STAFF
Laura Szoke, Visitor Services Manager
Laura was raised in the Northern suburbs of Chicago and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois where she studied Natural Resources and Environmental Science. Throughout her studies she completed multiple internships around the world including in Hawaii and the Bahamas. Through these experiences, she learned the power of connecting people to nature and just how much she enjoyed doing so. In her role as Visitor Services Manager, Laura support all operations at the Galena Creek Visitor Center including youth camps and field trips, community outreach events, special events, and day-to-day operations. In her free time, Laura likes to do yoga, play with her cat Nina, paint, cook, and spend time recreating in nature!
Laura was raised in the Northern suburbs of Chicago and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois where she studied Natural Resources and Environmental Science. Throughout her studies she completed multiple internships around the world including in Hawaii and the Bahamas. Through these experiences, she learned the power of connecting people to nature and just how much she enjoyed doing so. In her role as Visitor Services Manager, Laura support all operations at the Galena Creek Visitor Center including youth camps and field trips, community outreach events, special events, and day-to-day operations. In her free time, Laura likes to do yoga, play with her cat Nina, paint, cook, and spend time recreating in nature!
Sam Bellis, Visitor Services Coordinator
Sam was raised in California where she was fortunate enough to explore the mountains, beaches, deserts, rivers, and forests. Deciding deserts were her favorite, Sam went to college in Arizona at Prescott College, where she was able to raft new rivers, backpack through canyons, and bask on the beaches of Sonora, Mexico. During all of this, she studied Environmental Science, learning about the birds, bugs, plants, and atmospheric processes that make a place a place. She also had the opportunity to work as an environmental educator at camps, schools, and afterschool programs. When she's not learning and teaching, Sam enjoys birding, painting, and exploring the outdoors through climbing and backpacking with her pup. Sam is hoping to apply her experience and passion for environmental education to make your visitor center experience the best it can be!
Sam was raised in California where she was fortunate enough to explore the mountains, beaches, deserts, rivers, and forests. Deciding deserts were her favorite, Sam went to college in Arizona at Prescott College, where she was able to raft new rivers, backpack through canyons, and bask on the beaches of Sonora, Mexico. During all of this, she studied Environmental Science, learning about the birds, bugs, plants, and atmospheric processes that make a place a place. She also had the opportunity to work as an environmental educator at camps, schools, and afterschool programs. When she's not learning and teaching, Sam enjoys birding, painting, and exploring the outdoors through climbing and backpacking with her pup. Sam is hoping to apply her experience and passion for environmental education to make your visitor center experience the best it can be!
VOLUNTEERS
Ed DeCarlo puts his 30-year Forest Service career to good use with the Great Basin Naturalists at Galena school field study program. He has a BS in Forest Management Science and a Secondary Teaching Certificate. Ed is passionate about the environment, is an avid skier, hiker, and paddle boarder. His expertise is in forestry, lands and water, wildlife habitat and winter recreation, and he enjoys living in Carson with his wife.
John Farley is a native of the Midwest. He spent his career at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he worked on many projects including the Hubble Space Telescope. Upon retiring in 2011, he moved to Washoe Valley. John enjoys spending time with his daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren, hiking with his dog, home remodeling, and winter sports. John manages the weekly guided hikes, either leading the hikes himself and sharing his extensive knowledge of the local area, or scheduling guest leaders with expertise in local history, animals or plants.
Emma Wynn is a native of the United Kingdom. She lived in Indiana and Japan before moving to Reno with her husband in 2016. Emma has a BSc in Botany and a postgraduate teaching certificate; she has been involved in science and environmental education at a variety of levels and in a variety of roles during her adult life. She is excited to learn about this area and is thrilled to be able to share her passion for nature and the environment via volunteering at the Visitor Center.
Jack Marsh hails from a small farming town in Southeastern Ohio. He graduated in 1958 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an electrical engineer and immediately went on active duty in the Navy. After a few years stationed on the East Coast, he returned to RPI and obtained a Masters and a PhD in physics working in magnetic resonance. The US Government employed him for roughly nine years primarily as a project manager for R&D. In 1975 he moved to Silicon Valley and founded a small electronics company specializing in equipment for the oil and gas industry where he served as president until his retirement in 1997. He and his wife, Becky, moved to Reno in 1999 where both are strong volunteers in our community.
