Kelsie Pombo is a warm, creative guide with passion for song, story, and deep nature connection. She grew up on a farm in the San Joaquin River Delta, climbing trees, catching frogs, and tending to sheep and goat babes. She studied biology at Stanford University, where she had the opportunity to live and study in the Peruvian Amazon, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Monterey Bay. After college, Kelsie served in the Peace Corps in a rural community in Panama, where she supported environmental education, youth and women’s empowerment,  and sexual health education. Later, Kelsie worked for the San Joaquin County Office of Education and started the MEANDER field studies program and local SLEWS program. She is a certified Permaculture Designer and California naturalist.

Kelsie is currently a second-year participant in the Weaving Earth Immersion program for relational education, where she is deepening her connection to place, practicing sensory awareness, building community resilience, and apprenticing in the art of mentoring. In addition to being a Stepping Stones Leader, Kelsie is a nature-based mentor for Gaia Girls Passages, Vilda, and Forest Friends preschool program. When she’s not roaming forests and farms with young people, you may find her dancing, singing to trees, and swimming in wild waters.