Our Staff

 Karen Johnson Folsom,  Site Administrator.  Mrs. Folsom graduated from Hillsborough County's East Bay High School. She holds a B.S. in Education and a M.A. in Administration and Leadership.  Mrs. Folsom has taught in Hillsborough County since 1989 and joined the Nature's Classroom staff in 1994.  As a naturalist, Mrs. Folsom strives to share her enthusiasm for the world around her to learners of all ages.  

 
William H. Munsey, Teacher. Mr. Munsey came to Tampa to go to college at the University of Tampa. He received his M.A. degree and did his advanced studies at the University of South Florida. He has taught for the Hillsborough County school system for many years, more than twenty of which have been at Nature's Classroom. His greatest joy in life is teaching the children of Hillsborough County the beauties and wonders of nature.

Rachel Ryan - Teacher.  Ms. Ryan graduated from Kaiserslautern American High School in Germany. She earned a B.A. in Education from the University of South Florida. Ms. Ryan has taught in Hillsborough County elementary and middle schools since 1993 and has worked at Nature’s Classroom since 2003. She enjoys traveling and volunteering in other countries and brings her experiences and the world to life for her students.

Chris Rusnak- Teacher. Mr. Rusnak received his B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and his M.A.T. with a focus in Science Education from the University of Tampa. He has been teaching at Nature’s Classroom since 2003. As an avid naturalist, he enjoys spending time learning and sharing all aspects of the natural world.

Missy Laycock, Secretary IV.  Ms. Laycock graduated from King High School. She has been with Hillsborough County Schools since 1997. She joined Nature’s Classroom in 2003. She loves animals and nature so coming from working at a high school to Nature’s Classroom was a dream come true.

Tom Shay, Assistant Teacher. Mr. Shay was born in Pottstown, PA. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Psychology and then earned a M.A. in General Psychology at California State University, LA. Mr. Shay joined the staff at Nature's Classroom as a river dock master in 1997.  He enjoys most outdoor activities.

 Jill Sox, Assistant Teacher.  Ms. Sox grew up in Florida and is an avid nature lover. She graduated from Florida State University and joined the staff in 2007.

Emilie Joyce, Assistant Teacher.  Ms. Joyce was born in Colorado and has lived all over the United States. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in Special Education. She is a certified interpreter of natural history and joined the staff in 2007. She finds nothing more gratifying than sharing her love of the outdoors with others.

Sam Osborne, Assistant Teacher.  Mr. Osborne was born in Virginia. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Liberal Arts. Sam joined the staff in 2000. He enjoys sharing the outdoors with the students, and feels he also learns from them.
 
Lisa Wancio, Assistant Teacher.  Ms. Wancio has evolved from a business entrepreneur into educating young minds about the importance of nature and their environment.  She has a B.B.A. and volunteered at Nature’s Classroom prior to joining the staff in 2008.

Keith (Corky) Welsh, Head Grounds Keeper. Mr. Welsh was born in York, PA. He has been working at Nature's Classroom for 34 years as Head Grounds Keeper. Corky says that Nature's Classroom is a great place to work. 

 

Manuel R. Fernandez, Jr. Maintenance Staff. Mr. Fernandez has worked at Nature's Classroom since 1995. He received his K-12 education within the Hillsborough County school system and attended Nature's Classroom in 1980 as a sixth grader. He considers it a joy and a privilege to work for the program. 
 

Carlos R. Clark, Groundskeeper and Custodian. Mr. Clark graduated from Armwood High School. He was in the military for 4 years and worked as an Assistant Manager at a major retailer until joining Nature’s Classroom in 2008.

Tom Anderson, Bus Driver/Instructor.  Mr. Anderson was born in Georgia and has been a Florida resident for 47 years. He attended Florida State University and became a firefighter. Once retiring as a firefighter he became a bus driver for Hillsborough County Public Schools. He has now been a bus driver for 14 years and has been with Nature's Classroom for 11 years.

Debbie Albritton, Bus Driver/Instructor.  Ms. Albritton has lived in Plant City her entire life where she graduated from Plant City High School in 1975. She has been employed by the Hillsborough County School District since 1985, transferring to Nature’s Classroom in 2003. After waiting a long time for the door to open, this opportunity was an answer to prayer.


 

Carolyn Luneack, Bus Driver/Instructor. Ms. Luneack was born in Richmond, Indiana. She moved to Florida in 1969. Carolyn has been a bus driver for Nature's Classroom since 1980. Working at Nature's Classroom has been a wonderful experience.  

Cathy Newman, Bus Driver/Instructor.  Ms. Newman was born in Morocco, North Africa. She has been a bus driver since 1986 and has been at Nature’s Classroom since 2007. I love being outdoors and instructing the students about native animals and plants. The river is where my heart is!

Janet Surrency, Bus Driver/Instructor.  Mrs. Surrency was born in Plant City and graduated from Plant City High School. She has lived in the Plant City area all of her life. She has been employed with the Hillsborough County Schools since 1991 as a bus driver. She started working at Nature’s Classroom in 2001. Mrs. Surrency always wanted to work at Nature’s Classroom after coming as a sixth grade student at Turkey Creek Middle School.