Who We Are
Dr. Martin Main
Program Leader
Dr. Main began developing the Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) in 1999 following a 1998 south Florida eco-heritage workshop. He realized the great need for a professional development education program on Florida's natural history. "I believe that most people are genuinely interested and concerned about nature, and that as they learn more, their level of interest and concern increases. I was surprised, however, at the tremendous response to the FMNP, which I think is a very good indication that Floridians will work hard to ensure healthy environments, clean water, and diverse wildlife are available for future generations to enjoy."
Dr. Main has since contributed to the development of Master Naturalist programs in many other states and has won many awards. He is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida.
Sarah Falkowski is the Education Coordinator for Rookery Bay Reserve. Sarah manages the Education Department, including K-12 field trips, as well as naturalist and public programs at the Environmental Learning Center, within the 110,000-acre Reserve. She creates the calendar of events and trains interpretative volunteers, in addition to serving as the Reserve’s education liaison with the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center Network.
Chad Truxall is the Executive Director of the Marine Discovery Center (with responsibility for implementing the organization’s mission to protect and restore Florida’s coastal ecosystems. Prior to his role as Executive Director, Truxall served as the Director of Programs for MDC and was responsible for developing and implementing hands on, feet-wet education and conservation programs.
Carrie Stevenson is the Coastal Sustainability Agent IV for the UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension Office. She has been with the organization since 2003. Her educational outreach focuses on preservation of
Karen Rose is a lifelong naturalist and Florida native with a background in botany, ecology, conservation, landscape design, horticulture, and land management. In addition to being a lead instructor for the Florida Master Naturalist Program, she does invasive plant eradication for private clients, takes care of her aging parents, and stays actively involved in the lives of her four grown kids. She is very passionate about sharing the knowledge she's gained over the years, and has been known to stop strangers on the trail to ask if they know about the botanical treasures at their feet. She is certified as Level 2 Track & Sign with Tracker Certification North America.
Kelly Ussia is the Supervisor of Outdoor Recreation for St. Johns County Parks and Recreation. She runs a wide variety of public programs including but not limited to kayaking, beach walks, archery, summer camp, fishing, and paddle boarding. She has worked for St. Johns County since 2015 and has helped to grow their programming team. Her undergraduate education is in Biology (BS) and Environmental Studies (BA) both from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has also received her master’s in Parks Recreation and Tourism Management from Clemson University.
Nicole is a lead instructor for Orange County at the Oakland Nature Preserve. She has a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from University of Miami (Go Canes!) and a Master of Science in marine biology from Nova Southeastern University. Nicole has been fascinated by the outdoors since she was little. She became interested in the marine environment in high school, completing her SCUBA certification at 15 years old. After moving to central Florida in 2010, she took a more active interest in all of Florida’s natural environments, native plants and animals. Nicole was the Volunteer and Wildlife Care Coordinator for the Preserve for 6 years before moving into the Managing Director position in 2024. Nicole completed her Advanced Master Naturalist Certification in 2021 and has been part of the instructor team at Oakland Nature Preserve since 2024.