Camp Instructor for 6-9 age group
Linda Blum has been teaching young children for 25 years. She started off her career as an infant and toddler specialist, but now Linda works mostly with children ranging from 2-7 years of age. Linda has her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education and is a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). Linda works directly with students who have Special Abilities and Needs. She works in local schools to help support and implement academic and behavior support strategies for children in need. As well, Linda provides direct teacher training in the classroom and professional development programs for educators across the Bay Area on best inclusion practices.
Linda is very passionate about working with animals and educating young children on healthy food choices and compassionate thinking and living! She served on the Board of Directors at Goatlandia as the Secretary for many years. Linda has a special interest in health and nutrition, as she made the decision to become a vegetarian at the young age of 12. Linda is inspired by her work with young children and is enthusiastic about sharing her love of animals with them. In her spare time, Linda enjoys dancing Salsa and Tango and performing Opera music locally. Linda lived in Italy for 2 years and is an Italian citizen. She loves speaking in Italian and teaching ASL (American Sign Language); while currently learning to speak Spanish. For fun, Linda also enjoys skiing, surfing, cooking and traveling abroad!
Camp Instructor for 10-12 age group
Gabi is an artist and educator whose passion for both animals and activism began, like many, with meeting Jane Goodall as a child. After reading her book Harvest for Hope at age 10, they began a journey of activism in practice (vegetarian & vegan eating) and through direct action in pursuit of climate justice. This passion has also led them to working in outdoor and experiential education, including a California naturalist certification through the UC system, and teaching outdoor ed, Kindergarten, and 1st grade at Marin Horizon School in Mill Valley.
But that’s not all! Gabi also spent the first part of their career as a working actor, so they also bring a passion for performance art to their work as an educator. In their spare time, you can find Gabi long boarding around the Outer Richmond in San Francisco, swimming at China Beach (yes, even on cold days) and hiking throughout the Bay Area. They are very excited to bring their passion for performance art and experiential education to Goatlandia team this summer!
Lead Educator, Factory Farming Awareness Coalition
Natalie is an educator and world traveler, committed to understanding the interconnections of systemic issues that detriment humans, animals, and the planet. Upon graduating in 2016 with a B.A in Liberal Studies and a teaching license from University of West Florida, she moved to Asia, where she taught in both rural and urban sections of South Korea and China for several years. In 2021, Natalie returned back to the U.S to complete her Master’s degree in Humane Education from the Institute for Humane Education with Antioch University. Today, Natalie combines her experience in education and her passion for social justice in order to bridge gaps in equity and promote a healthier, solution-driven world for all.
Although her passions and professional experiences are continuously growing, one thing that happily remains constant are her hobbies, which include her adoration for her dog, Phoebe, backpacking, and watching Netflix with a facemask on.
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
Mary Mackey is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, specializing in whole food, plant-based nutrition. She is a co-founder of plant-based advocates and part of the leadership collective at FFAC. She is passionate about saving animals' lives and putting an end to factory farming.
Dr. Jeff Pierce is a board-certified family medicine physician who has practiced for over 18 years in northern California and performed global health work in Africa and Latin America. With a passion for bringing the power of healthy lifestyle habits to his patients, Dr. Pierce believes patients can achieve just about anything with the right tools.
Training Institutions: Dr. Piece attended medical school at the Baylor College of Medicine and completed his residency at the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency. He also completed his fellowship in Global Health Leadership at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital and is additionally board-certified in lifestyle medicine.
Clinical Expertise: Dr. Pierce specializes in weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cholesterol management, fatty liver disease, cancer prevention, hormonal health and healthy pregnancies, plant-based nutrition, autoimmune disorders, depression and anxiety, digestive health, and dementia prevention.
My Philosophy: I believe that with the right information and motivation, people can get to the root cause of their illnesses and heal themselves.
Interests: Growing the majority of our family’s fruits and veggies, running, reading, and playing saxophone in my jazz trio.
Hannah hails from the big skies of Western Montana. She grew up participating in 4-H and riding working cow horses. After moving around Canada and the U.S. to earn advanced training in Linguistics, she focused her training on veterinary medicine, earning her D.V.M. from Washington State University.
She enjoys practicing preventive medicine for both bovids and equids. Equine dentistry is a particular passion along with ophthalmology and acupuncture.
In her time off, Hannah enjoys riding dressage with her Quarter Horse mare, working out and exploring California with her husband and their two dogs.
Sean grew up in Bishop, Ca where he developed an interest in animal husbandry while raising pigs in 4-H and showing western horses. He completed all of his school at UC Davis and graduated with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2014.
The following year was spent as an intern at Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic. Sean joined SMVS in July 2015. His special interests include internal medicine, ophthalmology, and lameness.
On his off time, Sean enjoys fly fishing, swimming, running, and a good cup of coffee.
