Elana Mintz, Executive Director. Elana is the founder and executive director of Urban Adventure Squad/Urban Learning and Teaching Center, a nonprofit, 501(c)3, education organization based in Washington, DC. She launched UAS in 2014 to support families when schools were closed, so that parents/guardians could go to work and children could learn about environmental science, history, the arts, engineering, and much more while they explored neighborhoods, greenspaces, and waterways.
Today, Elana oversees the organization's efforts to to integrate #EquitableOutdoorLearning into the school day, with a particular focus on Title I schools in underserved neighborhoods. Urban Adventure Squad has received support and funding from a wide variety of agencies and organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), the Dennis Allen O’Toole Family Foundation, National Geographic, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the National Recreation Foundation, and is a proud education partner to many DC schools and nonprofits. In 2022, Urban Adventure Squad’s work was featured in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History's exhibit, “Our Places: Connecting People & Nature," and in 2023, Elana and Urban Adventure Squad were honored with the Casey Trees Canopy Award for Education.
Before starting the Squad, Elana spent over 20 years in editorial and communications positions at CNA, the Brookings Institution, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Congressional Quarterly. Her opinion pieces, with co-authors Doug Siglin and Emily Gasoi, have been published in the Washington Post and the DC Line, and she was interviewed for the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum's Urban Waterways/Women's Environmental Leadership project. Elana lives with her family in Aspen Hill, MD, and she loves a good walk.
Today, Elana oversees the organization's efforts to to integrate #EquitableOutdoorLearning into the school day, with a particular focus on Title I schools in underserved neighborhoods. Urban Adventure Squad has received support and funding from a wide variety of agencies and organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), the Dennis Allen O’Toole Family Foundation, National Geographic, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the National Recreation Foundation, and is a proud education partner to many DC schools and nonprofits. In 2022, Urban Adventure Squad’s work was featured in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History's exhibit, “Our Places: Connecting People & Nature," and in 2023, Elana and Urban Adventure Squad were honored with the Casey Trees Canopy Award for Education.
Before starting the Squad, Elana spent over 20 years in editorial and communications positions at CNA, the Brookings Institution, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Congressional Quarterly. Her opinion pieces, with co-authors Doug Siglin and Emily Gasoi, have been published in the Washington Post and the DC Line, and she was interviewed for the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum's Urban Waterways/Women's Environmental Leadership project. Elana lives with her family in Aspen Hill, MD, and she loves a good walk.
Christy Brock, Director of Programming. Christy has been researching, developing curricula for, and leading UAS programs since 2013. A graduate of American University with a degree in literature, Christy has lived in DC for 20 years and is the Squad’s best resource for magical, not-to-be-missed, family-friendly places. Her favorite Squad adventures include observing wildlife at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Kingman and Heritage Islands and discovering remnants of history in Rock Creek Park--like the site of the Blagden and Argyle mills, Pulpit Rock, and the Capitol stones. Connecting students to the stories of people and places and studying the tiny, overlooked bits of nature are Christy's favorite parts of outdoor learning. She especially loves identifying trees, moss, and fungi, and creating activities that include reading and writing in nature.
Christy is certified in First Aid, CPR, EpiPen administration, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. She is a mandated reporter and has completed the Safe Shores Stewards of Children training. She maintains her DC Master Naturalist certification with UDC CAUSES and is a Stream Team Leader through Rock Creek Conservancy. She participated in the National Geographic Reimagined Educator Certification pilot program in 2022 and completed the Project WILD training in 2021.
In 2022, Christy co-created a professional development micro-credential for D.C. Public Schools titled, "How to Plan Community-based, Interdisciplinary Outdoor Learning Lessons in Grades 1-5." At the 2023 Women’s Environmental Leadership Summit--a flagship program of the Smithsonian’s Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum--Christy co-led a workshop called, “Communities as Classrooms! Activate Outdoor Learning for All Ages." And she was featured as a panelist on the “Thinking Seven Generations” panel, where she talked about UAS programming and highlighted how getting students outdoors can foster community engagement and environmental stewardship for generations to come.
At the 2024 North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) conference, Christy co-led a roundtable discussion with the education team from Casey Trees titled, "How to Gain District Buy-In for Outdoor Education." She was selected to participate in D.C.'s Office of the State Superintendent for Education's (OSSE) Environmental Literacy Working Group. As part of this working group, Christy co-created and co-led an environmental literacy and outdoor learning professional development program for DC Public and Public Charter School teachers called Trailblazers.
Christy is also a barre instructor, cat mom, baking enthusiast, bookworm, and avid podcast listener. Podcast recommendation for kids: The classroom-friendly "Smologies" episodes of "Ologies with Alie Ward."
Christy is certified in First Aid, CPR, EpiPen administration, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. She is a mandated reporter and has completed the Safe Shores Stewards of Children training. She maintains her DC Master Naturalist certification with UDC CAUSES and is a Stream Team Leader through Rock Creek Conservancy. She participated in the National Geographic Reimagined Educator Certification pilot program in 2022 and completed the Project WILD training in 2021.
In 2022, Christy co-created a professional development micro-credential for D.C. Public Schools titled, "How to Plan Community-based, Interdisciplinary Outdoor Learning Lessons in Grades 1-5." At the 2023 Women’s Environmental Leadership Summit--a flagship program of the Smithsonian’s Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum--Christy co-led a workshop called, “Communities as Classrooms! Activate Outdoor Learning for All Ages." And she was featured as a panelist on the “Thinking Seven Generations” panel, where she talked about UAS programming and highlighted how getting students outdoors can foster community engagement and environmental stewardship for generations to come.
At the 2024 North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) conference, Christy co-led a roundtable discussion with the education team from Casey Trees titled, "How to Gain District Buy-In for Outdoor Education." She was selected to participate in D.C.'s Office of the State Superintendent for Education's (OSSE) Environmental Literacy Working Group. As part of this working group, Christy co-created and co-led an environmental literacy and outdoor learning professional development program for DC Public and Public Charter School teachers called Trailblazers.
Christy is also a barre instructor, cat mom, baking enthusiast, bookworm, and avid podcast listener. Podcast recommendation for kids: The classroom-friendly "Smologies" episodes of "Ologies with Alie Ward."
Randi Jones, Squad leader/Program Educator, Full-Time. Randi is a native Washingtonian who graduated in 2021 with a B.A in Anthropology and African American studies from Temple University, where she was president of the University Anthropology Association. One of her first jobs in high school was at fellow DC-based, outdoor learning program Elements DC. This experience sparked an interest in outdoor learning and working with children. At Temple University's Special Collection Resource Center, Randi gained experience with archival research materials and during her Introduction to Research Methods class, she led a research project focusing on the Effects of Gentrification on Food Insecurity. After participating in an archeological dig in Anguilla on the Wallblake Sugar Plantation, Randi transcribed slave records and collected data during an independent study. She also worked in communications and diversity awareness through volunteering as a Senior Diversity Peer Counselor in the Temple University Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership. Randi is certified in First Aid, CPR, and EpiPen administration as well as Youth Mental Health First Aid. Through a collaboration with the Smithsonian and UAS, Randi joined the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s Environmental Justice Academy as a facilitator for spring-summer 2023.
Alexis Hochgertel, Squad leader/Program Educator, Part-Time. Alexis is an undergraduate student at American University. She is an intended Environmental Studies major with a double minor in Art and Sustainability. Alexis volunteered with Urban Adventure Squad during the 2022-23 school year as part of her Honors Research class and is very excited for the opportunity to become an employee of the Squad. Not only does she love working with kids and has spent her summers working at an environmental education summer camp in her home state of New Jersey, but Alexis is also very interested in researching environmental education. Alexis has experience creating curriculum for climate change and sustainability education for elementary-aged students and based her honors capstone research project on the importance of environmental and outdoor education for elementary schools. Alexis is certified in First Aid, CPR, & EpiPen administration.
Maya Brown, Squad leader/Program Educator, Part-Time. Maya grew up in Washington state, where she spent her childhood making forts in the woods and befriending any animal that would tolerate her. When she was 10 years old, her family moved to the tiny island of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, located in Micronesia, in the South Pacific. There she swam, water skied, and snorkeled; roamed the island barefoot with her friends; and spent endless hours walking the reefs at low tide. At age 14, Maya’s family moved to Vermont where she attended high school and later college. During her senior year of high school, she studied at The Mountain School of Milton Academy–a semester-long program for high school juniors and seniors that focuses on integrating outdoor learning and the humanities. There she lived and worked on a farm while taking classes and reciting Wordsworth in the fields. This wondrous mix is what truly sparked Maya’s life-long love of the outdoors and learning.
Maya earned her BA in anthropology from the University of Vermont and her MA in Literature from Georgetown University. She served two years in the Peace Corps in Mongolia; was an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow; taught for two years in the JET Program in Osaka, Japan; coached cross country and swimming at Sidwell Friends School; managed and coached an all-women’s triathlon team; and served as the program director and coach for a summer youth triathlon camp in DC. More recently, she taught English and Writing for over a decade at NOVA and American University. Maya loves to ski, play tennis, read, and annoy her family by constantly pointing out neighborhood animals. An avid distance runner, she has run 13 marathons (including the Boston Marathon and an indoor track marathon--211 times around an indoor track!), three 50-mile races, and two 100K races. She lives in Shaw with her two kids ages ten and twelve, two cats, and husband.
Maya earned her BA in anthropology from the University of Vermont and her MA in Literature from Georgetown University. She served two years in the Peace Corps in Mongolia; was an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow; taught for two years in the JET Program in Osaka, Japan; coached cross country and swimming at Sidwell Friends School; managed and coached an all-women’s triathlon team; and served as the program director and coach for a summer youth triathlon camp in DC. More recently, she taught English and Writing for over a decade at NOVA and American University. Maya loves to ski, play tennis, read, and annoy her family by constantly pointing out neighborhood animals. An avid distance runner, she has run 13 marathons (including the Boston Marathon and an indoor track marathon--211 times around an indoor track!), three 50-mile races, and two 100K races. She lives in Shaw with her two kids ages ten and twelve, two cats, and husband.