People

Scott Heck joined Delaware Nature Society in 2015 as their Facilities Manager. In 2021 he was promoted to Director of Facilities and Grounds. In his new role, he will direct the design, planning, construction and maintenance of the organization’s commercial facilities and residential properties. He is responsible for developing and managing the global facility and grounds, operating and capital budgets, and long-range plans based on the organization’s growth and future needs. Raised in New Castle County, Scott’s passion for Delaware’s natural areas began while canoeing the Brandywine River, fishing the Delaware Bay, and exploring the regions great parks and trail systems. He resides in North Wilmington with his beautiful wife and two kids.

Joanne McGeoch has been a non-profit executive and fundraising professional since 2003. She has worked in leadership roles in non-profits throughout the greater Philadelphia region including Habitat for Humanity, Tyler Arboretum and Greener Partners. In her 18 years as a fundraiser, she has raised over $15M towards capital campaigns, capacity building, and strategic growth initiatives. She joined Delaware Nature Society in 2015 as the Director of Development & Marketing. In January 2018 she was promoted to Deputy Director and in July 2021, she was appointed Interim Executive Director. Joanne has a BFA in Studio Arts from Arizona State University, and advanced certifications in Fundraising and Planned Giving. Her passion for the environment stems from childhood years spent getting lost in woods, climbing trees, and later, mountains. In her spare time, she builds clay pots and bowls from creek-clay using textures and colors inspired by nature. She lives in Wilmington with her husband and two children.

Tina comes to Delaware Nature Society with extensive experience managing educational programs for youth, families and adults at multiple sites and in positions of increasing responsibility for the YMCA of Delaware and the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. Tina’s experience includes camp, out-of-school-time programs, and licensed early childhood programs. Tina is an approved trainer for the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Education, the American Camping Association, the Darkness to Light child abuse prevention program and the American Red Cross, and completed a certification program titled “Outdoor Learning in a Nutshell” with  the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools.

Joe Sebastiani is currently the Director of Ashland Nature Center, headquarters of the Delaware Nature Society. Joe has been working for Delaware Nature Society since 1998 and grew up in Kennett Square, PA. He specializes in teaching adult nature classes on a wide variety of environmental topics. Joe is a co-leader of our Delaware Master Naturalist program, runs our Eco-Tours program, and oversees adult volunteerism and bird-related citizen science programs.

Kristen Travers blends over 25 years of experience in conservation and environmental education to engage diverse audiences in opportunities to connect with, and steward, nature. She has worked extensively with watershed and conservation organizations to provide mentoring and technical training and has led the development of nationally available education resources. Her work includes fostering strategic partnerships that conserve habitat and biodiversity and improve water quality. Kristen’s love of the environment stems from her childhood family experiences camping and getting happily lost in the woods leading her to pursue a degree in Environmental Science and later an MEd in Training Design & Development. In her spare time, she can often be found hiking, kayaking the Brandywine, or caring for her exuberant (aka messy) gardens.