Meet Our Staff
Garrett Dempsey (he/him)
garrett.dempsey@sierraclub.org
Garrett Dempsey is the lead Sierra Club staff with Detroit Outdoors. His experiences growing up in San Francisco and organizing with communities in Oakland, California have shaped his passion for connecting urban youth with the outdoors and nature. Garrett is passionate about equitable access to nature and expanding the definition of what makes people conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts. Garrett is also the volunteer chair of the Sierra Club Detroit Inspiring Connections Outdoors program and he serves on the Executive Committee for the Sierra Club South East Michigan Group.
Jac Kyle (they/all)
kylej@detroitmi.gov
Jac Kyle has worked at a variety of environmental organizations in both urban and rural settings, connecting people to each other and nature through hands-on scientific monitoring, habitat stewardship and outdoor recreation experiences. For the past six years they have worked for the City of Detroit where they partnered with the Sierra Club to co-found the Detroit Outdoors Urban Camping Collaborative so youth can have meaningful overnight experiences without having to leave their city. As part of Detroit Outdoors, they provide the training, gear and natural spaces so organizations and community groups can integrate outdoor recreation into their existing programs and expand access to and representation in the outdoors. They are the Policy Advisor for the City of Detroit’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group working to create safer, more informed, and inclusive spaces, training and programming. It’s a deep joy for them to share how complex, collaborative and queer nature is with folks of all ages.
Chris Jackson (he/him)
w.jackson.christopher@gmail.com
Chris developed a love for nature and the outdoors at a young age. He has a passion for natural/herbal healing, camping, archery, biking, and urban gardening. Born and raised in the city of Detroit, Cass Tech Alum, attended Western Michigan University and Wayne State University. Chris has worked with children and families around the City of Detroit, and suburbs of the Metropolitan area for over 20 years, as an educator and coach (soccer & basketball). Currently, he is serving as the Camping Education and Conservation Coordinator and aims to help youth in The City of Detroit increase their environmental awareness and make genuine, meaningful connections with the outdoors.
Rachel Felder (she/her)
rachel.felder@detroitmi.gov
Rachel is a graduate of Wayne State University with her Bachelor’s in English and minor in African American Studies, with a background in science. She was born and raised in Michigan about 15 minutes away from Detroit. The outdoors is somewhere that she has always found herself being drawn to, stemming from a love of animals. It was this love for animals that sparked her fascination about the environment, which has now evolved into a deep passion for all things nature. Currently working as a Naturalist for the Detroit Parks & Recreation Department and a member of the Detroit Outdoors collaborative, she hopes to continue to promote access to natural spaces while ensuring that everyone feels comfortable and safe while exploring them. She believes that there are so many ways to exist in the outdoors and will continue to share this with other; hopeful that they too experience the magnitude of just how powerful nature can be.
Uriel Llanas Vargas (he/him)
ullanasvargas@gmail.com
Born and raised in Southwest Detroit, Uriel graduated from Cass Tech and spent the following summer discovering the wonder and adventure that the outdoors had to offer. With a newfound appreciation and respect for the outdoors, he worked with Detroit Outdoors developing his outdoor leadership skills. Uriel now hopes to not just make the outdoors accessible, but also more inclusive to the youth of Detroit and share the beauty and healing nature of the outdoors.
Isaac Piepszowski (he/him)
ipiepszowski@gmail.com
Isaac grew up in East English Village, Detroit, and graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. From a young age, he was exposed to camping, fishing, and skiing as his parents and four siblings adventured around northern Michigan. Recently, he spent 5 years as a high school science teacher at Mahpiya Luta Owayawa (Red Cloud School) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and it was there he fell deeper in love with the outdoors. He is an avid rock climber and backpacker and has dabbled in some alpine climbing and mountaineering. Isaac's true passion is working as an educator - whether in the classroom or on the trail - "I'm always finding ways to share what I know and continue learning from the wealth of knowledge I am surrounded by!"
Santiago Ramos (they/them)
Santiago@detroitoutdoors.org
Hailing from Grand Rapids and an MSW graduate from the University of Michigan, Santiago grew up spending summers camping and hiking in nearby Michigan state and city parks, where they developed their passion for outdoor recreation. Their experiences growing up camping and their background in social work shaped their passion for equitable access to outdoor recreation, and led them to pursue a career focused on connecting youth to natural spaces. Santiago is now serving as the Program Director of the Detroit chapter of Bold & Gold, a YMCA of Greater Seattle youth outdoor leadership program that now operates out of 10 locations across the US.