Meet our Staff

Meet Our Staff

Sacramento Splash is blessed with an enthusiastic and creative team of educators. Some are professional scientists, while others are former classroom teachers, but they are all united by a passion for sharing the wonders of nature with children and their families.

Emily Butler, Executive Director

Emily has been a Splasher since childhood, when her mother and Splash’s founder, Eva Butler, brought home a tray of vernal pool water. Emily spent hours hovered over the trays watching the critters swim around and eat each other.

Charmaine Boulmay, Secondary Program Coordinator

Charmaine comes to Splash after many years of teaching high school biology and general science and a few years working with elementary and preschool children. Charmaine was raised and attended college in New Orleans, where she earned a B.S. in Biology and a Masters Degree in Education with a Geology focus.

Janet Herrin, Splash Club After School Coordinator

Janet grew up loving nature and the outdoors. Snakes, lizards, spiders, birds and coyotes were commonly observed in the Southern California desert where she grew up. Her fondest childhood memories are of riding her horse, Lady, through the sagebrush in search of something that would hop, crawl, or slither out of its hiding place.

Greg Suba, Curriculum Developer

Greg has worked with Splash since 2000. He is an aquatic biologist with over 20 years of professional experience as a research scientist and field biologist in marine, littoral, forest, and riparian ecosystems.

Nancy Myers, Vernal Pool Guide

Nancy joined Splash in 2004, after retiring from teaching elementary school science for 17 years. One of her favorite Splash jobs is to go out very early in the morning to the vernal pools to scoop up the critters that students view through microscopes in the Splash Education Center. Sometimes she even sees a coyote trotting home after its pre-dawn hunt.

Emily Evans, Vernal Pool Guide

Emily joined the Splash team in 2008. She loves spending time with the talented team of educators and the enthusiastic students at Splash. Her favorite critter is the Backswimmer, because she admires how quickly and gracefully it moves through the water. Her favorite flower is the Popcorn Flower because it's very cute and the name makes her salivate.

Lu-Anne Spencer-Hartle, Critter Keeper

Lu-Anne has always been fascinated with water and the critters that live in it. She became especially fond of salamanders when she was 6 years old and her parents brought home an Eastern Newt to help her recover from having her tonsils removed. She loves all the Splash Critters from the graceful fairy shrimp to the magnificent gopher snake.

David Rosen, Nature in the Neighborhood Coordinator

David has worked as an environmental educator, teacher, park ranger, and naturalist for nearly 30 years. His degree in Biology from the University of Michigan and extensive field experience have given David an intimate understanding of and a deep love for nature and wildlife. David is passionate about sharing outdoor and science experiences with others, especially kids.

Sacramento Splash - Helping children understand and value their natural world picture
Meet Rosie Robles, Splash Club Volunteer

Rosie volunteers to help coordinate and recruit for Splash Club meetings. She spreads the word about upcoming Splash Club meetings to her friends, co-workers, and people at her church. This may not seem like much, but telling your friends about Splash is one of the most important things you can do to help.

The Splash scientists are outstanding!

Having expert guides in small groups is invaluable.  The Splash scientists are outstanding - knowledgeable, patient, and able to relate well with children.

- Robert Snider, Golden Empire Elementary