Irene grew up in the Appalachians of New Jersey, in the township of West Milford. They attended Rutgers University finishing with a B.A. in Anthropology and Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources Management. Irene is passionate about mycology, mixed media arts, and cultivating community. They run a queer mycology club out of Portland, Oregon to help them and their neighbors deepen their knowledge of the land around them. 

Irene comes to Swallowtail from Tracker’s Earth, where they spent the last several years designing curriculum for outdoor education camps, leading teams of other outdoor educators, and leading camps themself. They have a wide array of knowledge and experience related to environmental education, including wilderness survival skills and bushcraft, plant identification and ecological knowledge, field observation, and removal of invasive species. They are certified with Project WET and Project Learning Tree, two Environmental Education certification organizations. Irene is new to Waldorf Education and eager to learn more about this unique approach to working with children.

Irene is also a freelance photographer and has a long history of planning community gatherings, mutual aid events, and art shows. In addition to the farm classes, Irene is photographing school life and helping to plan school events such as the Auction and the Winter Market.