Meet the Nature Center Team!
Senior Staff
Alix Dunn, Executive Director 
Originally a Westchester County native, Alix spent over two decades in California working to protect and enhance the coastal and marine environment. She spent many years as the President and CEO of Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the Santa Monica Bay and LA County coastal waters. She also worked in a public/private partnership with California State Parks in Newport Beach at Crystal Cove Conservancy.
During her roles as an environmental advocate, leader, and educator, Alix’s focus has been inspiring the next generation to share her passion for protecting our natural world. Alix and her husband relocated back to Westchester in 2019. While exploring her community, her trips to the Nature Center sparked a desire to get involved professionally, and to bring her knowledge and background to a local organization that is a treasured resource in the community.
As Executive Director, Alix is responsible for the overall management, operations, fundraising, and organizational structure. She receives guidance and works closely with the organization’s Board of Directors to ensure the strategic vision and mission of the organization is achieved.
Alix graduated with a BA in Political Science from California State University, Northridge, and earned a Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Marybeth Cagney, Director of Finance & Administration
Marybeth’s interest in volunteering in her local community brought her to the Nature Center in 2020. She joins our team after having spent the bulk of her career working in the Financial Services industry. Marybeth graduated with a BBA in Finance from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University. As the Director of Finance and Administration, she is responsible for financial record keeping and creating and implementing a budget for each department.
When she’s not working, Marybeth enjoys skiing, hiking, and cooking with her family. She can also be found rooting her daughter on from the sidelines at one of her lacrosse games. Marybeth’s favorite Nature Center animals are Polly, the Painted Turtle, and Nova the bunny.
Greg Wechgelaer, Director of Education
Greg’s journey with the Nature Center began in his childhood when his grandmother introduced him to Nature Storytime in the 1980’s. Years later, while pursuing his Environmental Science degree at SUNY Oneonta, his grandmother once again guided him toward the Nature Center for an internship. Since then, Greg has held various roles and currently serves as the Director of Education and resident Apiarist. His responsibilities include managing and mentoring the education team, creating the vision behind our environmental programs, teaching those programs, and acting as one of the stewards of our 33-acre preserve.
Greg spends most of his free time in the Lake George region of upstate New York and is a lifelong camper, hiker, fisherman, canoer, skier, and all-around outdoor enthusiast. As a special note, the Nature Center is also where Greg met his wife; who was the intern coordinator in 2008. Years later they were married, surrounded not only by friends and family, but also by some of the nature center animals, including Bigfoot, Elvis, and Shadow.
Program Administration
Chloe DiGianni, Program Booking Manager
Chloe joined the Nature Center in the summer of 2021 . She graduated from Mercy University with a BS in Media Studies. Similar to many staff members, Chloe has fond memories of visiting the Nature Center during her childhood, which inspired her to join after completing her degree. In her role as the Program Booking Manager, she handles the scheduling of various programs, including birthday parties, school trips, and Back to Nature Programs. Back to Nature Programs.
Outside of the office, Chloe loves crocheting and spending time with her dog and cats.
Winnie Lin, Junior Accountant
Winnie joined the Finance team in September 2022, as a Junior Accountant. She plays a crucial role in the department by handling various day-to-day tasks and ensuring accurate and thorough accounting of all transactions. Winnie’s educational background includes an MBA in Finance and Real Estate from CUNY Baruch.
Outside of work, Winnie likes biking, baking, and cherishing moments with her family. She loves spending time with the Nature Center’s adorable rabbits and other cute wildlife.
Evelyn O’Dwyer, Membership & Outreach Coordinator
Evelyn, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, joined the Nature Center in 2023 as the Membership & Outreach Coordinator. She holds a degree in Women’s Studies as well as Dance Performance and Choreography. Her role includes membership outreach and donor management as she gets the local community actively engaged in our mission.
Evelyn has had a lifelong interest in historic preservation and completed a college internship at Historic Columbia where she focused on women’s history and donor events. In her free time, she teaches ballet to kids of all ages and goes on adventures with her miniature poodle.
Education Staff
Andrew Michalski, Manager of Living Collections & Naturalist Educator
Andrew has been a part of the Nature Center staff since 2014 working in the Animal Museum as the Manager of Living Collections and as a Naturalist Educator. He holds a BS in Environmental Science from Fordham University and a certificate in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College. Andrew is responsible for day-to-day animal care, ensuring that the mental and physical health of our animals is the best it can be.
His favorite part about his job is getting kids excited about the same things he was excited about as a child – animals and nature! He enjoys hiking and traveling to his favorite place to visit, the Adirondacks.
Noah Brennan, Manager of Education and Sustainable Initiatives
Noah has been part of the Nature Center staff since 2018, but has volunteered since early 2017. He has earned both an undergraduate degree in environmental studies and a master’s degree in environmental policy from Pace University. As the Education Manager, he is working with our staff to bolster the collective knowledge of the Nature Center and make our programs more readily available and digestible for peoples of all ages and backgrounds.
Outside of the Nature Center, Noah enjoys reading books on environmental topics, especially in regards to food access and justice.
Becca Garcia, Volunteer Coordinator
Becca, a graduate of SUNY Maritime College, joined the Nature Center in September 2023 as the Volunteer Coordinator/ Assistant to the Collections Manager. Becca’s affiliation with the Nature Center started during her childhood when she would frequently visit the Nature Center. Today, she is in charge of overseeing the volunteer workers here as well as assisting our Manager of Living Collections by taking care of the many animals that we have on the grounds.
Becca has a love for animals and the arts. In her free time, she enjoys painting, going to the gym, and exploring New York City with friends.
Sailor Abel, Naturalist Educator
Sailor joined the Nature Center in the fall of 2022 as a Naturalist Educator. In 2021, she graduated from the University of Vermont with a BS in Environmental Studies with a focus on nutrition and food. She is very passionate about food and finding ways to create healthy ecosystems for food to grow. Sailor is responsible for teaching programs and is a pivotal part of our education staff.
Sailor is excited to be working at the Nature Center and loves to teach people of all ages about animals and the environment. When Sailor is not spending time outside or inside with the animals she loves to cook new recipes and watch her favorite movies.
Laura Griffin, Naturalist Educator
Laura joined the Nature Center as a camp counselor in the summer of 2022. Laura graduated from FIT. As a Naturalist Educator, she teaches guests all about the animals we have on display and helps lead our popular program, “Mother Nature’s Storytime.” She has also been a lifelong lover of animals and educating future stewards of the environment so she felt immediately at home at the Nature Center.
Laura loves sharing her passion for art and animals with anyone interested in learning. In her free time, you can find her working on different art projects, reading, or playing her favorite video games.
Caleb HAMERMAN, Naturalist Educator
Cal has been volunteering at the Nature Center since 2019 and became a Naturalist Educator in 2023. He graduated from Hastings High School and is now taking classes at Westchester Community College while working part-time at the Nature Center doing animal care and participating in programs. He educates the public about our animals and things found in nature.
In Cal’s free time, he enjoys hiking, boxing, and spending time with his friends.
DAVID PALEY, NATURALIST EDUCATOR
David’s interest in animals led him to discover the Nature Center. He graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2019 with a degree in Communications and a concentration in Public Speaking. His communication skills make him a great Naturalist Educator here at the Nature Center. This role entails instilling a deeper connection to nature among our visitors through engaging them in impactful educational programs. He helps ensure a safe and healthy environment for all the animals that we are lucky enough to have with us here at the Nature Center.
When he’s not working, David enjoys spending time with his cats, Gustavo and Dusty, and African Bullfrog, Rusty. He enjoys listening to music, mainly hip-hop/rap, while driving to visit his friends down at the Jersey Shore. David grew up at the Shore and loves spending as much time near the ocean as possible.
Christopher Santos, Animal Care Assistant / Environmental Educator
Chris joined the Nature Center in fall of 2024 as the Animal Care Assistant / Environmental Educator. He graduated from Fordham University in the same year, having majored in Environmental Science. Originally intending to become a paleontologist, Chris’ passion shifted to working with live animals when he started volunteering at the Nature Center in 2021. In his role, Chris is constantly checking that every animal is receiving the care that they deserve.
Aside from his passion for animals, Chris also loves playing video games and hanging out with friends. He also enjoys creative writing in his spare time, thinking up detailed characters and worlds.
Angelina Zervos, NATURALIST EDUCATOR
Angelina graduated from Fordham University with a BA in Communication Cultural Studies and Sociology. She is passionate about the preservation of public green spaces that are accessible and equitable, especially in her hometown of The Bronx. She aims to explore the way people understand and relate to nature. She hopes to inspire curiosity and care for the environment, and to demonstrate that the natural world is all around us, even in urban spaces.
In her spare time, Angelina likes to spend time outside with her friends and pets in one her favorite green spaces, Pelham Bay Park.
Facilities and grounds
Matthew Jakaitis, Manager of facilities and grounds
Matthew joined the Nature Center in the winter of 2024 as the Manager of Facilities and Grounds. In 2016, he graduated from St. John’s University with a BA in Environmental Studies with a focus on sustainability. He is very passionate about conservation and preserving natural ecosystems for the future. Matthew is responsible for the maintenance, safety, and functionality of the Nature Center.
Matthew fell in love with nature while growing up in the Hudson River Valley and visiting the Bronx Zoo as a child. He is motivated to educate and inspire the next generation about the environment. Matthew’s favorite hobbies include hiking, cooking, snowboarding, and live music.
Chloe Koval, Land Steward
Chloe’s passion for wildlife and land conservation brought her to the Nature Center as the Land Steward in September of 2024. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont where she received a BS in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in conservation biology. Her responsibilities include maintaining a beautiful, safe landscape within the Nature Center, landscape designing with native plants, managing our organic demonstration garden, and implementing conservation strategies to support our local ecosystems.
Outside of the Nature Center, Chloe trains horses and teaches riding at Riverdale Stables. She also stands as the Outreach Coordinator for Harlem Roots Community Garden. When at home, Chloe enjoys writing and recording music while spending time with her friends and cat.
Kenneth Showalter, Facilities and Grounds assistant
Kenneth joined the Nature Center team on special assignment in Fall 2023. He received his Bachelor of Science at SUNY ESF, in Environmental Studies. He is currently a student at New York Botanical Garden working toward certificates in Arboriculture and Botany. He is retired from the New York State Office of Parks, where he spent 28 years in the Central Region and 10 years in the Thousand Islands Region. He has experience in managing State Park facilities in Clinton County.
Kenneth is grateful to be a new staff member at the Nature Center; and, is looking forward to this new adventure. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time at Long Lake, New York. He has climbed a dozen of the high peaks of the Adirondacks and bicycled thousands of miles on country roads in Central New York.
Board of Directors
Tracey Kurzweil, President
Jackie Feffer, First Vice President
Dolya Srivisal Fleck, Second Vice President
Naomi Haber, Secretary
Jim Blann, Treasurer
Catherine A. Ludden, Board Emeritus
Adam Lerman, Board Member
Michael Sims, Board Member
Diana Juettner, Board Member
Anni Luneau, Board Member
Charles Zegers, Board Member
David Gunton, Board Member
Jenny Findel-Pyne, Board Member
Erin Fitzgerald, Board Member
Melissa Jones, Board Member
Ellen Hendrickx, Town Board Liaison, Ex-Officio
Joe Lucasey, Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Ex-Officio