OWLS Adult Programming:
Speakers
Gabe Andrle
Conservation Program Coordinator, Georgia Audubon
With experiences both domestic and abroad, Gabe Andrle is Conservation Program Coordinator at Georgia Audubon. Andrle builds places where birds and people thrive by managing the wildlife sanctuary program and assisting with restoration projects. He is an Interpretive Ranger at Fernbank Museum of Natural History where he assists with outdoor programming and forest management.
Michael Cowan
Executive Director, Dunwoody Nature Center
Michael Cowan joined the Dunwoody Nature Center as Executive Director after more than 25 years in the corporate world. He graduated with a BS from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Emory. Since 2016, Cowan has served as Chairman of the city’s Sustainability Committee. He is addicted to composting, trees, pulling invasive plants & recycling. A native Georgian and Dunwoody resident, Cowan is active in many community organizations.
Susan Edwards
Naturalist
Susan Edwards is a Naturalist by trade with a B.S. in Ecology, a B.S.A. in Entomology and a M.Ed. in Environmental Education, all from the University of Georgia. She has been the Environmental Education Programs Manager at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, among other positions. A Dunwoody native, Susan has been passionate about plant medicine from a young age and is continually learning from her explorations and teaching both home and abroad.
Deborah Garrard
Founder, be(e) well serve well
Founder of Be(e) Well Serve Well, a wellness initiative, Deborah Garrard serves those who serve. Garrard is trained in holistic health approaches including Mind-Body-Spirit Eating through the Institute for the Psychology of Eating and Whole Food Plant-based Nutrition. For Deborah, health is wholeness. Health is consciousness.
Robin Hancock
Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Renewal By Nature
Robin Hancock was certified as a Forest Therapy Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy in 2016, and as the owner of Renewal by Nature, Hancock serves North Georgia through public and private walks, corporate and small business team building, and working with non-profit organizations.
Cindy Hodges
Owner and Operator, Hodges Honey
Cindy Hodges is a native of Atlanta, graduate of Emory University and the 2012 Georgia Beekeeper of the Year. She is the only female Georgian to earn the Georgia Master Craftsman certification in beekeeping. She is a speaker, researcher and swarm removal and rescuer. Hodges manages the hives at the Dunwoody Nature Center as well as the Hyatt Regency Hotel. She and her husband Mike own and operate “Hodges Honey” apiaries with hives located in Auburn, Alpharetta, and Dunwoody.
Nancy Shapiro
Chair Yoga Instructor
Nancy Shapiro served as a career pharmacist. Since her retirement in 2012, she has been a chair yoga instructor, personal trainer and a water aerobics instructor with the Silver Sneakers program.
Salma Stoman
Pharmacist
Salma Stoman holds a Pharm.D. from Mercer University and works as a pharmacist. She has a background in chemistry and in cellular and molecular biology. She is active with youth organizations and serves at several academic and religious organizations.
