Education Team
Rosie Norlander | Straub Outdoors Education Committee Chair
Rosie grew up camping and hiking in the mountains of New Mexico where she developed her love of being outdoors. She graduated from OSU’s College of Forestry with a degree in Natural Resource Management and promptly went home to the desert where she worked as an Environmental Educator for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
The Pacific Northwest called, though, and she moved back to Oregon with her husband and young family. Rosie currently teaches at the Montessori Discovery Center in Salem, Oregon. She loves to kayak and backpack, but mostly these days she bikes and takes long, slow hikes with her young kids who stop to pick up every rock, stick, and leaf.
As the Education Team Chair and a member of our Board of Directors, Rosie serves as a conduit between our education staff and the board, helping to ensure the two groups work together for the benefit of the children in our programs and our community.
John Savage | Straub Outdoors Program Adviser & Leadership Mentor
John graduated from Oregon State University in 1979 with a master’s degree in Natural Resource Economics. He served as the Director of Oregon’s Department of Energy and was later appointed as an Oregon Public Utility Commissioner before retiring in 2017.
In addition to his volunteer work as a board member and adviser at Straub Outdoors, John is the President of the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Applied Ecology and the Thompson-Patch Scholarship Fund. In his free time, he leads native wildflower hikes, mentors students at several elementary schools in Salem, and is a volunteer English-language tutor for several Ukrainian families who have resettled in the Salem area. He is also compiling a guide to the native plants of Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, Oregon.
Catherine Alexander | Straub Outdoors Executive Director
Catherine’s childhood in Western Oregon was spent exploring the forests surrounding her family’s farmstead. After studying fine art at the University of Oregon and Portland State University, she worked in the New York art world for a decade before relocating to Sarasota, Florida, where she taught art and ecology programs and studied and illustrated subtropical orchids at the Marie Selby Botanical Garden.
After returning to Oregon she co-founded Red Alder Group, a collaborative dedicated to supporting nonprofits through restructuring, rebranding, and fund development. Catherine currently oversees all aspects of Straub Outdoors programming, including curriculum development, staff training, outreach, and program management.
In addition to her professional roles, Catherine is a natural science illustrator and is the parent of Drew, a computer programmer with the soul of a Zen Master. She also loves hiking in the Cascade foothills and taking long sunset walks at Minto-Brown Island Park.
Melissa Nyseth | Straub Outdoors Administrative Coordinator
Melissa feels lucky to be born and raised in Oregon, which she says has it all: mountains, forests, rivers, desert, and the ocean beaches. As a child, her family didn’t spend much time in nature; however, two of her fondest memories are of hiking with her uncle up to Mary’s Peak near Philomath, and at Mt. Hebo near the Oregon Coast.
As an adult, Melissa has worked as a caregiver with elders and people with developmental disabilities and later earned an associate degree in accounting from Chemeketa Community College.
Melissa, her daughter Lilly, and her husband Nathan like to hike, camp, and occasionally get the kayaks out. They also spend time birdwatching, which is one of Melissa’s favorite outdoor activities.
Check back soon for information abut our new Education Director!