Team Leaders:
Kelsey Johnson, Program Director/Founder (she/her): As the founder and director of In My Backyard, Kelsey brings her experience as a current youth and volunteer coordinator with the National Park Service and passion for sharing the outdoors to supporting and strengthening the program. She is an 17-year veteran of the NPS, with experience in interpretation, education, and cultural and natural resource management. Kelsey has worked in seven different national parks, including the National Park of American Samoa, Olympic National Park, San Juan Island National Historical Park and Oregon Caves National Monument. She is passionate about youth engagement with public lands and making change within the NPS to be a more inclusive and equitable place to work and experience. Kelsey has a Master of Science degree in Resource Management from Central Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/International Studies from Western Washington University. She loves her rescue dog and kittens and can found most weekends exploring the outdoors and playing with the pets. Learn more about Kelsey and how she became a park ranger!
Megan Young, Community Engagement Coordinator (she/her): Megan began at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park as a volunteer intern with the In My Backyard Program in the spring of 2017. Currently, Megan serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator, connecting communities in the Puget Sound to resources and national parks through community programs such as City to Summit. Developing and nourishing relationships through meaningful and authentic connections is an aspect of her job that Megan really enjoys. In My Backyard also means a lot to her; it’s where her journey began with the National Park Service. Here, you can read more about how Megan took the leap to apply. Collaborating with a team, graphic design, dogs, and General Porpoise are a few of her favorite things.
Emilio Gonzalez, Seattle Area National Park Sites’ Lead Artist-in-Residence and Community Engagement Specialist (he/him)
Emilio has always loved the outdoors and has been visiting Sequoia & Kinds Canyon National Parks since he was 5 years old. He is now a frequent visitor and enjoyer of all the national parks in Washington. Emilio is a backpacker, surfer, artist, muralist, and adventure seeker. During the winter you can catch him surfing the PNW coast and backpacking in the summer. Emilio manages the Youth Artist-In-Residence Program, leading a youth mural project with the In My Backyard Team, assisting with and creating community engagement programs, and designing artwork of his own for the park. Emilio is excited to be working with and leading programs that he started his National Park Service journey.
In My Backyard 