What’s Up, Interpreters? A Podcast from the National Association for Interpretation

Allie Elliott is an interpreter based in Midland, Michigan who brings together her background in biology and passion for people to create meaningful connections with the natural world. She works at the Chippewa Nature Center as an Interpretive Naturalist / Assistant Camp Director, where she focuses on youth programming and hands-on experiences that inspire curiosity, stewardship, and belonging in the outdoors. With a special intere...

Grace Teofilo Hilker, CIG, is a Volunteer Manager in St. Louis, Missouri. She has her MA in American Studies from St. Louis University and holds a BA in History and Political Science with certificates in Gender & Women’s Studies and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She loves hiking, traveling, cooking, playing music, and doing all of the above (not at the same time) with her family. She joins NAI's Hea...

Richard Muñoz is the Coordinator of California Fish & Wildlife's "Fishing in the City" program and the Community Engagement Specialist for the department's North Central Region. Additionally, he received NAI's 2024 Meritorious Service Award, he is the chair of the 2026 NAI Conference in Oakland, and he represents NAI's Justice, Equity, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Section in planning the Interpreting Environmental Justice C...

Dave Gustafson has served with the City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks for 23 years as a law enforcement ranger, search-and-rescue professional, wildland firefighter, and interpreter. He teaches defensive tactics for the Boulder Police Department and teaches the National Association for Interpretation’s CIG course. Before joining Boulder, Dave worked for the National Park Service...

James "Jay" Gardner Harrison III is a descendant of two American Presidents, William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison, as well as English colonists Harmon Harrison and his cousin John Rolfe, who arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in the early 1600s. He works as a Community Programs Assistant with the Museum Learning & Programs department of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Wa...

The Honorable Robert G. Stanton received NAI’s 2025 President’s Award. As the fifteenth Director of the National Park Service, and its first African American leader, Mr. Stanton’s more than 40-year career has advanced interpretation, resource stewardship, and equitable public engagement nationwide. Beginning as a seasonal ranger at Grand Teton National Park in 1962, he rose through the ranks to lead the agency wit...

Monique Thompson is the founder of Raindrop Naturalist, through which she trains guides and educators across parks, museums, and cultural sites to move beyond information delivery and into meaningful dialogue. Monique, a prolific NAI trainer, is passionate about mentoring new interpreters, advancing interpretive training worldwide, and helping organizations evolve with empathy and creativity in a changing world.

Von Harden is the president and founder of the International Association of Tour Directors and Guides (IATDG), as well as the vice president of college access programs with CE Tours. Von has been working in the student travel industry for more than a quarter century. Von focuses on connecting students from underserved communities with tourism opportunities. 

Von joins NAI's Heather Manier and Paul Caputo to discuss the interse...

André Copeland, Interpretive Programs Manager at Brookfield Zoo Chicago and an NAI Lead Trainer, has been an active NAI member since 2004. He will be a keynote speaker at NAI 2025 in Virginia Beach, addressing perspective and perception in interpretation. André has more than 30 years’ experience working in the zoological field which includes animal care, program development and management, frontline interpretati...

Longtime NAI member Michael Kirschman, director of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation, joins to discuss Mount Trashmore and other jewels of the city's park system. Virginia Beach Parks and Rec manages more than 290 parks, 7,000 acres, seven large recreation centers, 185 playgrounds, 200 athletic fields, 14 boat launches, a marina, and the Princess Anne Athletic Complex, and it's Virginia Beach's largest childcare provider through ...

Gaynell Brady, CIG, is the Owner/Educator at Our Mammy’s. In her role, she develops and implements programs that teach participants about Louisiana African American genealogy and history, using her own family tree. Gaynell holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Southern University at New Orleans. She joins NAI's Song Stott and Paul Caputo to discuss her personal connection to Hurricane...

Natalie Teboul, MFA, MSEd, is a "teacherpreneur" in San Diego, and the inventor of Traveling Miss T.’s Math Maps©. She tutors all grade levels and subjects, and is passionate about creating engaging curriculum, implementing best education practices, and most importantly, shaping tomorrow's thinkers and leaders. When she’s not traveling the world by Coordinate Plane, or tutoring, Natalie loves to tap dance, hike, and coo...