Staff
Lauren Elizabeth (she/her)
Director of Wild Seeds + Facilitator
Lauren is a queer mixed-race Dominican-Philadelphian. She is the small group facilitator for our teen group (the Chickens). She loves to be outside, cook, read, write and listen to podcasts. She is a former Philadelphia public school teacher who struggled with how much school prioritized a standardized output over the wellness of children. At Wild Seeds she can probably be found discussing cult conspiracy theories with teens, facilitating science experiments or talking about big feelings. Outside of Wild Seeds she is involved in various community organizing projects.
Lauren Umlauf (she/her)
Executive Director, Facilitator
Lauren Umlauf is really interested in supporting young people as they move towards shaping their own lives. Some of her favorite ways to spend time with kids include having conversations about what excites them, collaborating on comedy sketches, and reading books aloud together. She currently facilitates the Eggs small group (ages 5–6) at Wild Seeds. Lauren brings over a decade of teaching experience across public schools and alternative learning environments. She has co-founded several community-based education initiatives in Philadelphia, including South Philly Cooperative Playschool (2014), and Philly Agile Learning Community (2018). Outside of Wild Seeds, Lauren enjoys roller skating, attending comedy shows, and spending time in nature with her family.
Marielle Burt (they/them)
Facilitator & Development Director
Marielle loves helping kids connect to their passions, values, and each other. Some of their favorite activities to do with young people include theater, creative writing, big outdoor games, hands-on engineering projects, and exploring Philadelphia. Marielle previously worked as a public school teacher, theater educator, and adult mentor to the Providence Student Union. They are the facilitator for the 9-11 age group (the chicks), and they write grants for TDP. Outside of Wild Seeds, Marielle enjoys dancing, hiking, playing piano, and playing games with friends.
Anna D'Isidoro (she/they)
Facilitator
Anna enjoys supporting and learning alongside kids through cooking food together, exploring the city, creative storytelling, and games. Before coming to Wild Seeds three years ago, Anna was farming, cooking/baking in restaurants, and collaborating with Philadelphia teenagers in a self-directed afterschool program focused on building life skills through land stewardship. She loves being outside, cooking with friends, reading and finding a nice rock.
Lily Myers (she/her)
Aftercare Director
Lily Myers comes from a Environmental Education background and loves teaching about art, science, nature, gardening, and food. She received a BA from University of Vermont in Environmental Studies and focused on conservation and Environmental Education. She has certificates in Social Emotional Learning from CASEL and believes SEL is essential to providing a supportive After School program. She is passionate about education focused on youth agency and empowerment, non-hierarchal learning, and increasing accessibility to nature and environmental education for everyone. She has experience teaching after-school nature clubs, organizing and facilitating outdoor youth field trips, teaching place-based school garden education, and various other environmental education programs across Philadelphia with Let’s Go Outdoors, Philly Thrive, and directly for schools. She is excited to continue this work with Philly youth at The Dandelion Project with their After School program and summer camp.
Jay Byrd (he/him)
Aftercare Staff
Jay is a huge enthusiast for nature and Ioves facilitating environments where kids in urban areas can enjoy nature in meaningful ways. It's been such a joy for him work at dandelion after care!
Berenice Tompkins (she/her)
Aftercare Staff
Berenice (or Bere, said like "Berry") came from a climate action organizing background before arriving at Dandelion, and she believes kids have to fall in love with the world in order to be motivated to protect it! She loves helping children connect with nature and with each other. Some of Bere's other interests include supporting kids to work through conflict, build empathy for each other and think about consent and bodily autonomy from an early age - all while playing and having fun!
Beth Castillo-Cann (they/them)
Elementary Homeschool Evaluator
Beth is an unschooling mom of two kids, a former music + math teacher (12 years) in the Philly School District, and a homeschool evaluator. She lives in South Philly where she provides child-care and owns Songbird Music, a small business offering local music classes.
Teresa Giardina (she/they)
Special Education + Homeschool Evaluation
My name is Teresa Giardina (she/her or they/them). I am a special education teacher at HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Philly Free School. I am certified in elementary, special education, and middle school science in Pennsylvania. I live in an intentional community in West Philadelphia with my partner and our two children and two other families. I am the parent of two young people: Gus age 17 and Sage age 6.
Email: giardina.teresa@gmail.com
Justin Becker (he/him)
Secondary Home School Evaluator
Justin has been working with young people in some capacity for over two decades. He discovered various alternative education models after the birth of his first child and has been involved with educational organizations such as the Philly Free School, Philly ALC, and Open Connections. Justin earned his master’s degree in Special Education from Temple University in 2022 and taught 9th grade Algebra at Strawberry Mansion High School before his current role teaching 9th grade English at South Philadelphia High School. Justin’s interests include dystopian science fiction, brutalist architecture, and iced coffee. He lives in South Philadelphia with his wife and three teenagers.
