Executive Director, Director of Programs & Operations

Silas Binkley serves as Executive Director of the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning, where he leads the organization’s strategic direction, program development, land stewardship initiatives, and partnership efforts across more than 3,000 acres of Northern Colorado landscape at Sylvan Dale Ranch and the Heart-J Center properties. Since joining the Heart-J team in 2018, Silas has played a central role in expanding and diversifying the organization’s experiential programming, including youth education, veteran and first responder initiatives, mental wellness programming, leadership development, and stewardship-based partnerships.

With more than 20 years of experience in experiential and adventure-based education, Silas has led extended wilderness expeditions and immersive learning experiences across the American Southwest, Mexico, Australia, Nepal, Scotland, and beyond. His background combines outdoor leadership, sustainability education, land stewardship, and community-based programming rooted in the belief that meaningful experiences in nature can foster resilience, connection, and personal growth.

An avid outdoorsman and educator, Silas has logged hundreds of backcountry days, through-hiked more than 600 miles of Colorado’s Continental Divide Trail, and holds certification as a Wilderness First Responder. He earned a B.A. from Colorado State University, an M.A. in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development from The University of Queensland. and is a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in Sustainability Education at Prescott College.

Youth Programs Manager

Angela serves as Youth Programs Manager at the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning, where she leads the organization’s growing portfolio of experiential education and youth development programs rooted in nature connection, stewardship, and hands-on learning. Since joining the Heart-J Center team in 2022, Angela has played a foundational role in shaping and expanding the organization’s youth initiatives throughout Northern Colorado.

Angela was instrumental in launching and growing the Heart-J Center’s Nature School program, an experiential learning initiative serving homeschool students through standards-aligned, nature-based education focused on ecological literacy, exploration, and social-emotional growth. Under her leadership, the program has expanded significantly and will operate four days per week during the 2026–2027 academic year. Angela has also directed the Heart-J Center’s state-licensed adventure summer camp programs, helping create immersive outdoor experiences that foster confidence, resilience, curiosity, and connection to the natural world.

Angela first came to Sylvan Dale Ranch as a wrangler, bringing more than 20 years of experience riding, training, and caring for horses. She continues to support the Heart-J Center’s horsemanship and equine-related initiatives while integrating her passion for horses into broader educational programming efforts.

With a background in geology, sustainability, education, and outdoor leadership, Angela brings both scientific perspective and grounded relational leadership to her work with youth and families. She is also a certified Wilderness First Responder.

Angela earned a B.S. in Geology from Western Illinois University and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Sustainability from Loyola University Chicago.

ELEVATE Program Manager / Program Operations & Communications Manager

Laura Hershiser serves as ELEVATE Program Manager and Program Operations & Communications Manager at the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning, where she helps lead nature-based mental wellness programming, organizational operations, communications, and partnership coordination across the organization’s growing initiatives.

Since first joining the Heart-J Center as an educator, Laura has played an important role in the continued growth and evolution of experiential learning programs serving youth, veterans, first responders, and community partners throughout Northern Colorado. Her work focuses on creating meaningful, relationship-centered experiences that foster resilience, wellbeing, stewardship, and connection to the natural world.

Laura brings a diverse background in environmental education, outdoor leadership, facilitation, and whitewater river guiding, experiences that continue to shape her belief in the transformative value of immersive experiences in nature. Through her leadership within the ELEVATE initiative, she supports the development of programs designed to strengthen mental wellness, reflection, human connection, and community resilience through experiential learning.

In addition to program leadership, Laura plays a central role in organizational communications, program coordination, partnership support, and day-to-day operational systems that help sustain and expand the Heart-J Center’s mission and impact.

Laura earned her B.S. degree from Southern Oregon University and remains deeply committed to experiential education, stewardship, and community-based programming rooted in the landscapes of Northern Colorado.

Nature School Educator

Zella is a Nature School educator at the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning with a passion for experiential education, outdoor leadership, and connecting young people to the natural world through immersive learning experiences. She brings an energetic, thoughtful, and relationship-centered approach to teaching, helping students build confidence, curiosity, resilience, and ecological awareness through hands-on exploration in the landscapes of Northern Colorado. Zella earned her degree from Colorado State University and has experience supporting youth development, environmental education, and community-based programming. An avid rock climber and backpacker, Zella is passionate about sharing meaningful outdoor experiences with others and helping cultivate confidence, connection, and stewardship through adventure-based learning. She is also helping develop new backpacking initiatives for the Heart-J Center and Nature School, expanding opportunities for immersive wilderness experiences and outdoor leadership development.

Nature School Educator

Nick Hagan is a Nature School educator, conservation practitioner, and lifelong outdoorsman with a deep commitment to ecological stewardship and experiential learning. Raised in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Montana, Nick brings diverse field experience in wildlife management, stream restoration, conservation, and outdoor education to his work with students at the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning. Nick is the owner of Songdog Outdoor Services in Fort Collins, specializing in beaver coexistence and low-tech ecological restoration, and also serves as an assistant instructor in the Natural Resources Department at Front Range Community College. He earned his A.A.S. in Wildlife Technology from Front Range Community College in 2022. When he’s not outside or in the classroom (and sometimes when he is), Hagan contemplates the human condition, plays in a one-man band and wrestles with his border collie, Millie.

Lead Facilitator, ELEVATE

Henry McLaughlin serves as Lead Facilitator for the ELEVATE initiative at the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning, where his work focuses on facilitating nature-based wellness programs for organizations throughout Central and Northern Colorado. Through immersive experiences rooted in experiential learning and connection to the natural world, Henry helps guide participants in reflection, resilience-building, and personal growth within the landscapes of Sylvan Dale Ranch and the Heart-J Center backcountry properties.

Henry brings a thoughtful and grounded approach to facilitation, drawing from his background in experiential education, outdoor leadership, and mental wellness programming. He is committed to creating supportive environments where individuals and groups can reconnect with themselves, one another, and the restorative value of time spent in nature.

Henry holds a Master of Science degree from Colorado State University and is a certified Wilderness First Responder, reflecting his commitment to both participant safety and meaningful outdoor facilitation experiences.