Candice is the founder and executive director of Davis Forest School, where she is honored to steward a thriving nonprofit serving hundreds of children and families each year throughout the greater Sacramento region. A mother, storyteller, and community weaver, she believes that meaningful relationships — with nature, one another, and ourselves — have the power to transform lives.

As the daughter of immigrants growing up in Los Angeles, Candice had little opportunity to experience unstructured time in nature. It wasn’t until she became a mother that she discovered the profound impact of slowing down outdoors alongside her own children. That experience inspired her to create Davis Forest School — an equitable, child-centered, full-nature immersion program where children of all backgrounds are welcomed, honored, and encouraged to develop a deep relationship with the land.

Candice holds a BA from UC Davis and an MBA from California Lutheran University. She leads through a collaborative, relationship-centered approach and is passionate about expanding access to high-quality outdoor education for all families.

She believes that when children and adults remember their belonging to the living world, they become courageous storytellers, compassionate leaders, and wise stewards of their communities. Through Davis Forest School, Candice is cultivating a culture where both people and the land can flourish together.

Jenna Kohls is the mother of 2 children, and recently married. She loves music, dance, playing the guitar, her husband, her home, and her children. Jenna was raised on a farm in the Delta region of California, and spent most of her childhood outdoors, connecting to plants, animals and frolicking through wildflower fields. Over the  years, Jenna has studied various healing and teaching professions. She holds a Ashtanga yoga certification, is certified by Mindful Schools, is a certified Massage Therapist, volunteered with the Awareness Institute, worked with Trackers Earth in Berkeley, CA, has 10 years of experience founding and directing nature-based preschools, has been a preschool teacher for 20 years, and is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development at Sac State. Jenna also spent over a decade designing and leading yoga, ballet, and movement classes for preschool and school-age children who are experiencing poverty and not provided physical education. Jenna founded Starlight Cottage Playcare, Dragonfly Forest School, and co-founded Muck and Wonder Farm School in Sacramento.

Alana is a CA native plant enthusiast, mom, and lifelong resident of Northern California. She credits childhood family trips to state and national parks – and her child – for instilling awe and love for the beauties of this earth. She is currently in the process of becoming a Certified California Naturalist. She earned a BA in Psychology and a Minor in Child Development through CSU, Chico, and later returned to complete a BS in Nursing. As a public health nurse, she advocates for access to natural spaces and opportunities to connect with nature as public health issues. She believes children need to get to know and experience nature firsthand before they can care about it, and loves seeing them discover the natural world and hear their unique and inspiring perspectives.

Allison is a 3rd generation Sacramento local and loves the American River, the Pacific Ocean & all natural bodies of water she’s had the pleasure & privilege to visit. When Allison’s son was just an infant in March 2020, she found great refuge and peace by visiting the American River almost every single day of 2020 and beyond. She still visits multiple times per week with her family and always finds joy, solace, connection and comfort in our beautiful American River. 

Allison is a UC certified California naturalist, having trained with Brena Seck @ Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Allison has been teaching & performing hoopdance and creating hula hoops since 2007. She attended both UCSC and UCD and is a UCD graduate. She loves being a mom to her son, ZG! She loves dancing at outdoor concerts (especially Stick Figure), as well as visiting the rivers, the ocean and its beaches, tide pools and shores. She also enjoys creating stained glass art. Allison enjoys bringing people to these wonderful wild places around us, and she strives to help others find joyful connection with themselves, their communities and their environments.

Growing up in Northern California, Ashley has fond memories of spending her childhood exploring open spaces, streams, and forests with her friends. Her family were avid campers and road-trippers, which she still loves to do. Ashley attended Sacramento Waldorf school from k-12 grade, which instilled an independent spirit and connection to the natural rhythms of the world. She holds a B.S. in Business Management, as well as her Early Childhood teaching credentials. She has taught Early Childhood for the last 7 years. Ashley lives in midtown with her teenage son. They love to see live music, analyze films, and travel together. She sees herself as a guide for the children in learning and developing social-emotional skills and a deep appreciation of nature. Ashley uses play to engage senses, strengthen social awareness, and introduce curriculum.

Becky grew up in the Sacramento area, with many summers spent boating at Folsom Lake. After moving away to the Bay Area for college, she returned to Sacramento and received her teaching credential. Becky taught TK and Kindergarten for 6 years in a public school where she worked to shift the Kinder program into a more child-led, play-based program, including creating a natural outdoor playscape on campus. After having her daughter in 2021, she left teaching to stay home. She started a conscious parenting coaching and support business to help parents connect deeply with themselves and their kids, and hosts a podcast where she shares rich conversations on conscious parenting. Becky is rekindling her love of nature and its rhythms by exploring the beautiful place we live with child-like wonder alongside her daughter and husband.

Isadora has grown up all over the place – from Brazil, to Switzerland, to Davis, where she is now tying roots to. She recently earned a BS in Environmental Sciences from UCD and is incredibly passionate about outdoor education as well as the wonders that nature exposure can do for child development. In the future, she hopes to go to earn a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture, and specialize in children parks/playgrounds! In her free time, she enjoys camping with her corgi, Kira; doing ceramics; thrifting; and going to the river.

Growing up in West Sacramento, JuliAnn spent summers enjoying the river and the beautiful California weather. Being near water has always put her at peace, and while she has lived in various parts of the world over the last decade, she is never far from a natural source of water. JuliAnn has a lifelong passion for working with children, which naturally led to a career in teaching. She holds a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and an MBA focused on Environmental Sustainability, and her enthusiasm for empowering youth to take care of the environment stemmed from working at a green school. In this season of life, she is seeking to blend her knowledge and life experiences with her love of working with kids, making her especially excited to join DFS! Outside of work, you can find JuliAnn lifting weights, reading, or hanging out with her cat, Catalina.

Lina was born in Germany and is the eldest of five siblings. She grew up playing in the woods behind her family’s apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden with her sister and their close friend. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 8 years old and although she no longer had the forest at her fingertips, she and her friends found little nature spots wherever they were to be found, with the consensus that the more expansive, and wilder, and freer, the better. She earned a BS in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution at UCLA where she also taught outdoor education seminars as a guide through their Outdoor Leadership Training Program. After working in environmental consulting for three years in downtown LA, she moved to Davis to continue her education in ecology at UC Davis. She co-taught at Kindergruppe Waldwichtel, a German immersion forest school in Davis from 2017-2020 and became a certified California Naturalist in 2020. She finds great joy in getting outdoors with children, including her own two, and believes that a personal connection with nature fosters well-being and a sense of global responsibility.

Lindsay grew up in the Summit Mountains in Utah and the coastal lands of Monterey before settling in the Sierra Foothills. She developed a love and respect for nature through hiking and exposure to Indigenous lands and National Parks all throughout the southwest and California. Visiting protected sites and learning about indigenous cultures along with her studies in relational models of attachment to our environment are at the root of her personal connection to nature and land stewardship. She delights in witnessing her three young children growing their relationship with the land as they visit their favorite local sites for nature learning and rest. Lindsay brings warmth and respect to her interactions with young people and always keeps in mind her oldest child’s wisdom to “just trust kids… like it’s your favorite thing to do”.

MATT MOKSKI (Assistant Forest Mentor, he/him) is in the Redwood SEED scholars program at UC Davis. He is part of the Aggie Golf Club and enjoys playing a round of golf on the weekend. He sometimes goes to the driving range on Fridays to hit a bucket of balls and practice some putting. Matt is from Petaluma, California and grew up being outside. In his free time, he loves hiking, biking, bowling, and spending time with his family and friends. He loves being outside and enjoying nature and hanging out with kids. Over the summer, he likes swimming and going on adventures to San Diego, Yosemite, San Francisco, and Point Reyes. 

Natascha was born and partially raised in Germany, and some of her most precious childhood memories are of wandering about in the woods, equipped with little more than her imagination, and coming up with stories inspired by the land she was exploring. Natascha went on to study Plant Biology at UC Davis and become a certified California Naturalist. After graduating, she discovered the magic of Davis Forest School and worked with the organization for almost three years, learning and growing right alongside the children she mentored, and becoming deeply familiar with the rhythms of the local ecosystem. In recent years, she unearthed a passion for ancestral skills and fiber arts, and loves to spin yarn, knit, and weave, as well as experiment with natural dyes. Natascha is so happy to be rejoining Davis Forest School after a year away and to build new memories with the community along the creek.

Shay grew up in Salt Lake City and has called Sacramento home for the past 10 years. After playing college soccer, Shay began coaching and discovered a passion for working with kids and helping them grow through movement, play, and exploration. She is a UC Certified California Naturalist and loves bringing together two of her greatest passions: working with children and exploring the natural world. Shay is happiest outside, especially when discovering something new in nature. She particularly enjoys identifying plants, from native species to the many invasive plants found throughout the region. Shay volunteers with the American River Parkway Foundation, helping care for and learn about the Parkway’s unique ecosystem. Shay is excited to create meaningful opportunities for children to explore, play, and build their own connection with the natural world.

Tianna grew up in Sacramento, and is the proud mother of three children. She was introduced to homeschooling and forest schools through a natural parenting community, later helping to run an outdoor preschool cooperative. For over ten years, Tianna has been homeschooling her children, prioritizing outdoor programs and active involvement in homeschool cooperatives. A passionate advocate for the arts, she also co-owned an art studio where she taught artist study classes for homeschooling families. Tianna and her family love life in Sacramento, enjoying the river and exploring the area’s many offerings. Seeing the world through her children’s eyes has been her most rewarding experience. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, crafting, cooking, baking, road tripping, and acting.

Born and raised in Sacramento, Vanessa moved to the Bay Area to pursue a BA in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration from San Francisco State University. After 15 years, she returned to Sacramento with her husband and two children, while her stepson stayed with his mother in the Bay Area. A strong advocate for the power of nature, Vanessa has co-founded two nature camps and brings over two decades of experience working with children. She fell in love with Davis Forest School last year while her daughter attended and is thrilled to blend her passion for physical activity with the essence of the outdoors. She believes that nature is not only a playground but also a sanctuary for the soul, offering opportunities for growth, exploration, and connection.