how our choices in an urban environment have a far-reaching effect. She is so excited to join Blackwood Nature Camp this year to share her knowledge and learn from others.

Taylor E. Jones, Head Boys Counselor

I spent enough time at Blackwood growing up to call it a second home. During this time I explored every nook and cranny on the property and loved every minute of it. In doing this I developed a passion for the outdoors that stays with me to this day. I acquired enough knowledge during this time to accurately identify nearly every piece of flora and fauna in the state of Texas.  I participated in the first 2 summers of the Blackwood Nature Camp when my mother Cynthia Jones was the camp coordinator and returned again this past summer to teach the children about their surroundings and the creatures that inhabit it.

I received a full Montessori education, graduating from School of The Woods High School. I am also an Eagle Scout and performed my scout project at Blackwood in 2003 building ramps for handicap access.  I am currently working towards BA’s in Geology and Environmental Science at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. I am very active in Ducks Unlimited, the leader in wetland conservation having participated in the conservation of 12,000,000 acres of land since 1937.

In 2008, I became certified as a licensed captain in the state of Texas. Shortly thereafter myself and a friend started The Producers Guide Service, a company specializing in Duck Hunting, Fishing, and Birdwatching trips on the mid Gulf coast. I divide my time between my business and school. The outdoors is my passion and I share my passion with anyone who will lend me an ear for even a minute…lend me yours I almost guarantee you will hear something interesting.

Elizabeth Asnes, Camp Counselor

Elizabeth is a Montessorian whose penchant for playful inquiry has led to an enduring enthusiasm for Children and for the Natural World.Blackwood Nature Camp is a wonderful playground!

Shekkola Barnett Gray, Camp Counselor & Registrar

Shekkola graduated from Rice University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. She worked for eleven years as a process engineer and an environmental engineer for Rohm and Haas Chemical Company before deciding to pursue her life-long dream of becoming an educator. Shekkola believes that students achieve excellence in education by applying what they have learned to real-world experiences. She is the mathematics teacher at the Post Oak Montessori School in Bellaire, Texas. She is also a youth instructor at His Way Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Shekkola has three children. In her spare time, Shekkola enjoys desktop publishing, scrapbooking, digital photography, reading, and writing essays and short stories.

Her experience with data systems and organizational skills served her well in her role last year as Blackwood Nature Camp Registrar. She is happy to take on the role for another year and looks forward to interacting with campers and parents alike.

Victoria Rose Simons, Camp Counselor

Victoria is a rising sophomore at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD.  She’s an Anthropology/History double major with a minor in Environmental Science. She grew up on a farm in central Texas, and then went to The High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, majoring in classical piano and minoring in dance. She loves to read, sing, go camping, tell stories, and sew, and can’t wait to study abroad in Scotland in 2012.

Dennis Simshaeuser, Camp Counselor

On nature walks, Dennis was always seen swinging through the trees while others remained on the path. His enthusiasm for nature was never lost despite him growing up in major cities. Regularly seen rescuing insects in distress, he respects everyone's role in the ecosystem.

Dennis has always had a respect for and interest in living and working in balance with the environment. He has a B.B.A. with concentrations in finance and marketing from the University of Houston. Since that time employment has included the fields of banking, sales, teaching, and real estate.  Dennis holds interests in nutrition, education, and energy usage. He enjoys volunteering for, and climbing trees, at Blackwood Educational Land Institute and the Memorial Park Conservancy. He is currently researching residential and commercial energy consumption and is scheduled to volunteer at this year's Gulf Coast Green Symposium and Expo.

Dennis looks forward to spreading the love of the natural world this summer. The joy of being immersed in life, both plant and animal, must be experienced by everyone. Dennis believes the opportunity to educate while sharing the appreciation for all things green is immeasurable.

Senna Woest, Camp Counselor

Senna Woest fondly remembers the many trips as a young child to the country with friends and family. Her passion for the outdoors was evident early on and continues to be a huge part of her life. While raised in the city of Houston she always yearned to be living in the country. She followed her passion for the outdoors and animals to Texas A&M where she majored in Animal Science. Through working with animals as well as children, she continued on to become a middle school science teacher in Cy-Fair ISD.

When she isn’t in the classroom, she is busy volunteering with special needs children doing therapeutic riding, coaching soccer for at-risk students, horseback riding, fishing, bike-riding, traveling, and caring for her animals on her ranch. She is very enthusiastic about working at Blackwood Nature Camp this summer as head girls counselor!

Hilda Alejandra Martinez, Camp Chef

Hilda is a young woman who has a passion for her family and making sure that she feeds them right! Hilda is from Hempstead so she keeps us very local. Since marrying and having two beautiful little girls, nutrition has become a big priority for her - especially when she knows she can have an affect on many young peoples lives and broaden their pallet. Hilda has been a part of the team at Blackwood and cooking healthy meals for large groups thru "A Morning in the Country" and other events that occur on site for years. We are so thrilled that she has agreed to share her artistic cooking skills with us this summer!

Dr. Taylor Brown MD, Camp Physician

Dr. Taylor Brown is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder, elbow, and knee. His scientific and spiritual beliefs support appreciation, preservation, and restoration of the natural world to its most native and intended form. He is a runner, hiker, cyclist, sailor, and hunter. He practices medicine in Houston at the Texas Medical Center, teaches orthopedic residents from Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Medical Branch, and serves as a team physician for the Justin Sports Medicine Team at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as well as the Power In Motion running group.  Curriculum Vitae