Nate was born and raised in Oshkosh Wisconsin. After graduating with a degree in conservation biology, he served in Suriname, South America as a Peace Corps volunteer. After 2 years of living in the rainforest, Nate was hooked on tropic ecology and studied tropical butterfly ecology in Tobago for his graduate thesis. After graduate school, Nate accepted a position on the island of Saipan as a herpetologist for the local government which transitioned into a full-time position with the Fish and Wildlife Service. Afte nine years on Sipan, Nate moved to Washington, D.C. to help launch the Secretary’s Youth Initiative to engage, education, and employ young people. Ind 2011, Nate accepted a position at the National Conservation Training Cener where he serves as the Division Manager for the Creative Resources Branch and continues to support youth programming.