Dr. kj | co-Director

Dr. kj, an Indigenous Yoeme (Yaqui)/Bisayan person living with colonized family histories, born and raised on occupied Tongva Land in Los Angeles, California, embarks on a transformative educational journey fueled by a profound connection to Native Land. Dr. kj's ancestors originate from Arizona and Sonora, Mexico (paternal), and the Bisayan islands in the Philippines and Mexico (maternal), where they worked in farm labor camps in Arizona cotton fields and in Hawai'i plantations as sakada, respectively, which is why Dr. kj has devoted time loving and learning with the Indigenous Land of both Arizona and Hawai'i, and California deserts. Dr. kj's passion for immersive and reciprocal place-based life and learning finds a perfect match in the Co-Director role at The Field Semester, where Dr. kj eagerly anticipates sharing and learning ecological lifeways that harmonize with the program's visionary mission.

A radiant force in their field, Dr. kj is a knowledge creator and creative thinker with accomplishments that shine through leadership, program development, creative endeavors, scholarly publications, and international collaborations. Recipient of numerous academic scholarships and honors, Dr. kj is a two time National Science Foundation awardee, including a National Science Foundation Fellow appointment, who has captivated audiences with multiple invited speaker talks on a national and international stage. Dr. kj has earned an associate's degree, a bachelor's of science degree in Anthropology and Cultural Resources Management, two master's degrees, one of which is in Environmental Anthropology, and culminated their studies as a doctoral scholar in Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. As an ethnographer and environmental anthropologist specializing in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) and Indigenous-STS, Dr. kj has collaborated with leading pollinator scientists both in the academic academy and the USDA while embodying a continuum connection to ancestors and an anti-colonial praxis that honors Indigenous lifeways. In addition, Dr. kj was a founding collaborator with the USDA in establishing the Tribal Pollinator Action group, and worked at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians tribal administration in the Cultural Heritage department. Dr. kj hopes to co-create opportunities to empower student land-based experiences, insights, and voices through multimodal and multimedia sources, especially art/science/environment interfaces.

With teaching experience and graduate student oversight at UC Riverside and UC Santa Cruz in anthropology, feminist studies, ethnic studies, and Native American/Indigenous studies, Dr. kj is also a published author and poet whose work and writing brings to the forefront ancestral knowledge and emotion, and uplifts ancestral futures and Land/more-than-human remembering and knowing. Simultaneously, Dr. kj has worked closely with Los Angeles and Oakland youth, teaching in school settings and beyond as a science teacher, special education, and environmental educator. Dr. kj's readiness and enthusiasm to collaborate with the TFS Board of Directors and local, regional, and global communities reflect a commitment to co-creating a nurturing learning environment rooted in love and vibrancy. Described as empathetic, enthusiastic, observant, protective, and reflective, Dr. kj brings a unique blend of qualities and visionary imaginings to The Field Semester. Dr. kj's goal is to foster an empowering and authentically curious learning environment that celebrates neurodiversity and unites human and more-than-human beings with joy and a good heart.

Yaeir Heber | Lead founder

Raised in Oakland and former student of other-founders Paul and Andy at Head-Royce, Yaeir graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in World-Views and Sustainability—a degree he designed to examine the underpinnings of our society's unsustainable tendencies and how education can be employed to strategically address them. His research led him around the world, studying education systems in eco-villages throughout Europe, community structure, permaculture design, and earth-building in the Middle East, rain-forest conservation and agroforestry in Ecuador, and community farming in the US. After graduating, he worked as an educator both in and outside of the formal classroom, like in Chester, PA for example, where he was responsible for the Public Housing Authority's urban agriculture program—developing and managing an urban farm and its youth education program. Whether through his work with community agriculture or teaching in classrooms in Manhattan and Oakland, Yaeir has a demonstrated commitment to helping students cultivate personal bonds with the natural world and one another through meaningful, experiential, outdoor education. Yaeir is an avid rock-climber and musician who loves to forage, cook, build, and spend time in the great outdoors.

Rebekah Truemper | Capital Campaign Director

Rebekah is a strategic and collaborative nonprofit-sector leader with expertise in both fundraising and communications. In her work, she is known for centering authentic donor engagement, values-driven communications, and nurturing a culture of philanthropy within social-change organizations. Her experience includes leading through significant organizational change, coaching, board development, fundraising assessments, and strategy-aligned resource development. Previous work includes a major capital campaign for Outward Bound, supporting a period of exponential growth at the National Writing Project, navigating a merger with San Francisco School Volunteers and the SF Education Fund, and serving as development director at several Bay Area independent schools. In 2015, Rebekah founded her own fundraising consulting business, grounded in her experience working for social change and for opportunities that help all students reach their full potential.

Jamie Fass | Communications Consultant

Jamie is a strategic marketing consultant focused on making an impact through digital communications and special projects. Formerly a Chief of Staff for an independent hospitality brand in New York City, that was the first Zero Waste Certified restaurant in the US, her career has been characterized by organizations and teams that do things differently in the name of making positive change in our world.