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

Joli Reynolds is a nature center manager with 20 years of experience in environmental education and interpretation. She currently serves as the director for NAI's Sunny Southeast Region. Joli's most utilized skills include leadership, strategic planning, and creating beautiful spreadsheets. Joli's philosophy on managing interpreters is to train them for challenges and trust them to succeed. She ha...

Yvette tells us about her position at the Zoo and her leadership role in NAI.

Julia Pinnix is the Visitor Services Manager for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Olympia, Washington. In this episode, Julia shares how growing up around parks helped shape her connection to the outdoors and ultimately led to a career in interpretation spanning nearly four decades. She also discusses the meaningful connections she has made with people from different backgrounds a...

Join Norena Shopland, author and historian specializing in the history of sexual orientation, and Steve Slack, heritage interpretation consultant and co-author of a recently published best-practice guide on LGBTQIA+ heritage interpretation. In this episode, they explore the history and practice of interpreting LGBTQIA+ heritage in the UK, sharing insights and approaches for telling these stories t...

Paul Caputo is wrapping up his time as NAI’s Executive Director, and this special episode of What’s Up, Interpreters drops on his birthday! Join us as Paul looks back on his 24 years with NAI, sharing stories, memories, and reflections from his incredible journey with this organization. He is joined by Heather Manier and Song Stott.

Jamie Hubert is the Interpretive Center Manager at Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center in St Charles, Missouri. Prior to her current role, she worked with Missouri State Parks for nearly two decades. She is serving on the committee for NAI 2027 in St. Louis and looks forward to inviting NAI members to her hometown. 

Jim Covel has spent over 50 years as an interpreter, ranger, trainer and educator, in venues including parks, museums and universities. He retired after nearly 35 years as the Director of Training and Interpretation at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and continues to interpret marine life at the aquarium as a volunteer guide. Jim is a Founder, Fellow and former President of the National Association for...

With nearly three decades of experience as an exhibit designer and architect, Michael Fiegenschuh, AIA, LFA, brings a unique perspective on the built environment to his role as a Principal at EDX. His deep affinity for interpretive centers, museums and parks is driven by a love of storytelling and understanding our place in the world. His skill as both a project lead and designer allows him to bri...

NAI Vice President for Programs Jessica Moore is the Superintendent at Sinks Canyon State Park and Interpretive Lead for Wyoming State Parks. She grew up in Michigan where she started her career as an Interpretive Ranger with the National Park Service, moved to Washington State where she spent 18 years working as an educator at a 725-acre wildlife park, and was hired on with Wyoming State Parks in...

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...

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 he...

Brandi Stewart is a Space Science Outreach Coordinator for the Earth to Sky Interagency Partnership. Brandi grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved out west to complete an M. Ed. in environmental education and non-profit leadership through the North Cascades Institute's residency program. Brandi brings a background in place-based engagement, training development, and program management, p...

Jedda Foreman, Associate Director at the Lawrence Hall of Science, oversees a group focused on learning design and educational research and how insights from those efforts get translated into tools, services, products, and professional learning that build capacity for the STEM education field. In this role, Jedda works face-to-face with educators, school and county superintendents, executive direc...

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 I...

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 for n...

Rhana Paris is a retired naturalist, non-formal educator and longtime member of NAI. She loves to talk about natural environments and the critters they support as well as solutions to challenging environmental problems. Rhana is known for goofy songs, storytelling, and stargazing programs. Time is now spent hiking, kayaking, crafting and traveling. She joins NAI's Song Stott and Paul Caputo.

Kendra Raines is a nationally syndicated radio personality and award-winning voice actor with more than two decades of experience. Kendra recently earned her Certificate of Interpretive Guiding and applies interpretive principles to her work in radio and content creation. On this episode, she joins NAI's Madison Hyatt and Paul Caputo.

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...

Chris Davis, Safety and Training Director at Pink Adventure Tours, brings a wealth of experience from the adventure tourism world. He joins NAI's Heather Manier and Paul Caputo to discuss using interpretation to create safe, meaningful, and memorable experiences for visitors and for the interpreters who lead them.

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 le...

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...

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...

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, frontli...

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...

Sebastian Frankenberger, president of the World Federation of Tour Guide Associations (WFTGA), joins to talk about the role of interpretation in tourism around the world, and how interpretation organizations and tourism organizations might partner in the future. NAI's Song Stott and Paul Caputo host.