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 has built a phenomenal team at Quest ...

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 and cultures throughout her career 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 thoughtfully, inclusively, and authe...

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 Interpretation. Jim and his wife, C...

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 bring together diverse teams to make a...

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 the outdoors. With a special intere...

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 her family. She joins NAI's Hea...

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 Interpreting Environmental Justice C...

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...

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 American Indian (NMAI) in Wa...