Executive Director

Andrea is originally from Iowa, but has called Flagstaff home for 25 years. Both sides of her family were farmers and gardeners for many generations. Andrea has worked for environmental and Indigenous organizations in the non-profit sector for 35 years. She is dedicated to finding collaborative solutions for social and environmental issues and enjoys working with members of the community, especially young adults and children. Andrea has worked for Terra BIRDS since 2013. She loves to spend time gardening in her backyard and exploring Northern Arizona’s endless trails with her family and three dogs.

Founding Director

John Taylor was born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, and graduated from Flagstaff High School. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in the History of Art from Yale University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. Before entering the non-profit and education sector, John worked as a landscape and ecological restoration contractor. He is a father and an engaged family member, and is deeply committed to the well-being and sustainability of his Northern Arizona community.

Illustrator

Robert Chambers is a landscape architectural illustrator and has been with Terra BIRDS since 2010. His illustrations help tell the story of a garden before it exists and helps set a vision for how things can look in the future. He also does drawings for comic books, tee shirts, stickers, group murals, and other educational materials for TerraBIRDS, including Space Salad! He is also a freelance illustrator and internationally recognized urban sketch instructor. He is originally from Great Falls, Montana. When he is not drawing, he is trying to keep up with his wife and son on their mountain bikes.

Operations Coordinator

Rainah Ramsey was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and moved to Flagstaff shortly after graduating high school in 2012. She grew up with a love of animals and the outdoors, often spending time with her family camping, gardening, hiking, hunting, and more—but loves spending time indoors just as much, often partaking in activities such as reading, writing, gaming, and spending time with her three cats and hedgehog. She has a diverse set of interests that inspires her love and zest for the world around her.

School Gardens Program Coordinator

Nicole grew up in Montana, but has been lucky enough to call Flagstaff home for the past several years. She loves biking, running, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two dogs. Before working at Terra BIRDS, she worked on organic farms in Montana, which gave her a deep and stubborn love for growing food in challenging climates.

JD, Secretary
City of Flagstaff, Flagstaff, Arizona

Natalie has appreciated living in Flagstaff and being part of a community that values the outdoors since she moved here in 1994. She is an attorney who is passionate about climate action and advocacy at all levels of government and within the community. Her work involves legal research, consulting for the Flagstaff Sustainability Office to help identify funding opportunities to implement climate goals and policies, and volunteering with various climate and environmental justice groups including Citizens’ Climate Lobby. As the mother of two children, she has observed and experienced the valuable work of Terra BIRDS at our schools and in the community and is thrilled to be part of the Board. During down time, Natalie enjoys going for outdoor adventures with her family and their dog, Sadie.

PhD, President
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona

Ted Martinez is a Teaching Professor in Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Honors College where he teaches classes on plants, climate change, and nature writing. He is also the Academic Director of NAU’s Grand Canyon Semester, an interdisciplinary-experiential learning semester that fosters student learning about the people, places, and policies surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Ted is also a Managing Editor at Carbon Copy Journal, a journal at the intersection of climate science and the arts (CarbonCopy.world).

Advisory Board
Ita Hopi Lavayi, Hotevilla, Arizona

Debra Onsae is a member of the Hopi tribe. She is Tsu'wungwa (rattle snake clan) from the village of Munqapi. She is an ASU graduate and also earned certification in ESL/ Multi-cultural education from NAU. Debbie was an elementary teacher for 30 years and served as Native American Academic Advisor for FUSD for 12 years. She has been teaching Hopi culture and language for the past 15 years. She enjoys working with students in the school garden program with the Terra BIRDS staff. Her husband and family grow corn, beans, squash, melons and chili.

Advisory Board
Village of Moencopi (Lower), Arizona

Leonard Selestewa is a Hopi farmer and Kachina doll carver from the Village of Moencopi (Lower), Arizona. His family farms a seven acre homestead and grows a variety of Hopi crops, including: white and blue corn, lima beans, chiles, and melon. Leonard grew up learning how to grow life sustaining crops in a harsh desert environment from his father and how farming is intrinsically linked to Hopi culture, religion, and ceremonial cycles. He has been a fierce advocate for the preservation of Hopi water resources and sustainable energy for over twenty years. Leonard serves on his Village Board of Directors to help lead infrastructure and improvement projects.

Board Member
Trust for Public Lands, Flagstaff, Arizona

Lindsay was born and raised in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley, and grew up enjoying the outdoors in the Wasatch mountains and Southern Utah. After moving around the country with her partner for many years, during which she received a degree in Geography at The George Washington University in D.C., she settled in Flagstaff in 2017. She has worked as a cartographer at Trust for Public Land since 2012, supporting staff and partners’ efforts to connect everyone to the outdoors by creating parks and protecting land. She enjoys spending time with her partner and their dogs on the trails of Flagstaff and exploring in their camper van.

PhD, Treasurer
Flagstaff, Arizona

Elizabeth (Liz) Taylor has served on the Terra BIRDS Board of Directors as Treasurer for over ten years and has been an active member of the Flagstaff food and gardening movement for over two decades. She has been instrumental in the growth of local food businesses in Northern Arizona through investment and financing as the principal of Green Verde Verte and was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the community gardens program in Flagstaff. Liz is passionate about supporting green schoolyards and providing opportunities for schools to grow food for students, their families, and the community. She is an emeritus board member of Flagstaff Foodlink.

Bio Coming Soon