Staff | Nature Connect in Fairhope, AL

Brinkley Hutchings Powers

Founder, Director, Owner

Brinkley spent most of her childhood exploring and playing on the beach along Mobile Bay. Brinkley is inspired by children's sense of wonder, curiosity, and play, and she loves to share her enthusiasm for the natural world. Brinkley graduated from UNC Wilmington with a degree in Environmental Science. She worked and studied extensively at multiple outdoor schools across the country and was so grateful to establish Nature Connect in her hometown in 2017. Brinkley is the director of our school, and teaching the children in the outdoors is what she loves the most! She is also a certified coach and consultant for other nature schools.

Susan Desmond

Admissions Director

Susan was born on the Texas Gulf Coast and raised throughout the Southeast, spending much of her youth and adult life in the mountains of North and Central Alabama. She earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology and English from the University of Montevallo and later completed her Montessori Teaching Credential. She joined Nature Connect in 2022 and now serves as Director of Enrollment and Development, where she is passionate about fostering meaningful connections between children, nature, and community. With more than 18 years of experience as a Montessori guide and nature educator, Susan brings a deep understanding of child development, individualized learning, and nurturing the whole child. She strongly believes in environmental stewardship and is committed to helping the next generation learn how to care for our planet. She firmly believes in Dr. Maria Montessori's words-“A child needs to live naturally and not simply have a knowledge of nature.”

Eleanor Brindle

Communications & Fundraising Director

Eleanor Brindle is a published author and illustrator, crisis interventionist, certified EMDR practitioner, and relief and development professional. She holds an M.S. in Psychology with a focus on Crisis Management and Response from a trauma-informed perspective. Her book, The First Days, is published by The Collective Book Studio and internationally distributed by Simon & Schuster.

As a Nature Connect parent, Eleanor has seen firsthand the benefits of outdoor learning and nature-based education. Her background in psychology and trauma-informed care has shaped a deep appreciation for environments that support children’s emotional well-being, resilience, curiosity, and sense of connection. She is excited to bring this experience and perspective to the Nature Connect community.

Jennifer Clark-Grainger

Program Director

Jennifer spent every afternoon in the creeks, forests and mountains of South Carolina as a young child, only willing to come in after dark. At 10, she moved to Louisiana, where she was instantly smitten by the Spanish Moss and various swamps. She moved to Alabama in 2005, where she fell in love with kayaking, exploring and learning about the vast number of local waterways. This curiosity motivated her to leave her job in marketing and go back to school for Archaeology. She now has a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Fine Arts from the University of South Alabama, where she worked with children for over 5 years in the USA Archaeology Museum. This is where she found her passion for education, programming and working with children. When her child started at Nature Connect, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. On the weekends, she can be found traveling, camping, attending ArtWalks, photographing, singing in a band or exploring with her friends, husband and daughter.

Brittany Hultquist

Administrative Consultant

Brittany grew up adventuring all along the Gulf Coast. One of her most treasured childhood memories is spending time at her grandparents' house on Tensaw Island catching fish and swimming in the river. She briefly left the Gulf Coast to continue pursuing her degree in Commercial Art and Computer Graphics in Birmingham, Alabama. It was there that she met her husband and started a family. Brittany now finds joy in her two children's sense of wonder for the outdoors in the same home she did on the river with her grandparents. If she is not helping her kids catch frogs in the backyard, she is photographing other families outdoors or enjoying a good book in her free time. She has worked in customer service for over ten years and specializes in organizational development and client management. Brittany is incredibly grateful to work alongside the team at Nature Connect!

Kat McAleer

Campus Director

Kat grew up free-range in the Ozark Mountains, exploring the hills, creeks, rivers and forests of Northwest Arkansas. She has always loved spending time in nature, whether in the forests of Arizona or the mountains of Japan. Although her educational background is primarily in Literature, she is excited about her position at Nature Connect, helping children learn about nature. Kat is also a gardener and a beekeepers, and plants extensively for pollinators in her garden.

Amy Smith

Homeschool Teacher

Amy grew up on a series of parks near Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans and spent her childhood playing outside with her four siblings and neighborhood friends. Amy has a B.A. in communications/journalism and an M.F.A. in creative writing. Throughout her career, she has written for a variety of publications, including Mobile Bay Monthly. She also worked for eight years as a public relations coordinator and volunteered as a Girl Scout leader for four years.

Andrea Herring

Homeschool Teacher

Andrea finds beauty, peace, and joy in the outdoors and experiences its positive effects on her and her children. She grew up spending her summers on a lake in NY enjoying water sports and nature. She has been fortunate to live in several different coastal communities in her travels as a military spouse. Each community has unique experiences from the sugary sands of the Gulf Coast to the overwhelming mountains and sights of whales breaching in Alaska. Whenever possible, she tries to visit national and state parks to pass along the experience of adventure and outdoors to her 3 daughters. Andrea’s curiosity and fondness of science led her to get a BS in Biology. Working with children is both a rewarding and continuous learning opportunity for her. She has volunteered in her children’s classes, assisted and enriched her children’s virtual school experience and worked as a preschool aide and teacher. She is excited to be a part of the Nature Connect team to inspire the leaders and explorers of tomorrow!

Samantha Frey

Teacher

Samantha grew up in south Florida, where she spent every moment she could exploring the swamps, forests, and beaches near her home. When she was eleven years old, her family bought a house on Lake Logan Martin in Pell City, Alabama. Samantha enjoyed spending all her time on the water - boating, fishing, swimming, and kayaking. She helped homeschool her younger siblings, which led her to become a preschool teacher. She is very excited about her new adventure teaching at Nature Connect. Samantha loves to garden and raise chickens.

Rebecca Garcia

Homeschool & Extended Day Teacher

Rebecca grew up in North Georgia, where she enjoyed spending time in the Blue Ridge Mountains and playing in the creeks and woods. As a mom herself, she has found giving children the opportunity to explore the natural world around them very important. She began volunteering with Nature Connect in 2024 through the summer camps and homeschool enrichment programs and is excited to step into her new role with Extended Care. When she's not at school, Rebecca loves baking, knitting, and being in nature with her son.

Meet Our Staff

Emily Chinal

Teacher

Emily grew up in the Pacific Northwest where her fondest memories are of spending time outside exploring nature and gardening with her mother. Her family moved to Louisiana where she graduated from Saint Scholastica Academy. Her time spent golfing with her father as a child and into high school, sparked her interest in a career where she could spend most of her time outside. She later moved to Fairhope and obtained her degree in Sports Marketing & Event Management from South Alabama. As a mother, she now enjoys spending her free time with her husband and children at their property in Loxley where they garden, have honeybees, and create memories together.

Enjoying the beauty of nature and teaching are her passion.

She is excited to be a part of the Nature Connect Team!

Faith Harrell

Lead Teacher

Faith is proud to call South Alabama her home since birth. As a young girl, she fell in love with horses and spent all her free time at the barn. During her teenage years, she competed throughout the Southeast with her beloved horse Graffiti. Now, she enjoys teaching young riders the ins and outs of horsemanship and still rides whenever she can. Faith has always felt drawn to working with young children and graduated from the University of South Alabama with a degree in Early Childhood Studies. She has spent time in a variety of classroom settings and is thrilled to bring her love of childhood development outdoors! In her free time, she can be found playing with her nieces and dogs or going on trips in the family camper.

Nature Connect Logo_Type_Around_Color.png

Caroline Mules

Lead Teacher

Caroline grew up in Houston, Texas, where she spent her childhood playing and exploring the wonders of nature with her siblings. Together, they always had a magical time making concoctions and “potions” in the backyard with mud, sticks, leaves, and other natural resources. She attended LSU and upon returning to Houston, she continued to pursue her love and passion of caring for children in early childhood education. She and her partner recently moved to Mobile for his medical residency, and Lolly was immediately drawn to Nature Connect because of its mission, and the amazing learning opportunities and moments of wonder it provides to children and staff alike.

Sydney Barter

Teacher

Sydney grew up in Daphne, AL where she enjoyed exploring the woods and creeks behind her house. She has always had a passion for the outdoors, fishing, and animals. She graduated from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL with a degree in Psychology. She recently received her Masters in Education with a degree in School Counseling from the University of South Alabama. She has previously worked as Summer Camp counselor at Nature Connect for many years, and is so grateful to return as a teacher's assistant this school year. She is very excited to continue sharing her nature and learning experiences with her students!

Jessie Boyette

Teacher

Jessie has been camping and hiking her entire life and enjoys the outdoors all year long. She is from Iowa and got a degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska. She has been working with children since 2006, teaching swim lessons, piano lessons, coaching various swim teams, working at summer camps as well as nursery settings. Jessie is a loving wife and mother of four children, who are a part of the Nature Connect Family. She loves to run, camp and go to Disney World.

Ashley Franklin

Teacher

As a child, Ashley spent every day playing outside and exploring the natural world. Raised in the Tampa Bay area, her earliest memories revolve around playing at the beach, collecting sand dollars and coquina shells, boating, camping, and exploring local creeks and springs. She later moved to Chicago, where she traded sandy shores for winter experiences, building igloos, sculpting snowmen, ice skating, and enjoying the lakes of the midwest during the summer. It was the ultimate pull of coastal sunsets and proximity to the water that led Ashley and her husband to settle on the Eastern Shore from Atlanta. Today, Ashley is incredibly grateful to be part of the Nature Connect team, where she can work in the great outdoors and continue learning alongside her community.

Kelli Hildreth

Lead Nursery Teacher

Kelli grew up in Hoover, Alabama where she played softball all of her youth and young adult life, eventually playing Junior College softball in southwest Georgia. Upon finishing her collegiate softball career, she moved back to Hoover and earned an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development. Since, she has worked with children for the better part of the last 20 years. She has been in church nurseries, traditional preschool classrooms, Reggio inspired classrooms, and even taught kids and family art classes from stage. She has been happily married since 2013 to her husband, John. They share a home in Silverhill with their 2 dogs, Munchie and Hushpuppy.

Ceil Striplin

Nursery Teacher

Ceil is an experienced teacher who has taught in the traditional classroom and in non-traditional settings. She’s taught History to all ages, English as a Second Language to adult refugees and Lego Robotics to K-6th grade as afterschool enrichment and as summer camps. Ceil is excited to develop and teach a PreK enrichment curriculum at Nature Connect School. She is also very excited her two grandsons are flourishing here!