Gretchen Shissler is a pediatric occupational therapist who worked in public schools for eight years. She is incredibly passionate about child development, especially the area of sensory processing. After years of attempting to provide sensory supports to children in conventional schools, Gretchen became discontented with the limited effectiveness of sensory supports within the walls of traditional classrooms. She hates seeing kids struggle to keep themselves regulated and engaged in an environment that is not suited to their development. After a lot of soul searching and research, she decided to stop trying to change the child to fit the classroom and instead, decided to change the classroom to fit the child!
Gretchen is a Lafayette native who grew up on a farm about two miles from Camp Sycamore Valley, where Forest Academy is held. She and her seven older siblings spent their childhood running through the forest and fields, climbing trees, baking mud pies, building forts, and making up stories to reenact. Her childhood was incredibly happy, which she attributes in large part to the amount of time she was outside engaging in unstructured play.
After 13 years living out of state, Gretchen returned to Lafayette with her husband, Vince, and their two children Theodore and Violet. Their family loves to be outdoors and exploring the natural world. It has been great for Gretchen to make a career of her two favorite things – children and nature!
Erin Gough is a life-long Lafayette native and has always felt a strong connection to her community. She attended Purdue University after graduating from Lafayette Jefferson High School. Her curiosity and interest in a diverse world, its people, and how we interact and communicate with each other led her to study Political Science. After graduation, Erin worked for several local businesses until finding her way back to Purdue for a job in event planning. She was happy to have the opportunity to work at her alma mater and be immersed in a world rich in diversity and culture.
After staying home to raise three young children, Erin joined the Forest Academy program and was reminded of the importance that nature has in a child’s development and happiness. She has learned a multitude of new nature-based skills as well. Fire-building has become a particularly strong area of interest, and her current goal is to accomplish starting a fire with a bow drill. She is excited to continue helping all the young kids in our program to learn about fire, appreciate its value, and practice fire safety!
Erin recently attended the Association for Nature Based Education Teacher Certification program in Cortland, New York. It was a first-hand experience where she learned invaluable information for continued success at Forest Academy while also becoming a certified outdoor educator.
In her free time, Erin enjoys reading mystery novels, hiking in nature, and spending time with her husband Erik and their three children Alfie, Waylon, and Goldie. Being in nature for the past two years with Forest Academy has been a delight and she looks forward to helping the program with its continued success and growth!
Olivia is a teacher, dancer, and freelance musician based in Lafayette. She grew up surrounded and inspired by nature and music. After seeing “The Nutcracker” at age three, she began her ballet training at Lafayette Ballet School. Her years in ballet instilled in her a love of hard work, creativity, storytelling, collaboration etc. She went on to earn a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University in 2020.
Olivia has taught ballet to students of all ages, from young children to high schoolers. She has worked as an assistant teacher at Bubbles Academy in Chicago, where she also led parent/child ballet classes for toddlers. Now at Forest Academy, she loves working with children outdoors, where she finds joy in witnessing their social and emotional growth.
When not teaching, Olivia is a professional singer and musician, balancing her time between helping others complete their music and creating her own.
Heather Woody, a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Wildlife Biology, has devoted her life to inspiring in others a love for the natural world. She spent 13 years at the Columbian Park Zoo, with the last decade as the head zoo keeper. During her time at the zoo, Heather focused on educating the public about the wildlife while leading a team of dedicated zoological professionals. Through hands-on programs and engaging public outreach, she grew her passion for teaching others about the importance of conservation and fostering meaningful connections with animals and nature.
Heather grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana, where she spent her childhood immersed in the outdoors, exploring her family’s woods, orchard, gardens, and caring for animals alongside her two brothers. These early experiences nurtured her deep love for the natural world and instilled in her the value of hard work and the importance of movement in nature. Heather’s enthusiasm for wildlife was evident from a young age—so much so that for her 16th birthday, she asked for a swan instead of a car, and her parents happily said yes.
After meeting her husband Lucas at Purdue, Heather decided to make Lafayette her home. Together, they raise their son, Sawyer, along with an assortment of pets, including a cat, fish, snails, a hamster, ducks, and chickens. The family enjoys spending their free time outdoors, whether hiking, camping, skiing, biking, or gardening.
Heather was especially excited to find Forest Academy, a program that introduces children to the joy of exploring the natural world—a joy that many kids never get to experience. This mission closely aligns with her lifelong passion for helping others discover the beauty and wonder of nature.
Whether she’s leading educational programs, caring for animals, or exploring the outdoors with her family, Heather Woody embodies the spirit of her favorite quote: “Live simply, so others may simply live.” She believes that by fostering a deep appreciation for nature, we can all learn to live more intentionally and leave a better world for future generations.
