Our Team
Magan Higgins-Gramling, Co-Founder
Magan Higgins Gramling is originally from Montgomery, AL, growing up on 15 acres in the deep woods. She now lives in Chelsea, AL with her husband and two children (son, 10 & daughter, 7).
Magan’s maternal family has been farmers for decades, whether with chickens, cattle or small family farm. Both of Magan’s parents were teachers, and Magan’s mother is a holistic nurse, which helped inspire her healthcare path to Occupational Therapy. She obtained a BS with honors in Psychology and graduated with honors in her Masters of OT from UAB. She then continued in her love for learning, obtaining certifications in lymphatic care, mastectomy, trauma, functional nutrition & eventually a doctorate of clinical practice. She has been an OT for over 12 years & practiced in a variety of settings before deciding to open her own private practice, Integrative OT, which specializes in Nature Based holistic OT.
Magan is also a faculty member at the University of St. Augustine and contracts with Kansas Virtual Academy. She is very active in her community and has a deep passion for OTs role in sustainability.
Nature is our largest environment and our most accessible! Being in nature offers a plethora of health benefits ranging from physiological to psychological to spiritual.
Magan Higgins Gramling, Co-Founder
Jane Mayer, Co-Founder
Jane was born and raised in Mountain Brook, and hails from generations of Alabamians. Her maternal grandmother’s family came from infrastructure builders, farmers and midwives on Chandler Mountain, and she is part of web of educators — principals and special education and music teachers— in almost every ancestral line.
She holds a Masters degree in Education from UCLA, and two B.A.s with honors (English Literature and Drama) from The University ofVirginia. She has helped to found a private Episcopal School and public charter school in Los Angeles, and a non-profit educator wellness organization out of the Bay Area, California, now heavily funded by the Gates Foundation. She is no stranger to grassroots organization, and foundational creation.
More recently, and most dear to her heart, she has spent the last decade learning at the feet of indigenous wisdom keepers, plants and spiritual traditions in Peru, Ireland and Hawaii (where she has lived), and run her own earth-based private healing practice. She credits these medicines and memory to deep personal healing and awakening, and shares them with gratitude and generosity.
She and her husband Richy (who met in Peru), now live in Crestline Park, and have a miracle 2 year-old son, Oran—who has inspired the creation of this forest school, and will attend in the fall.
“A longing for what is wild lives in our bones — may it be born in our children and nourish them all their lives.”
Jane Mayer— Co-Founder
Skylar Jones, Lead Teacher
Skylar grew up in the Birmingham area, spending her childhood swimming in local rivers, exploring trails throughout the state, and learning about gardening and farm animal care from her grandparents. This early connection to the earth and its creatures has been a lifelong source of peace and the inspiration for her career. It’s also why Wild Oaks’ mission resonates so deeply with her, and she is overjoyed to be a part of an organization that prioritizes rewilding childhood.
Skylar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Environmental Studies from Birmingham-Southern College and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Education, with a concentration in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education, at the University of Montevallo. Her time interning at various environmental nonprofits during college, where outdoor education was always at the forefront, inspired her graduate studies. This role truly feels like a dream come true, merging two of her greatest passions.
She looks forward to connecting with the children and families of Wild Oaks Forest School through shared outdoor experiences.
Ana LaCruz, Lead Teacher
Ana is so excited to be joining the Wild Oaks team! Her heart has always been in working with children to become passionate, creative, well rounded citizens of the universe. Ana spent her childhood living in various parts of the U.S. From Hilton Head Island to the Great Plains to Alabama the Beautiful.
Her background is in English Literature and Early Childhood Development from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There, she was able to do all of her teaching observation hours in Special Education. She’s worked in education since she was fifteen. Though, she’d happily say all the best learning happens outside of the traditional classroom. The mission of Wild Oaks Forest School is a perfect example.
Ana is truly so grateful for this opportunity to work with Wild Oaks. She’s so excited to get started and connect with every single special friend and family this inaugural year. 💛
Jacquelyn Hardin, Assistant Teacher
Jacquelyn grew up in the Boaz, Alabama, area and moved to Birmingham in late 2025 to attend university. From an early age, she loved spending time outdoors. Whether she was on the playground, climbing trees, or swimming in the lake, she has always felt a strong connection to nature. She has also spent much of her life caring for and spending time with younger children, an experience she has genuinely loved. These two passions naturally led her to Wild Oaks Forest School.
Her educational and volunteer background includes pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and volunteering with the Miracle League, a special education baseball program. She has also worked with her hometown to promote literacy by helping establish a Free Little Library in the city’s park (coming soon!), bringing books to children in a low-income community. Throughout her education, she has dedicated herself to researching innovative approaches to learning and hopes to combine proven educational methods with new ideas to help create a stronger, more effective system. Wild Oaks is a wonderful example of the kind of nontraditional educational environment that inspires her.
Jacquelyn is thrilled to continue her research while gaining valuable childcare experience during Wild Oaks’ inaugural year. She looks forward to getting to know each child and family, building meaningful relationships, and helping create experiences and connections that will positively impact the children for years to come. 😊
Connecting the next generation back to the nourishment of Mother Earth
